The Discovery That Led America Into The Oil Age The Lucas gusher at Spindletop, January 10, 1901 “Black Gold” … “ Tea” Clues That There Might Be Oil

• Native Americans thought drinking oil that had leaked above the ground would cure digestive problems. • In 1543, Spanish explorers used oil to waterproof their boots. • There had long been suspicions that oil might be under "Spindletop Hill." The area was known for its vast sulfur springs and bubbling gas seepages that would ignite if lit. • One observer’s account of a blowout that also caught fire reads, “With a roar like a hundred express trains racing across the countryside, the well blew out, spewing oil in all directions. The derrick simply evaporated. Casings wilted like lettuce out of water, as heavy machinery writhed and twisted into grotesque shapes in the blazing inferno.”

Salt Dome Boomtown • Pattillo Higgins and Captain Anthony F. Lucas contracted with Gladys City Oil, Gas, and Manufacturing Company • Lucas was an expert on salt dome formations • Lucas drilled to 575 feet … ran out of money … secured additional funding from John H. Galey and James M. Guffey of … the deal left Lucas with one-eighth share and Higgins with nothing (!) • January 10, 1901, at a depth of 1,139 ft (347 m), the Lucas Gusher blew oil over 150 feet in the air at a rate of 100,000 barrels per day. It took nine days before the well was brought under control • The biggest gusher the world had ever seen. Beaumont, Texas became a Boom Town (see 1940 movie with Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy) Higgins and Lucas