p1 /Vo./
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE OIL INDUSTRY IN COOKE COUNTY
THESIS
Presented to the Graduate Council of the
North Texas State College in Partial
Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Degree of
MASTER OF SCIENCE
By 18014Yr Amy T. Porter, B. S.
Gainesville, Texas
August, 1950 1r8 i4'
TABLE OF CONTENTS
OF TABLES Page LISTOLIST TABLES ...... iv . . . . . «
* * * * * * * i PREFACE ...... v Chapter I. INTRODUCTION ...... 3.
The Cooke County Background Physiography Stratigraphy Mineral and Water Resources of Cooke County II. THE FIRST OIL DEVELOPMENTS IN COOKE COUNTY . 13
Beginning of the Oil Industry in Texas Early Oil Developments in Cooke County
III. THE DEVELOPMENT OF VARIOUS OTHER FIELDS . . . 23 The Butcher Field The Muenster Field The Dangelmayr Field The Anderson-Kerr Field The Walnut Bend Field The Wilson Field The Bindel Field The Fleitmann Field The Woodbine Field The Sivells Bend Field The Gatewood Field The Grant-Modesett Field The Atcheson Field The Lemaster Field Wildcat Wells Total Oil Production of Cooke County
IV. THETYDAL REFINERY- ...... 52
V. APPARENT EFFECTS OF THE OIL INDUSTRY IN COOKE COUNTY...... 56
The Economic Structure The School The Social Environment
VI. SUNMARY ...... e . . . 71
BIBLIOGRAPHY...... 0...... 74
iii LIST OF TABLES
lab le Page 1. Yearly Record of Oil Wells Drilled in Texas from 1867 through 1949 . . . . . , . . . . 14 2. Cumulative Production Record of Oil Produc- in tion Texas from 1889 through 1949 . .
3. Oil ells and Their Production in the Dan;elmayr . ..- Field . - . . . . . 4 . 26 4. Oil Wells and Their Production in Walnut Bectd: Winger Field ...... - - ......
5, Oil Wells and Their Production in Walnut Dec Cox Field . . . . . * - - . . . t 31 6. Wells Oil and Their Production in Walnut Benid- Hudspeth Field . . . . . - " . - -. " .r . 32
7., Oil Wells and Their Production in Walnut Ben Atkins Field . . . . . --. - . . . . . 33
8. Oil Wells and Their Production in Walnut Bend - a . . Field . . Ellen . . .- - a . . . 34 9, Oil Wells and Their Production in Walnut Ben d - Field . . . Montgomery - - * . " 0 0 . . . 35
10. Gil Wells and Their Production in Walnut Ben Bruhl-Meyer . .- . . Field " ...... 36 11. Oil Wells and Their Production in Wilson and Their Field Prodution- - - . 0 . . 38 12. Oil Wells and Their Production in Bindel Field an The roduct.n-- S - . .a . . 39
13. Oil Wells and Their Production in Fleitmann Field -. -*,-0 + -.-.- "-9-. * . 0 - 0 . . . 40
14. Oil Wells and Their Production in Woodbine
a Field . . 4' .0 - . .0 " 0 ., .a 0 0 . 0 41
iv Table Page 15. Gil Wells and Their Production in Sivells ...... Bend Field . -. - . 43 16. Oil Wells and Their Production in Gatewood Field ...... , . . . ,# . ." . ,.,# 44 17. Oil Wells and Their Production in Grant- Modesett Field . -...... " 46 18. Oil Wells and Their Production in Atcheson Field ...... " . . . " ," 47 19. Gil Wells and Their Production in Lemaster Field ...... ,-" . " . " . 48 20. Prices of Crude Oil in Texas During the Period of 1924-1949 --...... 63
21. The Scholastic Enrollment in Cooke County during the Period of 1924-1950 . . . . . 65
v PREFACE
This paper is the result of a study of the oil industry in Cooke County, Texas. Consideration was given to the following factors: the physiography and geology of Cooke
County, the first oil developments, opening of various fields, the Tydal Refinery, and the benefits of the oil industry to the county in terms of employment, business establishments, schools, and social effects.
The purpose of the study was to make available to the public certain data on the oil industry in Cooke County and its apparent effect upon the community. As far as can be determined, no such information has ever been published.
Both personal and documentary sources were utilized for obtaining data on the present problem. Primary sources included statements made by land owners of Cooke County, oil, operators, drillers, refinery personnel, business men, civic leaders, and the superintendents of schools, both in
Gainesville, Texas, and in Cooke County. Secondary sources included newspapers, oil publications, and books on geology and the oil industry.
vi CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
The Cooke County Background
Cooke County, with a population of approximately 24,000
and an area of 1,000 square miles, is located in the extreme north-central part of Texas. It is bounded on the south by
Wise and Denton Counties, on the north by Red River, on the west by Montague County, and on the east by Grayson County.
Gainesville, the county seat of Cooke County and home of the nationally famous Community Circus, was named for
General Edmund Pendleton Gaines, a hero of the war of 1812.
The city is located seven miles south of the Red River, which bounds Texas and Oklahoma. It is seventy miles north of both Fort Worth and Dallas. The 1950 population was reported to be approximately 12,000.2
The townsite was laid out August 15, 1850, and the city was incorporated in 1873. The first transcontinental artery to pass through Cooke County was the Butterfield stage route,
1 A11 information contained in this chapter pertaining to the city of Gainesville was obtained from the local Chamber of Commerce, mimeographed Bulletin, June 20, 1950, unless otherwise stated.
2Personai conference with Bob Murdock, Secretary, Chamber of Commerce, Gainesville, Texas, July 1, 1950.
I 2
established in 1858. The city's main east-west street was named California because most of the through traffic was
destined for the West Coast. The famous Chisholm Trail
passed near the city from South Texas to Kansas. The first railroad came to Gainesville in 1879, and the city became
a cattle shipping point. The first wooden storm sewer was laid in 1880, and the graveling of sidewalks was required
by ordinances in 1884. The first street bond issue
(410,000 for graveling) was authorized in 1894; and the
first brick paving was done in 1906. The first toll bridge was built across Red River in February, 1919.
The city, with an elevation of 738 feet, has a climate which is mild and healthful. The average annual tempera-
ture is sixty-five degrees. The average growing season is
231 days, with a rainfall of thirty-five inches, annual average.
Four artesian wells drilled into the Trinity sands
(850 to 950 feet) supply the city with an abundance of soft,
pure water, which does not require chemical treatment. The water system is municipally owned and operated, and features
two large overhead storage tanks. The Trinity sands produce an unlimited quantity of water.
Two main highways cross Cooke county. United States
Highway 82 runs east and west, aid United States Highway
77 extends north and south. The Missouri-Kansas and Texas 3
railroad traverses the county from east to west. East
of Gainesville, on the Missouri-Kansas and Texas line, is the small town of Woodbine. West of Gainesville are
Lindsay, Myra, and Muenster. On the Santa Fe line and
south of Gainesville is Valley View. Other towns and vil-
lages in the southwestern part of the county are Era, Hood,
Leo, and Ros ston. Marysville and :Butcher are in the north-
western section; Sivells Bend is located in the northern part; and Dexter and Callisburg are in the northeastern
area. Burns City is a small village in the southeastern
part of the county. Each of these places is small, but
many of them are in or near producing oil fields of Cooke County.
Physiography3
Cooke County forms a part of the large physiographic
province which is called the Gulf Coastal Plain. This plain borders the Gulf of Mexico in the form of a broad belt of
sands, clays, and limestones, and has a gentle slope toward
the Gulf. It extends over a large area in Mexico, the south- eastern part of Texas, the southeastern counties of Oklahoma, all of Louisiana and Mississippi, the southern part of Alabama and Georgia, and all of Florida. It merges into the Atlantic Coastal Plain Province which borders the ocean
H. P. Bybee and Fred M. Bullard, The Geology of Cooke County, Texas, pp. 9-11. 4
from Florida to New Jersey. The strata border the gulf
and dip toward the gulf. The one which was most recently
deposited and which, therefore, is the youngest, occurs at
the water's edge. The Trinity sand, which is the oldest
stratum, outcrops farthest north. All intermediate forma-
tions, from the youngest to the oldest, are found in their
proper places, except when they are locally affected by
structural features farther from the water's edge. They outcrop as concentric belts around the Gulf of Mexico.
Cooke County is situated near the northern border of the Gulf Coastal Plain. It is described as a dissected
coastal plain upland. The elevation ranges from 1,200 feet
above sea level in the northwestern part of the county to 600 feet where Red River leaves the county on the east.
Red River forms the northern boundary of the county. It
flows in a southeasterly direction and cuts a broad valley
between 200 feet and 300 feet below the general level of the surrounding country. The gradient of Red River averages
about 1.5 feet per mile of its extent along the Cooke County line.
A well-defined divide, which runs in a northwesterly and southeasterly direction, beginning north of Gainesville, separates the drainage of Cooke County. The northern side flows directly into the Red River through a number of small creeks. The southern part is drained by a number of creeks 5
which flow southward into the Trinity River. It is possible
for two drops of rain which fall in this divide, only a few
inches apart, to go on their respective ways, one down the
Red River and the other down the Trinity, and eventually
reach the Gulf of Mexico, over three hundred miles apart.
The northern part of Texas is separated into a number
of distinct physiographic provinces. The following are represented in Cooke County: (1) Western Cross Timbers,
which is an area covered by the outcrop of the Trinity sand;
(2) the Grand Prairie area underlain by the limestones and
shaly clays of the Comanchean which lies above the Trinity
sand; and (3) the Eastern Cross Timbers, on the area which
is covered by the outcrop of the Woodbine sand. Each of these areas appear in Cooke County.
The Western Cross Timbers is represented in Cooke
County by a broad area which extends along the western
boundary. It has a rolling-to-hilly topography with a
very sandy soil and is covered by a thick growth of scrub
oak and black jack timbers.
Several hundred feet of alternating beds of clay and
limestones are found above the Trinity sand. They form a rolling upland prairie called the Grand Prairie. Practi- cally all of the middle part of Cooke County is included
in this division. The surface is rolling-to-hilly and con- tains indurated layers which tend to produce small escarp- ments and benches. 6
The Eastern Cross Timbers, which is the area covered
by the outcrop of the Woodbine sand, is found along the
eastern boundary in the form of a belt about five or six miles in width. It extends practically the full length
of the county. The topography of the Eastern Cross Timbers is more rugged and hilly than that of the Western Cross
Timbers. The hills were formed by large masses of iron segregations which protect the strata. The unprotected area has rapidly worn away. This area is covered by a dense growth of timber which consists chiefly of post oak and black jack.
Stratigraphy 4
Comanche Series.--The Comanchean rocks are comprised of sands, shaly clays, marls and limestones. Their total thickness averages approximately 1,000 feet in Cooke County.
The Woodbine sand, which overlays the Comanchean, is sepa- rated from the latter by a slight unconformity. The sand is the youngest formation which outcrops in Cooke County, except recent alluvial and terrace deposits along Red River.
The Comanche series includes the Trinity, the Freder- icksburg, and the Washita. The Trinity sand represents the near-shore or beach deposit of the Comanchean Sea which transgressed upon the land from the southeast. The sand
4 lbid., pp. 11-53. 7
is a fine white to yellow pack and occurs in massive beds which are forty to fifty feet thick. Lentils of clay,
which vary in thickness from a few inches to thirty feet
and which vary in color from yellow to purple, are scattered
throughout the formation. In Cooke County the Trinity sand
has some indurated layers which project as massive ledges and form hills and escarpments. These ledges are prominent
in the low part of the formation and usually are composed
of a white sand which weathers a dull gray. It forms a
mantle of loose debris which covers the' outcrop. Thus,
exposures which permit a detailed section are extremely
rare. However, from a study of well records, it has been
estimated that the Trinity sand has a thickness of 500 to
700 feet. The best section of the sand in this region is along Red River. It lies northwest of Sivells Bend which is north and west of Gainesville.
The Fredericksburg division overlays the Trinity sand, which is represented in this area by the Goodland limestone.
It consists of between twenty and thirty feet of hard, white, semicrystalline limestone which weathers almost pure white and is massively bedded. Generally, there are as many as four beds which range in thickness from four to six feet each. The lower part of the Goodland limestone is chalky, while the upper part is a very hard, pure-white limestone.
It breaks and scales off in thin plates, which gives an 8
exposure of the limestone a rather shattered appearance.
The Goodland thickens to the south and contains some clay
layers which separate the limestone beds near the top of
the formation. Along the southern boundary the Goodland
attains a thickness of approximately thirty-five feet.
Along the northern boundary the shale or clay partings are
practically absent, and the thickness of the Goodland is
hardly ever more than twenty-five feet. However, the clay
partings become thicker farther south. As a result, the
total thickness of the Goodland is approximately forty feet. The Washita lies conformably upon the Fredericksburg division and is the highest division of the Comanchean.
It is composed of marine shaly clays, marls, and subordinate limestones. The total thickness is approximately 415 feet.
The Pawpaw, which is a sandy member, is found toward the top and is the only exception to the non-sandy character of this group. The limestone, which are subordinate to clays in thickness, form several definite horizons. They contain characteristic fossils which are readily traceable throughout the area. For this reason they are highly signifi- cant in determining the structure of the region.
The Washita division represents the beginning with- drawal of the Comanchean Sea. This withdrawal reached its maximum expanse during the Fredericksburg age, when wide- spread deposition of limestone took place. This shallowing of the sea during the Washita time is evidenced in the 9
increase of shaly material toward the top of the ground and finally in the deposits of sand. The numerous sand layers, which exist throughout the Washita group, bear evidence of shallow-water deposition by their ripple mark and cross-bedding,. At the end of the Washita time, the sea retreated entirely from this region. A short erosional interval intervened between the Comanche series and the succeeding Gulf series. This intervention is indicated by a slight disconformity. The following subdivisions of the Washita division have been mapped in Cooke County:
Grayson marl, Main Street limestone, Pawpaw sand, Weno clay, Denton clay, Fort Worth limestone, Duck Creek forma- tion, and Kiamichi clay.
Gulf Series.--The Woodbine sand is the basal member of the Gulf Series of the Cretaceous in Cooke County.
This sand immediately overlies the Grayson marl and is apparently unconformable on it and is cross-bedded to a large extent. Because of this condition, it is extremely difficult to determine its thickness from the surface.
The Woodbine weathers into a loose, sandy soil and is cov- ered with a dense growth of post oak and black jack timber.
Its topography is rather hilly, and the tops of hills are covered by a mass of ferruginous material. These segrega- tions and veins of iron-ore concentrate on the hill tops and other places because of the removal of the soft, friable sand. The Woodbine outcrop is a belt which varies in width from about seven to nine miles. It lies along the eastern
boundary of Cooke County. The typically hilly topography,
which is characteristic of the Woodbine, is well developed in the area east of Gainesville.
Cooke County is situated about forty miles south of
the Arbuckle Mountains of southern Oklahoma. These mountains
represent a portion of an old system which trended in a gen-
eral east and west direction across the southern part of Oklahoma. During the late Paleozoic era, these mountains
came into existence. They consist of an enormous thickness
of sedimentary rocks intensely folded and faulted into a large geanticline.
Mineral and Water Resources of Cooke County5
Numerous occurrences of asphalt have been reported in Cooke County. However, no detailed investigation has been made relative to the deposits. The known deposits are
located in the western and northwestern part of the county.
The material is a sand asphalt which is found near the top of the Trinity sand. Frequently, it is found immediately at the contact of the Trinity and the overlying Goodland limestones.
An abundance of native stone is used in Cooke County, and one of the chief types is the Goodland limestone.
Ibid ., pp. 52-61. 11
However, it is not evenly bedded; therefore, it is diffi- cult to obtain uniform size. For this reason, no building stone of commercial value has been found in the county.
The Goodland limestone and the lower Duck Creek forma- tions, along with the Fort Worth limestone, are formations which could furnish cement in Cooke County. However, little has been done in developing this project.
The county contains an abundance of clay which is suitable for the manufacturing of an excellent grade of brick. One extensive plant is located a short distance east of Gainesville. Clay is used from the Denton forma- tion.
Portions of the Trinity sand in Cooke County probably are suitable for use as a glass sand. Although no tests have been made, it is comparable to that of the Trinity in southern Oklahoma, which has been reported to be pure enough to be used as glass sand.
An extensive area of gravel deposits has been found along most of the large creeks in Cooke County. The gravel is used on the highways as road material.
Goodland limestone is a possible source of lime in
Cooke County, as the upper part is reported to be especially pure. An analysis of samples collected north of the county line, in Oklahoma, has been made, and the lime proved to be sufficiently pure for use. 12
Cooke County is divided into three divisions relative
to its artesian conditions. First, there is a belt along
the Red River Valley in the northern part of the county in which drills must penetrate to the Trinity reservoir to procure flowing wells. Second, numerous shallow wells are found in the area of the Grand Prairie. Third, the Eastern Cross Timber district along the eastern part of the county lies within a catchment area of the Woodbine Reservoir, but flowing wells from this source are hardly probable.
All of the county, with the exception of a small area northwest of Bulcher, is underlain by the Antlers sands, which include at least two well-defined reservoirs. CHAPTER II
THE FIRST OIL DEVELOPMENTS I1 COOKE COUNTY
JBeginning of the oil Industry in Texas
The discovery of oil in Texas occurred in 1867. This date was eight years after the Drake well, the first oil well in the United States, was produced in Pennsylvania.
Amory Starr and Peytone F. Edwards dug some shallow holes in the edge of the Oil Springs Branch, northeast of Nacog- doches, Texas, and skimmed off some of the oil. It was taken to Nacogdoches and used as harness oil and for other domestic purposes.
By 1899 the state's total oil production was forty- eight barrels from two wells which were located seven miles southeast of San Antonio. In 1894, discovery of oil was made in Corsicana. This discovery caused oil in Texas to be produced in large enough quantities to give the industry some commercial importance. In this year, an artesian well was drilled in Corsicana. Oil appeared at a depth of 1,035 feet and persisted until the well was completed at 2,480 feet. In 1895 several Corsicana citizens formed a company and drilled a well 200 feet from the water well. They obtained oil at the rate of 2.5 barrels daily. Other wells
13 were drilled in 1896. During that year the state's produc- tion reached 1,450 barrels. 1
The first oil refinery in Texas was built at Corsicana
in 1898. During that same year the first oil test was made
in Cooke County. Drilling continued intermittently in this
area and other parts of the state until oil wells became an
integral part of the landscape picture. Table 1 contains
data on the number of wells drilled in Texas during the period of 1867-1949.2
TABLE 1
YEARLY RECORD OF OIL WELLS DRILLED IN TEXAS FROM 1867 THROUGH 1949
Year Number of Wells Drilled
1867-1888 ...... 32
189-89.5 ...... 340 1 9 087 . . 5018 ...... 3 7 1899 * * . * - - - - - ...... 16 1898 - - - - - ...... 340 1899 . . . . . - ...... 169 1904 . - * ...... 262 1901 . # " . ------. . . - 421 1902 ...... 245 1903 ...... - ...... 321
1907 ...... 776 1908 ...... * . . 509 1909 . . . * ...... 484
~- ~ 1 0 - . - - - ,. . r-: -#- - ."p-.- ...,"...... 4
1 Gainesville aly Restr, August 30, 1948, p. 1. 2 Ira Rinehart, Central Information Office Staff, Production Statistics, p. 2. 15
TABLE I--Continued Number of Year Wells Drilled
1910 e . . . a a a . . . a . . a . 473 1911 a 0 a a a a " 436 a 1912 a " I a " a a 652 I a 1913 a a " S S 0 906 a a a 1914 a a a a a .a a 820 a a S 1915 a a a 613 a a a 1 47 1916 a a S 1t S " a I a 1917 a a 1,499 a a " I 1918 a a 1,729 0 a 0 1919 a * a a " a a a 3,514 . s 0 1920 a I a a a a a 5,500 a a 1921 a 2,534 a a a a a 0 1922 a .aa 2,897 a .a a a " a a 1923 a a 0.a 3,389 a .a a s a 1924 a a a " 2,850 .a a .a 1925 a I 0 a a a 4,014 .a a a a. a 1926- a a a a a 5,788 .S a a a # .a s 1927 a a 4,124 .a .a a s a.a a 1928 S a a a 3,980 .aa .a a a " .a s 1929 a a 4,440 a a a 1930 .a a.0 a a.a S.0 .a 3,745 a .0 a a.a .s a 0 1931 .a " a 0 .a 4,411 a .aa a B a 1932 .a a a.a a .S 7,242 a a a a 1933 a a a.* a .a 4,745 a " I 1934 a a.a a I .0 6,860 a S a a a a a a 0 S .a 8,421 1935 . S a 1936 a a .a I 9,120 a a I 1937 a S a a .S 11,030 a a " a a a I a a .a 8,892 1938 a a 1939 S a a a 0 " 6,683 a a S a 1940 a a a a a 6,632 a a S 1941 a a a a I I 7,258 0 a 1942 a r a 3,041 a a a 1943 a a a 2,373 a a a 1944 a I a " 3,526 S 0 a a 1945 I 4,036 a I a I 1946 a a " 4,720 a S a a a 5,752 1947 a a a 1948 a 0 7,920 0 a a a 1949 S 8,966
An analysis of this information shows that the yearly record of wells drilled increased from thirty-two wells in the twentyrtwo 16
years from 1867 through 1888, to 8,966 wells in the single year, 1949.
Production increased in various parts of the state until the oil industry became one of the most important enterprises in the state. Table 2 contains statistical data on the cumulative production record from 1889 to 1949, inclusive. 3
TABLE 2
CUMULATIVE PRODUCTION RECORD OF OIL PRODUCTION IN TEXAS FROM 1889 THROUGH 1949
Production Cumulative Year in Barrels Record
1889 48 48 1890 54 102 1891 54 156 1892 45 20'1 1893 50 251 1894 60 311 1895 50 361 1896 1,450 1,811 1897 65,975 67,786 1898 546,070 613,856 1899 669,013 1,282,869 1900 836,039 2,118,908 1901 4,393,658 6,512,566 1902 18,083,658 24,596,224 1903 17,955,572 42, 551,7 96 1904 22,241, 413 64,793,209 1905 28,136,189 92,929,398 1906 12,567,897 105,497,295 1907 12,322,696 117,819,991
3lbid., p. 1. 17
TABLE 2--Continued
Production Cumulative Year in Barrels Record
1908 11,206,464 129,026,455 1909 9,534,467 138,560,922 1910 8,889,266 147,460,188 1911 9,526,474 156,986,662 1912 11,735,057 168,721,719 1913 15,009,478 183,731,197 1914 20,068,184 203,799,381 1915 24,942,701 228,742,082 1916 27,644,605 256,386,687 1917 32,{413,287 288,799,974 1918 38,750,0061 327,550,005 1919 79,366,000 406,916, 005 1920 96,868,000 503,784,005 1921 106, 166,000 609,950,005 1922 118,684,000 728,634,005 1923 131,023,000 859,657,005 1924 134,522,000 994,179,005 1925 144,648,000 1,138,827,005 1926 166, 916,000 1,305,743,005 1927 217,389, 000 1,523,132,005 1928 257,320,000 1,780,452,005 1929 296,876,000 2, 077, 328,005 1930 290, 457,000 2,367,785,005 1931 332,437,000 2,700,222,005 1932 312,478,000 2,012,700,005 1933 402,609,000 2,415,309,005 1934 381,516,000- 2,796,825,005 1935 375,617,368 3,172,442,373 1936 418,775,601 3,591,217, 974 1937 502,964,000 4,094,181,974 1938 470,760,000 4,564,941,974 1939 477,547,746 5,042,489,720 1940 486,661,806 5,529,151,526 1941 499,208,329 6,028,359,855 1942 477,828,220 6,506,188,075 1943 587,688,918 7,093,876,993 1944 741,184,780 7,835,061,773 1945 750,667,855 8,585,729,628 1946 756,641,417 9,342,371,045 1947 816, 188, 478 10, 158,559,523 1948 898,313,973 11,056,873,496 1949 734,089,237 11,790,962,733 4 ~ .A 18
An examination of these statistics shows that the number of barrels produced in 1889 was forty-eight. By 1949,
the cumulative record totaled 11,790,962,733 barrels.
Early Oil Developments in Cooke County4
Cooke Countyts first oil well was drilled in 1398 on
a five-acre tract owned by George Bell in the townsite of
Myra. Harold Benfield moved in a small cable tool rig of the Canadian Pole type, and drilling continued for three
years. At the end of that time the drillers had reached
a depth of B30 feet. A show of oil and gas was found in
the Trinity sand at 650 feet. The news spread rapidly,
and excitement became so great that lots in Myra were
leased for as much as ;500 each. However, the well was abandoned in 1901, and the rig was moved to the George Ball
ranch, north of Myra. There a well was drilled to the
depth of 730 feet, and a show of oil caused a pump to be
installed. Oil, gas, and salt water were pumped for six months, then the well was abandoned.
After this second test proved unfruitful, a third test was made in the county by Gainesville businessmen, who
organized the Dexter Oil and Gas Company. Tom Wrenn of
Wichita Falls was contracted to drill a well on the Hal Murrell Farm northeast of Gainesville in 1912. However, the well was abandoned because no paying production resulted.
4 Gainesville Qaiy Register, August 30, 1948, p. 1. P. L. Tippitt of Gainesville was the next explorer
of the depths of the county. He drilled on the Ball Ranch
during 1915-1918. The well was located four miles north
of xyra and two miles north of Benfield's second test on
the Ball acreage. A showing of gas and oil caused much
excitement, but there was not sufficient quantity to warrant completion of the well, and it was abandoned.
The first oil producer in Cooke County was the Big Indian well, located about two miles east of Callisburg,
Texas. It was brought in suddenly on Sunday afternoon,
November 9, 1924. Hundreds of spectators from Gainesville and other Cooke County sections had gathered around the well, hoping that the excitement would take place while they were there. Lowering of the bailer was started at one o'clock in the afternoon. Soon after that, oil shot seventy feet into the air. This caused a temendous shout from the crowd. Many of the people ran out to meet the great wave as it fell to the ground. By some stretch of the imagination, they seemed to think that getting the oil on them would be a good-luck omen of future prosperity.
The following quotation from Gainesville's daily news- paper describes the beginning of the oil boom in 1924:
Gainesville began to realize Sunday night what an oilfield at its threshold means. Groups of people stood on the streets well after bedtime discussing the coming in of the Big Indian Oil Well. Monday scores of other newcomers arrived in town seeking to buy acreage in the prospective new field. 20
Land that could have been purchased for very nominal sums last week, had increased in price many fold almost overnight. The interest is not confined to local and out- of-town individuals, but several big producing com- panies have their representatives on the ground. Among the big companies whose scouts are interested in obtaining acreage are the Magnolia, Gulf, Sims, Ramsey, and Texas. All told, Gainesville without doubt has entered upon the greatest era in her history, and it only remains to be seen what oil can do for a community. "Every dog has its day" and Gainesville now has hers before her. A dream has come true. 5
Cooke County's first producer was developed through the unswerving faith and unending energy of Irene Hathaway. 6
She came to Gainesville from Kansas City, Missouri, in 1918. At that time, she was traveling for an encyclopedia company. While she was staying in Gainesville, an oil man who had lost his wealth began talking to her about oil prospecting in Cooke County. He prophesied that someday oil would be found in the entire county, but he was especially interested in the northeast section. Irene Hathaway became very inter- ested in the possibility of developing an oil field, but she was unable to interest anyone in or around Gainesville in her plans.
She went back to Kansas City, Missouri. Then she went to Kansas and contacted the Big Indian Oil Company officials there. After much persuasion and many rebuffs, she gained
5 Gainesville Register, November 10, 1924, p. 1. 6 Personal interview with Hazel Hathaway, daughter of Irene Hathaway, June 2, 1950. 21
the interest of the company. She came back to Gainesville with the Big Indian representatives and started getting
enough leases to enable them to drill their first well.
By this time, Gainesville merchants and bankers became more interested and began backing the company.
The drilling was very slow, and it took two years to complete one well. The operators had only the crudest tools, which often were lost in the well, and it took days to regain them. During the two years of drilling, Irene
Hathaway's faith never seemed dim. She drove from Gaines- ville to Callisburg, a distance of twelve miles, over rough, muddy roads at all hours of the day and night. When she felt that the interest of the drillers was waning, she took them hot food and coffee.
Finally, when it seemed that the well would not be successfully finished, the Big Indian Company refused to keep the operations going any longer. The men were ready to stop drilling, but Irene Hathaway begged them to continue.
She promised them that she would see that they were paid.
They had enough faith in her to continue drilling, and in less than forty-eight hours a gusher was brought in. Sam
King, president of the Lindsay National Bank of Gainesville, took Irene Hathaway's hand and cried, "Irene, you have brought us out of the red. You have put Gainesville on the map." The intuition and patience of this woman led to the development of nine big oil fields in Cooke County. She 22
was fifty-five years of age at the time the Big Indian well was finished, but she had the energy of a much younger woman. She bought leases all around northeast Cooke County, but was not able to develop any other wells. Finally, when her financial resources were exhausted, several oil com- panies moved in and took over the leases.
However, any time that oil development in Cooke County is discussed, the name of Irene Hathaway is sure to be men- tioned, and much praise and credit is given to her. She died in Gainesville in 1949, at the age of eighty years.
She had gained little wealth for herself, but she had made
lasting friends in her adopted city of Gainesville. CHAPTER III
THE DEVELOPMENT OF VARIOUS OTHER FIELDS
Cooke County is one of 169 oil-producing counties of the 254 in the state of Texas. In 1947-1948 it ranked thirty-eighth among these counties in its production which has amounted to staggering figures since November 9, 1924, the eventful day when the first producer was brought in.
A description of each field is contained in the succeeding discussions for the purpose of presenting a picture of the county's oil development program in a chronological order.
The Bulcher Field1
In 1925 William F. Russell blocked land for a test on the I. F. Pierce farm at Buleher, eighteen to twenty miles northwest of Gainesville. This well was drilled to a depth of 2,219 feet, with a showing of oil and establishment of the Ellenberger high. Then the Sun oil Company drilled a 3,334-feet well on the A. M. Ludeman farm. However, it remained for C. C . Lanier and John Hooser to actually open the Bulcher pool when their Number 2 August Hyman, completed at ,248-52 feet, produced 165 barrels daily, in July, 1926.
1 Ganoslle DaL Register, August 30, 1948, p. 1.
23 24
Bulcher field now has 300 producing wells with a daily output of 6,000 barrels. These wells are coming from the main ifllenberger line at an average depth of 1,466 feet.
The Kewanee Oil Company maintains a camp in this field. sta- Approximately 100 workers are employed, but complete tistical data on the monthly and cumulative record were not available.
The Muenster Field 2
The Muenster field was opened on September 24, 1926, when Lynch, Stahl and Burress Number 1 Dangelmayr was c om- plated at 797-806 feet for a ten-barrel well. In the year that followed, two extensions to the Bulcher field and three extensions to the Muenster field were completed.
The Luke Number I was drilled in the Muenster townsite by the Oil Operators' Trust and was finished in January,
1927. It was the first producer in the field at a depth
of 1,600 feet. These deeper wells, when drilled in, swabbed from 100 to 200 barrels daily. When settled to pumpers,
their daily production was from 17 to 100 barrels.
Much interest was shown in the development of the Nat
Piott pool east of Muenster in 1935, and the extension of
the Bulcher pool on the Dennis tract in 1932. W. F. Russell
was associated with Whitfield, Pearson and Grimes in the
2 lbid . 25
Barney Voth tract near Muenster in the completion of the
Number 2 well on December 20, 1938. This well opened up a new area with a 1,000-barrel well at 1,788-93 feet.
The Texas Christian University tract south of Muenster
was developed in July, 1939. The first well, which was
finished at 1,123.43 feet, ran 159 barrels of oil daily.
This field was extended by the completion of the Dodson,
Powell, and Russell Number 1 Linn well which was brought
in on June 11, 1940. This well was in the Linn community
five miles south of Muenster. No monthly record of production in the Muenster field
was available. As a result, statistics on the cumulative
production could not be obtained.
The Dangelmayr Field3
The Dangelmayr field is located 1.5 miles north of
Muenster, north and across the road from the Muenster deep
test, which was drilled by the Muenster oil and Gas Company. The first well was drilled by Lynch, Stahl and Burress in
September, 1926. By February, 1927, four wells had been drilled in the field, with a total yield of twenty-five
barrels per day. Most of this production came from well Number 1. The third and fourth wells pumped only a little oil daily, and the second well was a dry hole.
3 lbid. 26
Table 3 contains data on the production in the Dangel- mayr field. Statistics are included on the monthly pro- duction, cumulative record, and the number of flowing and pumping wells.
TABLE 3
4 OIL WELLS ANsD THEIR PRODUCTION IN THE DANGELMAYR FIEW
Date Number of 1949 Barrels Produced 13,019 January ...... February ...... * . 10,611 March ...... a . S. " 3,500 April ...... - 9,271 . . 8,827 June ...... - * . 8,290 July ...... - . - - . . 7,573 August ...... s.r"a- - . 8,050 September ...... " . . . 7,547 October ...... 9,221 November ...... 9,414 December ...... * . 8,789
TOTAL 1949 104,092
CUMULATIVE 742,671
PRODUCING WELLS: Flowing I Pumping 6
An analysis of data in Table 3 shows that the 1949
production of Dangelmayr field was 104,092 barrels. The cumulative record totaled 742,671 barrels. The field had one flowing producer and six pumping wells.
4Rinehart, . cit., p. 370. 27
The Anderson-Kerr Field5
The Anderson-Kerr field contains about three square miles and is located three miles southeast of Gainesville. it extends in a north-south direction for a distance of about four miles. The strip is approximately two miles wide in the southern section, narrows to one fourth of a mile in the center, then becomes a little wider at the northern end. Both north and south sections are oval- shaped, and oil sand and shale are found at uneven depths.
Oil wells usually are developed in the pockets or small 6 pools that are formed under the uneven shale.
The first well to be drilled in this area was on the
F. H. Bruhlmeyer farm. It was completed on April 17, 1936, by the Roy Guffey Oil Company at a depth of 2,008-12 feet.
The Anderson-Kerr field is the largest shallow field in area in the county. No data were available on its monthly production for 1949 or on its cumulative record.
The Walnut Bend Field7
The Sinclair Oil Company owns 80 per cent of the Walnut
Bend oil field. The western part of this area has a shallow production. The oil-bearing strata has a tendency to slant off and has no particular relation to the surface.
5 G Aesville l Register, August 30, 1948, p. 1. 6 Personal interview with John Gray, July 20, 1950. %personal interview with H. U. Mitchell, June 2, 1950. 28
Fred Snuggs pioneered this field. He bought royalty and property which the Sun Oil Company later developed. The first well drilled was a dry hole, and the first pro- ducer was the J. M. Best well.
The W. Z. Winger well was discovered three miles east of the J. M. Best well. It was brought in through the persistence of a Sinclair geologist who reported that the most productive sand was near the Best acreage.
The Walnut Bend area contains 250 wells, but it is estimated that 400 will be producing before the field is developed completely. Each well produces an average of forty barrels of oil per day. One third of these wells are flowing and remaining ones are on pump. This condition is due to the low gas pressure and not to a limited supply of oil.
So much dirt has been removed from the Walnut Bend field in drilling that the Hickory Creek channel has been changed five or six times. To obtain all of the oil in
this area, it is estimated that it would be necessary to drill the wells so near to each other that a person could
step from one to another. It is estimated also that these wells will produce for twenty to thirty years. The East Texas oil fields are larger than, but not so
productive as, the Walnut Bend field. If this field were
spread out, it would cover almost all of Cooke County.
Orderly production methods are set up by the Railroad 29
Commission. Only one well per forty acres can be drilled.
During the war one well to each ten acres was allowed. The Walnut Bend field uses the salt water process to
force the oil to the top. Care is taken to prevent the
seepage of tons of salt water into nearby Lake Texoma.
To prevent this seepage the oil companies use miles and miles of non-corrosive pipe line. One hundred people are employed in the Walnut Bend
field. They have a $45,000 monthly payroll, which does not
include the royalty paid to owners of the land. Fifteen
children of this locality attend the Gainesville Public Schools; the others attend the local schools at Walnut Bend
and Callisburg. These two schools are able to obtain well-
trained teachers, maintain a hot-lunch program, have an
enriched curriculum, a teacherage, and other advantages
because of the tax money from the oil industry. Other
evidences of prosperity are noted in this vicinity. The
oil workers have desirable working conditions. A new car
is seen in practically every back yard. The workers have
a five-day work week, with an average income of $414 per day.
Six modern homes are furnished the workmen and their fami-
lies by the Sinclair Company; three, by the Sun Oil Company; and four, by Cox and Hamon Company.
Data were not available on all of the producing wells
in the Walnut Bend field. However, statistics on the 30
seven most important fields are included in the succeeding tables.
Table 4 contains information on the Winger field.
Data are included on the monthly and total production for
1949, the cumulative record, and the number of flowing and pumping wells.8
TABLE 4
OIL WELLS AND THEIR PRODUCTION IN WALNUT BEND-WINGR FIELD Date Number of 1949 Barrels Produced
January ...... 77,585 February ...... 66,242 March ...... 65,575 April ...... 54,463 May ...... - - - 53,970 June ...... 50,679 July ...... 47,697 August . . . . - . - 50,045 September . . . . 52,469 October ...... -#55,033 November ...... 56,215 December ...... S.. 51,341
TOTAL 1949 681,314
CUMULATIVE 5,602,501
PRODUCING WELLS: Flowing 45- Pumping 45
An analysis of data in this table shows that the 1949
oil production of Winger field in the Walnut Bend area was 681,314 barrels. The cumulative record totaled 5,602,501
8 Rinehart, p. ci., p. 371. 31
barrels. The field had no flowing wells, but forty-five were on pumps.
Table 5 contains statistical data on 1949 production
of the Cox field in the Walnut Bend area. Information also
is included on the cumulative production and the number of
flowing and pumping wells. 9
TABLE 5
OIL WElLS AND THEIR PRODUCTION IN WALNUT BEND-COX FIELD
Date Number of 1949 Barrels Produced
January ...... 25,015 February ...... 22,185 March ...... 24,854 April . . . . . - . . . . . 21,861 21,603 May ...... June ...... - 20,564 July ...... 19,348 August ...... 19,406 September ...... 20,939 October ...... 25,924 November ...... 25,839 December ...... 23,762
TOTAL 1949 271,298 CUMULATIVE 622,303
PRODUCING LLLS: Flowing 16 Pumping 14
An analysis of data in this table shows that the wells
produced 271,298 barrels of oil in 1949. Their cumulative
9 ld. 32
record totaled 622,303 barrels. Sixteen wells were flow- ing, and fourteen wells were pumping.
Data in Table 6 show the 1949 production of the Hudspeth field in the Walnut Bend area. Information also is included on the cumulative record and the number of flowing and pump- ing wells.10
TABLE 6
OIL wELLS AND THEIR PRODUCTION IN THE WALNUT BEND-HUDSETH FIELD
Date Number of 1949 Barrels Produced
January ...... 39,407 February ...... 32,581 March ...... 33,826 April ...... 30,277 iay ...... 31,880 June ...... 30,993 July ...... 29,438 August ...... 29,824 September ...... 31,196 October ...... 33,093 November ...... 37,362 December ...... 36,481
TOTAL 1949 386,358 CUMULATIVE 477,158
PRODUCING WELLS: Flowing 18 Pumping 10
An examination of data in this table reveals that the
Hudspeth field in the Walnut Bend territory produced 386,458
1 0 Ibid. barrels of oil in 1949. A cumulative record of 477,158 was reported. The field had eighteen flowing wells and
ten wells on pumps.
Table 7 contains the 1949 production of the Atkins
field in the Walnut Bend area. Statistics on the cumulative
record and the number of flowing and pumping wells also
are included.
TABLE 7
OIL WELLS AND THEIR PRODUCTION IN THE WALNUT BEND-ATKINS FIELD
Date Number of 1949 Barrels Produced
January ...... 11,010 February ...... 9,407 March ...... 9,410 April ...... 7,790 May ...... 7,758 June ...... 7,243 July ...... 6,759 August. . . . 6,752 September ...... 7,485 October ...... 7,594 November ...... 7,863 December ...... 7,300
TOTAL 1949 96,371 CUMULA TIVE 311,723
PRODUCING WELLS: Flowing Pumping 7
An analysis of the figures contained in this table
reveals that the Atkins field produced 96,371 barM.s of
Id., p. 370. 34
oil in 1949. Its cumulative record totaled 311,723 barrels.
No wells were reported to be flowing, but seven were on pumps.
Information in Table 8 is related to the production
in Ellen field, Walnut Bend area. Data are included on
the 1949 production, the cumulative record, and the number
of flowing and pumping wells. 1 2
TABLE 8
OIL KELLS AND THEIR PRODUCTION IN THE WALNUT BEND-ELLEN FIELD
Date Number of 1949 Barrels Produced
January ...... 8,889 February ...... 8,058 March ...... 8,083 April ...... 7,356 May ...... 7,537 June ...... 7,366 July ...... 6,794 August ...... 6,957 September ...... 7,230 October ...... 7,339 November ...... 8,169 December ...... 5,322
TOTAL 1949 87,100
CUMULATIVE 218,341
PR&LYU CING WELLS: Flowing .. Pumping 6
t 2 Ibid., p. 371. 35
The figures in this table show that the Ellen field produced 87,100 barrels of oil in 1949. Its cumulative
report totaled 218,341. None of the wells were flowing, but six were pumping.
Table 9 contains statistical information on the pro- duction of Montgomery field in the Walnut Bend area. Data
are included on the production, the cumulative report, and 1 3 the number of flowing and pumping wells.
TABLE 9
OIL WELLS AND THEIR PRODUCTION IN THE WALNUT BEND-MONTGGMERY FIELD
Date Number of 1949 Barrels Produced
January...... - - -. 604 February ...... 624 Marchr.... - - 621 April ...... 530 May ...... 715 June ...... 350 July ...... 314 August ...... 970 September . . . . . 0.... 227 October ...... 815 November ...... 895 December ...... 904
TOTAL 1949 7,569
CUMULATIVE 205,258
PRODUCING WELLS: Flowing -. Pumping 2 36
An examination of the statistics contained in Table 9 shows that the 1949 production of Montgomery field was
7,569 barrels. Its cumulative record totaled 205,258 barrels. The field does not have a flowing well but has two pumping producers.
Table 10 contains information on one of the newest producing areas in the Walnut Bend territory, the Bruhl-
Meyer field. As in the preceding tables, data are included on the 1949 production, the cumulative report, and the 1 4 number of flowing and pumping we lls .
TABLE 10
OIL WELLS AND THEIR PRODUCTION IN THE WALNUT BEND-BRUHL-MEYER FIELD Date Number of 1949 Barrels Produced
January ...... 7,505 February ...... 6,018 March ...... -- 9,444 April ...... 8,762 May ...... - . . 9,123 June ...... 8,726 July ...... 8,719 August ...... - . . 8,375 September ...... 8,119 Octoberr ...... 8,476 November ...... 8,075 December ...... 8,340
TOTAL 1949 99,682 CUMULATIVE 99,682 PRODUCING WELLS: Flowing 3 Pumping
14 Ibid. 37
An analysis of the information contained in Table 10 shows that the Bruhl-Meyer field produced 99,682 barrels
of oil in 1949. It had no cumulative report because pro- duction began in 1949. Three wells were flowing, and one was on a pump.
The Wilson Field 1 5
The Wilson Pool, 5.5 miles east of Gainesville, was developed by G. F. Kimbell and Burk Royalty Company on the
land owned by Roy P. Wilson and Johnnie Wilson. However,
John Gray and William F. Russell get most of the credit for promoting this field.
The first well of this pool was brought in on June 18,
1941, by Gannon Drilling Company. The depth of the dis- covery well was 2,216 feet. Fifty-three other wells have
been drilled on the 500-acre ranch which belongs to the
Wilson brothers. Four of these wells have been shut down, but the discovery well is still producing.
Table 11 contains figures on the production of Wilson
field. Information is included on the 1949 production,
the cumulative record, and the number of flowing and pump-
ing wells. 1 6 An analysis of information contained in this tables shows that the 1949 production of Wilson field was
1 5 Gainesville Day Register, August 30, 1948, p. 1. 1 6 Rinehart, p. cit., p. 371 341,088 barrels. Its cumulative record totaled 1,498,329 barrels. No wells were flowing, but 103 were pumping.
TABLE 11
OIL WELL$ AND THEIR PR&LUCTION IN WILSON FIELD Date Number of 1949 Barrels Produced
January ...... 32,357 February ...... 30,118 March ...... 29,807 April ...... 25,812 May ...... 26,642 June ...... 25,947 July ...... 26,902 August ...... 27,523 September ...... 27,995 October ...... 29,447 November ...... 30,055 December ...... 28,483
TOTAL 1949 341,088
CUMULATIVE 1,498,329
PRODUCING WELLS: Flowing Pumping 103
Bindel Field1 7
The Bindel field, located five miles west of Muenster, was discovered in 1941.18 Drillers had reached a depth of
1,900 feet when oil was struck. The field's 1949 produc- tion, its cumulative record, and the number of flowing and
17Railroad Commission of Texas, _y2. cit., p. 469. 1 8 Peraonal interview with Fred Snuggs, July 20, 1950. 39
pumping wells are contained in Table 12.1 9 These data
show that the 1949 production was 4,467 barrels; the cumu-
lative report totaled 84,823 barrels, with no flowing wells, but with three on pumps.
TABLE 12
OIL W.LS AND THEIR PRODUCTION IN BINDEL FIELD Date Number of 1949 Barrels Produced
January . .. ."...... 336 February ."...... " 286 March ...... 274 April ...... 247 May ...... 237 June ...... 222 July ...... 357 August .... ."...... 675 September ...... 394 October"...... 365 November ...... 540 December ...... 534 TOTAL 1949 4,467
CUMULATIVE 84,823
PRODUCING WELLS: Flowing .. Pumping 3
Fleitmann Field 2 0
Drillers reached a depth of 1,175 feet to discover
Fleitmann field, which is located four miles northwest of
Muenster. The first producer was reported in 1943. The
1 9 Rinehart, .cit., p. 370. 2 0 Railroad Commission of Texas, a. cit., p. 470. 40
1949 production, cumulative production, and number of flowing and pumping wells in this area are shown in Table 1321
TABLE 13
OIL WELLS AND THEIR PRODUCT ION IN FLEITMANN FIELD Date Number of 1949 Barrels Produced
January...... 648 February ...... 798 March ...... 830 April ...... 733 May ...... 824 June ...... 774 July ...... 758 August ...... 869 September ...... 729 October ...... 781 November ...... 599 December ...... 645
T&QAL 1949 8,988
CUMULATIVE 86,084
PRODUCING WELLS: Flowing Pumping 13
An analysis of data in Table 13 shows that the 1949 production in Fleitmann field was 8,988 barrels. The cumu- lative report totaled 86,084 barrels. No flowing wells were reported, but thirteen wells were pumping.
The Woodbine Field
This field lies one mile northeast of the town of Woodbine. Seitz, Comegys, and Seitz blocked the acreage
2 1 Rinehart, . cit., p. 370. 41
and made a trade with Northern Ordnance, Incorporated, to drill on the J. R. Haney tract. The Number I Haney, which was brought in on April 24, 1944, was the first well in this area. Its discovery caused a great deal of excitement.
Many promoters tried to trace a connection between this pool and the Big Indian Well at Callisburg, since they are only five miles apart. The question as to which way the 2 2 oil vein runs has not been answered to date.
Table 14 contains information on the production in the Woodbine field. Data are included on the 1949 produc- tion, the cumulative report, and the number of flowing and pumping wells.2 3
TABLE 14
OIL- WELLS AND THEIR PRODUCTION IN THE NOODBINE FIELD Date Number of 1949 Barrels Produced
January ...... ". . -38,922 February ...... ". . . 35,922 March ...... 40,148 April ...... 36,054 May ...... 36,048 June ...... #.#. -! 36,102 July ...... 36,365 August ...... 36,298 September ...... 36,395 October ...... 38,392 November . . . . .!.. .w . . 37,290 December ...... 36,324
--- -. -- -- woov*AWWIWNIW 0 on i - 6 -- - --.. ------. 2 2 Gainesville Daily eistr, August 30, 1948, p. 1.
2 3 Rinehart, . cit., p. 371. 42
TABLE 14--2ontinued
Date Number of 1949 Barrels Produced TOTAL 1949 434,261
CUMULATIVE 1,874,584 PRODUCING WELUS: Flowing Pumping 54
An examination of the preceding tabular data shows that the Woodbine field produced 434,261 barrels of oil in 1949. Its cumulative report totaled 1,874,584 barrels.
No flowing wells were reported, but fifty-four were on pumps.
Sivells Bend Field2 4
The Texas Company was responsible for the develop- ment of the second largest producing area in Cooke County, the Sivells Bend, pioneered by Fred Snuggs. The first producer was Texas Company Number I Rasure, drilled in on October 11, 1944, at a depth of 4,900 feet. Table 15 contains data on the production in the
Sivells Bend area. Information is included on the 1949 production, the cumulative total, and the number of flow- ing and pumping wells.2 5
2 4 Gainesville Daily Register, August 30, 1948, p. 1.
2 5 Rinehart, j. cit., p. 370. 43
TABLE 15
OIL ELLS AND THEIR PRODUCTION IN SIVELLS BEND FIELD
Date Number of 1949 Barrels Produced
January ...... 133,569 February ...... 116,724 March ...... 119,635 April ...... 102,742 May ...... 100,746 June ...... 96,744 July ...... 93,391 August ...... 94,112 September ...... 96,664 October ...... 103,090 November ...... 105,475 December ...... 98,151
TOTAL 1949 1,261,043 CUMULATIVE 5,055,745
PRODUCING WELLS: Flowing. Pumping 61
An examination of the preceding tabular data shows that the Sivells Bend field produced 1,261,043 barrels of oil in 1949. The cumulative report totaled 5,055,745 barrels. Sixty-one wells are pumping, but no flowing wells were reported.
In addition to the development of the Sivells Bend oil field, the Standard Oil Company constructed a natural gasoline plant on the Rosa Beasley farm in September, 1948.
This plant produces approximately 2,000 gallons of gasoline per day from oil brought in by fifty-four wells. This gasoline is not suitable for commercial use but is mixed 44
with the crude oil and sold to the Sinclair Pipe Line
Company. It is used in the production of gasoline, butane, and propane gas. 2 6
Gatewood Field2 7
Gatewood field, located three to four miles south of
Myra, was a 1944 discovery. Drilling reached a depth of
1,585 feet. The 1949 production, the cumulative total, and the number of flowing and pumping wells are shown in
Table 16.28 An analysis of the figures contained in this table shows that the 1949 production of Gatewood field was
342,699 barrels. The cumulative report totaled 1,759,156 barrels. No flowing wells were reported, but 127 were on pumps.
TABLE 16
OIL WELLS AND PRODUCTION IN GATEWOOD FIELD
Date Number of 1949 Barrels Produced
January ...... 23,746 February ...... 27,960 March ...... 31,114 April ...... 29,476 May ...... 30,096 June ...... 29,408 July ...... 29,920 August ...... 30,115
2 6 Personal interview with Jack Gore, plant superintend- ent, Sivells Bend, Texas, April 30, 1950. 2 7 Railroad Commission of Texas, a, cit., p. 470.
2 8Rinehart; j. i., p. 370. 45
TABLE 16--Continue Date Number of 1949 Bar:role Produced
September ...... 28,707 October ...... - . 28,573 November ...... 26,832 December ...... 26,779
TOTAL 1949 342,699
CUMULATIVE 1,759,156
PRDUCIG WELLS. Flowing 0" Pumping 127
Grant-Modesett Field 2 9
The discovery of the Grant-Modesett field, located three miles southwest of Buloher, just inside Cooke County 30 on the Montague-Cooke County line, was made in 1946. The drillers reached a depth of 1,820 feet. Data on the 1949 production, the cumulative total, and the number of flowing and pumping wells are contained in Table 17.51 These data show that the Grant-Modesett field produced 39,782 barrels of oil in 1949. The cumulative report totaled 159,163.
No flowing wells were in operation, but twelve were pumping.
2 9 hailroad Commission of Texas, . cit., p. 470.
30 Snuggs, . cit., July 20, 1950.
taRinehart, . cit., p. 370. 46
TABLE 17
OIL WELLS AND THEIR PRODUCTION IN GRANT-MODESETT FIELD
Date Number of 1949 Barrels Produced
January ...... 2,811 February ...... 2,584 March ...... 2,699 April ...... 2,415 May ...... 2,382 June ...... 3,026 July ...... 2, 886
August . . . . . - - * - * 3,501 September ...... 3,673 October ...... 4,449 November ...... 4,840 December ...... 4,516
TOTAL 1949 39,782 CUMULATIVE 159,163
PRODUCING WELLS: Flowing . Pumping 12
Atcheson Field3 2
Atcheson field, located four miles west of Hood, was discovered in 1947 at a depth of 1,982 feet. Only one operator was active at the beginning of 1948. The 1949 production, cumulative total, and the number of flowing and pumping wells are contained in Table 18.3
An analysis of the figures presented in Table 18 shows that Atcheson field produced 7,155 barrels of oil
3 2 Railroad Commission of Texas, 2. cit., p. 468. 3 3 Rinehart, pj. cit., p. 369. 47
in 1949. The cumulative report totaled 28,980 barrels.
The field had no flowing well and only one well on a pump.
TABLE 18
OIL WELLS AND THEIR PRODUCTION IN ATCHESON FIELD
Date Number of 1949 Barrels Produced
January ...... 1,067 February ...... - 741 March ...... 684 658 April ...... May ...... 635 June ...... 530 July ...... * . . . 375 August ...... 419 September ...... 643 October ."...... 538 November ...... 470 December , ...... f 395
TOTAL 1949 7,155
CUMULATIVE 28,980
PRODUCING WELLS: Flowing Pumping I
The Lemaster Field 3 4
A well was brought in on July 30, 1949, on the Lemaster farm, which is located almost midway between the Woodbine pool and the Big Indian well that was developed in November,
1924. At present, the general belief is that the pay sand is running in a north-south direction, and that wells eventu- ally will be developed all along the sand from Woodbine
3 4 Gainesville Dail Reister, October 25, 1949, p. 1. 48
through the Walnut Bend field to Red River. Information
on this new field's production is found in Table 19.
Data are included on the 1949 production, the cumulative
report, and the number of flowing and pumping wells in operation.
TABLE 19
OIL WELLS AND THEIR PRODUCTION IN LEMASTER FIELD
Date Number of 1949 Barrels Produced
January-" February -0 March-- April May June July -- August .- September 0 October ...... 2,022 November ...... 1,394 December ...... 1,290
TOTAL 1949 4,706
CUMULATIVE 4,706
PRODUCING WELLS: Flowing Pumping 2
Data in Table 19 show that the Lemaster field began
production in October, 1949. The total number of barrels
produced that year was 4,706. No flowing well was reported, but two pumping wells were in operation. 49
Wildcat Wells 3 5
Drilling continues in different sections of Cooke county. The wells that are drilled in new areas are known as wildcatss." One well of this type was completed as a producer by the Atlantic Refining Company on the John
Rivoire land in the Camp Howze area. This well is located about ten miles north of Gainesville, and was drilled into sand at a depth of 3,741 feet.
The Gulf Refining Company drilled two wells on the
Donald Ranch in the southwest section of the county. The
Number 1 well had showings of oil, but it was abandoned at a depth of 2,943 feet. The other one was abandoned at 3,190 feet.
Another wildcat well was drilled by the Case Drilling
Company on a sixty-acre tract of land belonging to the
Dozier estate. This well was located two miles east of
Callisburg in the direction of the Walnut Bend field.
Oil was found at a depth of 3,200 feet, but it was not in paying quantities.
Another wildcat well was drilled four miles northwest of Gainesville on the Jim Whaley farm. Pay sand was reported at a depth of 2,200 feet. There was much excitement over this well, but salt water entered it and forced the company to plug it on August 9, 1949.
3 5 Ibid. 50
The following quotation from Rinehart's Oi Report describes a few of the many recent wildcat operations in Cooke County:
Virgil Taylor, Gainesville operator, filed application to drill Number 1 R. A. Cunningham, a proposed 2350 'rotary wildcat two miles east of Gainesville and a mile northwest of the Wilson Field. brillsite is 330' from the north and west lines of lease or approximately 750' south and 2350' east of the southeast corner of S. D. Brown Survey, A-95, but in the A. C. C. Bailey Survey, A-44. A. D. McDuffie et al, of Wichita Falls, made location for Number 2 W. S. Barcus, shallow wildcat four miles west of Marysville. It is to be drilled 850' from the south and east lines of lease or 850' from the east line and approximately 200' from the north line of C. F. Stanley Survey, A-904. Pro- posed rotary depth is 1600'. Seitz, Comegys and Seitz, of Wichita Falls, staked location for Number 1 Will Long, a proposed 4000' rotary wildcat three miles southwest of Woodbine in the eastern part of the county..Drill- site is 330' south and 330' east of the southeast corner of Hiram Stroung Survey, A-930, but in the J. S. Martin Survey, A-699, three-fourths mile southeast of the Bruhlmyer Field. Voth Brothers Drilling Company, et al, of Muenster, made location for Number I A. Judy, a shallow wildcat scheduled to 1500' with rotary, eight miles northeast of Muenster and one and one- half miles northeast of the Muenster field. It is to be drilled 3000' from the north line and approximately 350' from the west line of the MEP&P Survey, A-988. J. B. Wilde, of Muenster, staked location for a rank wildcat one and one-half miles east of Leo townsite in the southwestern part of Cooke County, about two miles north of the Denton County line. It is Number 1 J. B. Cogburn, 330' from the east line and 966' from the south line of the SA&MG Survey, A-1218. Proposed rotary depth is 2200'. James H. Snowden et al Number 1 Myrtle Norman, wildcat two miles southwest of Woodbine Field and a mile southwest of Woodbine townsite in the Joseph 51
Bush Survey, A-107, was found dry and abandoned at total depth 45381, June 11th.
f i * .0 i " 0 " 0 * 0 * 9" 0" 9 036
The preceding quotation indicates that the oil boom in Cooke County is not over. Many people predict an increasing production as oil operators continue to drill.
Total Gil Production of Cooke County
A total of 1,724 wells produced an accumulated total or 51,197,540 barrels of oil in Cooke County during the period of 1924-1948.37 Complete data on the 1949-1950 production are not available.
3 6 Rinehart's Oil Report, Friday, June 16, 1950, p. 1.
3 7 Gainesville Dail Register, August 30, 1948, p. 1. CHAPTER IV
THE TYDA REFINERY
Gainesville now has only one oil refinery, operated
by the Tydal Refining Company. Three other refineries
have been organized in the city at various times. The
large Producers' Refining Company, later known as Empire
Refining Company, was located north of the city limits.
It employed more than 100 people over a period of years.
The North Texas Refining Company ceased operation in Gainesville during 1941. The Denver Producing and Refin-
ing Company was located east of the Tydal plant in the southeast section of the city, but it also ceased opera-
tion. Another refinery was located in Muenster for ten years. However, it was closed down on April 27, 1944.1
The Tydal Refinery, which is located in the south- west section of Gainesville, obtains crude oil from the
Anderson-Kerr field. The plant was built in 1936 by
Mac Hall and Jin McMurray of Dallas. The Refinery changed hands several times and is now owned by G. F. Kimbell
1 Gainesvi le Dajly Register, August 30, 1948, p. 4.
52 53
and C. J. Bohner of Wichita Falls. E. L. Whillett has been manager since 1937.2
The Tydal Refinery processes 2,000 barrels of crude
oil daily. Some of the products are diesel fuel, gasoline, kerosene, furnace oil, and fuel oil. Much of the produc-
tion is used locally. In fact, the main object of the plant
is to furnish fuel to the local farmers and plants at a nominal cost. In addition, the products are sent by trucks
and tank cars to all sections of the United States. The
low prices on Tydal's products, which are available to local consumers, are due to the facts that the plant is located near the Cooke County oil fields and that it is operated by an independent company. This refinery differs from the plants located at Sivells Bend and Walnut Bend in that the latter are only gasoline refining plants, while the Tydal Refinery produces many petroleum products. 3
The Cooke Pipe Line Company is owned by the Tydal Refinery. It connects with the Wilson and Anderson-Kerr fields. Attention should be called to the fact that outlets for the oil production of Cooke County are principally through pipe lines. The major operators are Sinclair,
Stanolind, Cooke, and Muenster Pipe Line Companies. During
2 Personal interview with E. R. Willett, Manager, Tydal Refinery, Gainesville, Texas, July 8, 1950.
3 lbid. 54
the past twenty-five years, the pipe line systems in Texas
have expanded greatly. Today all the major producing areas
are adequately served. Sinclair-Prairie has an eight-inch
pipe line from Healdton, Oklahoma, through Cooke County
which connects with the Bulcher and Muenster Pools. The
same company has a six-inch line to Walnut Bend field from
the Muenster pump station; they also have another line
which goes into Woodbine at the W ilson pools. The Stanolind
Pipe Line Company has two four-inch lines from Nocona to
Bulcher and the north Muenster area, where oil is pumped from Nocona to Oklahoma City. 4
The significance of the Tydal refinery is heightened
when attention is called to the fact that the uses of
petroleum and its products are more varied than is gener-
ally known. Approximately 400 derivatives of crude oil
are now employed daily in industry and in the home. These
uses range all the way from fertilizer to cosmetics and from road-paving materials to medicine.
In the home, paints, soap, and fuels are derivatives of petroleum. Some cloth is lubricated by a highly refined oil product in the making. The mechanical refrigerator uses a cooling agent made from oil, and ointments and cos- metics come from the same source. Practically all branches of industry use oil; and chewing gum, rubber tires, inks,
4 Gainesville I Register, August 30, 1948, p. 4. 55
matches, and polishes contain oil derivatives. Other uses range from drug extractions to illuminating light- house .5
G.0W. Roberts, Development of the Gil Indusr in Texas, p. 62. CHAPTER V
APPARENT EFFECTS OF THE OIL INDUSTRY IN COOKE C COUNTY
Oil fields have varied effects upon the areas in
which they are developed. Sometimes they are desirable,
and sometimes they are undesirable. The succeeding dis-
cussions are designed to show the effects of oil produc- tion upon the economic structure, the schools, and the social environment of Cooke County.
The Economic Structure
In 1936, when the effects of the depression were
felt keenly by almost every average family in the United
States, the oil development in Cooke County began to rise.
The local lawyers probably were the first group to feel the effects of the development because of the increased
demand for legal services relative to the establishment
of titles and similar procedures. Since many of the oil
operators were affected adversely by the depression, they were unable to pay cash for the lawyers' services.
As a result, the practice of paying for legal services
in oil royalty was originated in Cooke County. Soon many of the local lawyers began to prosper, and some
56 57
gained much wealth as _a result of the county's oil develop- ment.I
It is difficult to estimate the economic increase in
the retail business concerns of Cooke County since the
beginning of the oil development. However, the following quotation indicates the trends:
Retail, wholesale, and service establishments located in Cooke County, showed a substantial expansion in dollar volume of trade from 1939 to 1948, according to preliminary figures from the 1948 Census of Business released today by the Bureau of Census, United States Department of Commerce. Retail sales in the county during 1948 aggre- gated $18.5 million, an increase of 219 per cent over the $5.8 million in 1939, when the preceding census of business was taken. Wholesale sales in the county reached a total of $7.3 million in 1948 as compared with $3.5 million in 1939. The service trades included in the Census of Business recorded receipts totaling $893,000 in 1948 compared with $251,000 in 1939.2
Cooke County is not primarily an industrial area.
However, in Gainesville and Muenster, the two largest cities, there are fifty industrial plants, ranging from one-man operation to 150 workers. The total employment exceeds 600. These industries manufacture many different articles, some of which are marketed throughout the United States.
t Personal interview with Bengta Culp, wife and partner of Lawyer John Culp, deceased, Gainesville, Texas, July 10, 1950.
2Gainesville Dail sister, August 30, 1948, p. 2. 58
The largest payroll is that of the Westway Sports- wear Company, which opened in 1941. This concern manufac- tures moments sportswear which is sold in such exclusive stores as Neiman-Marcus in Dallas. The company employs 150 people and has an annual payroll of $150,000. The Pant Milling Company, milling Gladiola Flour, employs forty-five people and has a $100,000 annual payroll. This plant is Gainesville's oldest business establishment. Originally, in 1857, it was located on Wheeler Creek, east of the city. In 1862, the plant was sold and was finally moved to Gainesville in 1882. In 1896, the mill was moved to the present site and later was sold to the Pant Milling Company. The Bomber Manufacturing Company, manufacturer of fishing lures, is one of the newest industries in Gaines- ville. The business started in a small way and work was done by hand. Now the company employs thirty persons in its slack season and has as many as seventy working during the rush months.
The South Land Naval Store was moved to Gainesville in 1947 from New Mexico. Fourteen people are employed with an annual payroll of 37,000. Its products are paint thinner, lighter fluid, and many other similar products. J. W. Cash and G. W. Porter came from Wichita Falls to buy the Gainesville Iron Works. They erected a new 59
concrete and steel building in which to manufacture their principal products: stalk cutters, water meter rings and lids, and ice-scoring machines.
The Gainesville Oil Mill is an old established busi- ness in the city. It was started about sixty years ago by a small company of local citizens. It is now owned by Swift and Company, and fifty people are employed in
the rush season. The products include cottonseed oil and meal, and peanut oil and meal. industries Two which make valuable contributions to the economical stability of neig hboring communities are located in Muenster. The Farmers Market Association Cheese Plant started operation in 1930. The Muens ter Manufac- turing Company, makers of lawn mowers, began production in July, 1947. Their products are shipped throughout Texas and Oklahoma. 3
The preceding discussions include only a few of the major industries of Cooke County. However, the following excerpt contains a complete enumeration of the 1948 trade groups:
Retail trade, total, 307 establishments; 018,453,000 sales, 323 active proprietors of unincorporated businesses; 989 employees, 812 full work-week employees. Food group, total 92, sales $4,020,000; 97 proprietors, 107 employees, 82 full-time employees.
3 lbid., p. 5. 60
sating and drinking places, 30; sales $679,000; 33 proprietors, 166 employers, 123 full-time employees. General merchandise group, nine stores, $1,629,000 sales; six proprietors, 129 employers, 85 full-time employees. Apparel group, 19 stores; $1,035,000 sales; 19 employers; 58 employees, 48 full-time. Furniture, home furnishings and appliances, 17 stores; $934,000 sales, 16 employers; 57 employees, and 46 full-time. Automotive, 32 establishments, $4,240,000 sales; 35 employers, 155 employees, 148 full-time. Gasoline service stations, 45 establishments; 41,497,000 sales; 48 employers, 73 employees, 66 full-time. Lumber, building, hardware, 25 establishments, $2,626,000 sales; 25 employers, 135 employees, 122 full-time. Drug stores, 10 establishments, $688,000 sales, 13 employers, 64 employees, 57 full-time. All other retail stores, 28 establishments; 4105,000 sales; 31 employers, 45 employees, 35 full- time. Wholesale trade, 30 establishments, $7,346,000 sales; 27 employers, 183 employees. Merchant wholesalers, 15 establishments, $3,451,000 sales; 12 employers, 98 employees. Other types of wholesale, 15 establishments; 03,985,000 sales; 15 employers, 85 employees. Selected service trades; 89 establishments; 0893,000 sales; 108 employers, 129 employees, 119 full-time. Personal services, 50 establishments; $591,000 sales; 62 employers, 112 employees, 103 full-time. All other service trades, 30 establishments, $302,000 sales; 46 employers, 17 employees, 16 full-time . Tourist courts and camps, 10 establishments; ,86,000 sales; seven employers; five employees, three full-time .4
The retail, wholesale, and service trades of Gainesville alone are shown in the following enumeration:
Retail trade, 228 establishments; $16,028,000 sales; 244 employers; 901 employees, 751 full-time.
4 bd 61
Wholesale trade, 25 establishments, $5,554,000 sales; 21 employers; 154 employees. Selected service trades, 69 establishments, $759,000 sales; 83 employers; 124 employees, 117 full-time.5
The products of the preceding group are named in the following list:
Aluminum screen for doors and windows, awnings, bakery products, baking powder, beverages, book binding, boots, bridles, blue prints, brooms, cabinets, cheese, cottonseed products, concrete blocks, colored flagstone, dairy products, doors, electric power, engraving. Farm implement parts, fishing lures, feed, floor sweep, flour, food products, funeral designs, grave markers, harness, ice, ice cream, ice-scoring machines, iron and steel products, keys, ladies' sportswear, lawn mowers, luggage, mattresses, meal, meat products, metal castings, monuments, mops, paint thinner. Paint mixing, oil, peanut oil, petroleum products, photographs, photostats, pillows, pine gum spirits, planing mill products, picture frames, printing and publishing, salad dressing, screen doors, sheet metal products, signs, painted and neon, saddles, station- ery, stone and stone products, tents, upholstery, venetian blinds, ventilators, windows, wood carving, and wood planers .6
A total of 290 families who are connected directly with the oil industry live in Gainesville. This group includes geologists, promoters, oil contractors, drillers, tool pushers, engineers, pump operators, oil field steamers, field managers, gaugers, welders, gang pushers, mechanics, truck drivers, lawyers, and other business personnel.
Many people are engaged in work that is indirectly connected with the oil industry. Some of these occupations
5Ibid." 6 lbid., p. 4. 62
are oil cementing companies, oil well supply shops,
welding shops, well surveying companies, machine shops, trucking companies, butane and propane distributors, and refinery employees.]
Additional information on the employment situation
in Cooke County is contained in the following report:
Employment in the county also rose over the nine-year period between 1939 and 1948 for the above trades. Establishments in these trades reported a combined total of 1,301 paid employees for the workweek ended nearest November 15, 1948. This compared with a total of 1,051 employees reported for the week of November 15, 1939. These preliminary figures have been derived from a census report on Cooke County, which also includes data for the city of Gainesville. Final figures, superseding the preliminary data for Cooke County, will be included in a bulletin for the State of Texas to be issued in several months. Similar data will be made available this year in preliminary and final form for each of the counties and states. 8
The varying price of crude oil in Texas has played an important part in the economic status of Cooke County.
Table 20 contains data which show how the price has changed since oil was first discovered in the county in 1924.9
An analysis of these figures shows a wide fluctuation.
The lowest price was $.56 in 1933, while the highest price was $2.65 in 1948-1949.
7 Gainesville Cy2directory, 1949, 8 Gainesville Daily Reister, August 30, 1948, p. 2.
9 lbid., p. 7. TABLE 20
PRICES OF CRUDE OIL IN TEXAS DURING THE PERIOD OF 1924-1949
Date Price per Barrel
1924 9 " " 9 * 1.52 e a 1925, " S 9 a 1.81 S " 1926 9 " 1*85 s r 1927 " " " " S " I.14 1928 . a " " " a " .92 9 ." a a 1929 " S ." " s 1.09 a 1930 9 " a " s .99 a -a -" " a .1 1931 " -" S .a .51 0." " " -s " .1 1932 " .a .t a 0. .83 a s - ." 1933 -" a a 0 S " S .56 " 9a - -a s ." ." 1934 . -" a S 0 S a . .95 " -a 1.s .S -" ." ,a ." !. . a a S 1935 S 0 -" .a .94 S .a " " -" .a ." ." 9 -a .s -s 9-" -M 1936 s a-a ." 1.05 S*a -" -s S-S ." .s -" .S " a 1937 S -" . 1.16 -" S a -s -" ." .a -" a a a 1938 9 " . .a ." ." -" -" 1.13 " a ." *S.' 9 1939 S a.a I a -a *" " .99 S -a -" 9.S .r 1940 -" -" " 9 a " 1.00 9." 9 a- a a.s 1941 S -a 0 1.13 " s a 0 1942 S a " " 1.18 1943 -" S " 1.21 9 -" 1944 S S S " 1.21 1945 a 1.21 1946 1*44 1947 I.95 1948 2* 65 1949 2 *65
The School
Two major phases of the school program are affected directly by an oil boom in any community: enrollment and the finances. Cooke County has been no exception. The greatest problem that the schools of Gainesville have faced in connection with the oil industry is that of placing the pupils scholastically. The fact that they move from one 64
locality to another every year or so makes it difficult to keep their school credits straight.
Some indication of complexes among these pupils also has been noted. Their transitory school life seems to have affected their feeling of belonging to the group. As a result, sometimes some of them develop wrong attitudes toward school in general and toward teachers and adminis- trators in particular. These cases are only scattered ones, however. In many instances the students add much to the school in the form of scholastic rating and leadership. 1 0
H. H. Moss, superintendent of the Cooke County schools, says that it is difficult to determine the effects of the oil industry upon the local schools' enrollment, because it has been affected by many factors. The most important one was the establishment of Camp Howze during World War II.
This camp became active on August 17, 1942, and although many new families moved into the county, there was no sharp increase in the scholastic enrollment. This condition was due to the fact that many families connected with the oil industry moved away at that time, as oil production dropped from 3,041,538 barrels to 2,828,172 barrels.
Other factors that have influenced the local scholastic enrollment are the fluctuation of the birth rate and the changing of school districts. Many schools in border districts
1 0 Personal interview with Ben P. Hendley, Principal, Gainesville High School, July 10, 1950. 65
have been sent to other counties. This transfer has
caused a heavy loss of scholastics in Cooke County recently. 1 1
Table 21 contains data on the scholastic enrollment
of Cooke County. Annual statistics are included for the
period of 1924-1950.
TABLE 21
THE SCHOLASTIC ENROLLENT IN COOKE COUNTY DURING THE PERIOD OF 1924-1950
Year Enrollment
1924-1925 ...... 6,472 1925-1926 ...... 6,791 1926-1927 ...... 6,395 1927-1928 ...... 6,175 1928-1929 ...... 6,438 1929-1930 ...... 6,472 1930-1931 ...... 6,744 1931-1932 ...... 6,845 1932-1933 ...... 6,857 1933-1934 ...... 6,922 1934-1935 ...... 6,728 1935-1936 ...... , 6,416 1936-1937 ...... 6,616 1937-1938 ...... 6,498 1938-1939 ...... 6,228 1939-1940 ...... 6,113 1940-1941 ...... 6,015 1941-1942 ...... 6,039 1942-1943 ...... 5,719 1943-1944 ...... 5,593 1944-1945 ...... 5,228 1945-1946 ...... 5,177 1946-1947 ...... 5,141 1947-1948 ...... 5,120 1948-1949 ...... 4,963 1949-1950 ...... 4,703
1 Personal interview with Miss Gladys Strader, Secretary to H. H. Moss, Superintendent of Cooke County Schools, June 5, 1950. 66
An analysis of the preceding tabular data shows that
the enrollment of the Cooke County public schools was 6,472 in 1924, when the first oil well was discovered.
In 1933 the records showed an all-time high enrollment
of 6,922, with minor fluctuations during the interim.
A gradual but consistent decline was noted during the following years, and the 1949-1950 total of 4,703 marked the lowest level during the period of 1924-1950.
The effect of the oil industry upon school financing in Cooke County has been great. By 1943 there were four school districts in the county that claimed a valuation exceeding one million dollars each. They owed this unusual valuation to the discovery of oil within their boundaries.
Other school districts in the county profited also, but to a lesser degree. 1 2 No oil land belongs to the public schools directly, but the Gainesville Junior College receives $175 per month from the estate of Mary.Josephine Cox, who taught for many years in the local high school. Her estate owns two oil wells in the Wilson field, and the income is used for aiding worthy but needy students. Fifteen such persons participated in the fund during 1948-1949.13
12 Randolph O'Brien, "Schools of Cooke County, Texas," (Unpublished Master's thesis, Department of Education, North Texas State College, Denton, Texas, August, 1944), pp.141-142. 1 3 Personal interview with Roy P. Wilson, Superintendent, Gainesville Public Schools, and President, Gainesville Junior College, Gainesville, Texas, July 10, 1950. 67
The gross receipts and production tax from the oil
industry in Texas for the fiscal year ending August 31,
1949, was $111,515,434.10. The gross collections from
the highway motor fuel tax for the same period was
$16,476,033.98.. These two sources provided a total fund of $128,051,468.08 from the state's oil industry, or
approximately one third of the income from all other
sources. The public schools received $165,780,243.47
of the state's total expenditures. Therefore, it is to be concluded that the oil industry plays a significant
role in the finances of the public schools of Texas in general and the Cooke County schools in particular. In
fact, the local city superintendent of schools says that
if it were not for the oil and gas developments in the
Gainesville community, half of the schools would be forced
to close their doors. 1 5
The Social Environment
Gainesville is far more cosmopolitan than most cities
of its size, because of the oil industry. Four nationally known geologists have their homes in this city. From time
to time, different seismograph crews are stationed in the
14 Selected Tables from the Annual Report, Office of Roberts. Cavert7Woiptro ler oTdiublic Accounts of the State of Texas, 1949, pp. 1-2. 15 Personal interview with Roy P. Wilson, 2. cit. 68
community. These men are highly educated and bring more ideas into the locality than are brought in by any other business group. Many lawyers are used in the oil business, and they are brought to Gainesville by _varioxsp oil com- panies. Financiers come to Cooke County from places as
far away as New York City and Los Angeles.
In addition to the men who maintain offices locally, there are many people employed by these promoters, geolo-
gists and lawyers, such as stenographers, receptionists,
and typists. D. L. Monroe, oil promoter of Gainesville,
says that the oil business is just beginning in Cooke County, and that many more fields will be opened within
the next few years. The result should be beneficial to the social environment of the entire county. 1 6
Many families connected with the oil industry have made valuable contributions to the civic and social life
of Cooke County, especially to Gainesville. The fact that
they have lived in many different cities and localities
seems to have made them better fitted to serve as leaders.
The following local organizations have as members the wives of men who are connected with the oil fields of the county:
Civic Planning Council, Parent-Teachers Association,
churches, Tuesday Book Club, Garden Study Club, Girl Scouts,
1 6 Personal interview with D. L. Monroe, Gainesville, Texas, May 4, 1950. 69
Boy Sc outs, Opti-irs., Veterans of Foreign Wars, Mothers
Group, and Shriners.l 7Since these organizations are designed
to benfit the local community, it is to be concluded that the members are contributors to the civic and social develop- ment of the city and the county.
One of the aldermen of Gainesville is an oil promoter
who has lived in the city for about thirty month and has
built a beautiful house, planning to make Gainesville his permanent home. He is representative of the type of men
who have become a part of Cooke County as a result of the oil industry.
According to L. V. Henry, Gainesville lawyer and former justice of the peace, there is no more crime of any type in Cooke County than is found in other counties
of the same size. The oil industry has not seemed to
contribute to the rise of crime in any age group; and oil
workers are not involved in the Criminal Courts in any
larger number, in proportion, than are merchants, farmers,
or professional people. As a matter of fact, because of
the high standards and wages among people connected with
the oil industry, less crime is committed by them than by many other groups. 1 8
1 7 Personal interview with Mrs. Ann Thomas, Gainesville, Texas, July 10, 1950.
18 Personal interview with L. V. Henry, Gainesville, Texas, June 19, 1950. 70
The preceding data indicate that Cooke County has been benefited in many ways by the presence of families connected with the oil industry. The economic structure has profited by increased valuation and increased employ- mint. The schools have been helped financially, and the social environment has been extended and enriched. In fact, the oil industry appears to have played a signifi- cant role in making Cooke County a desirable place to live. CHAPTER VI
SUMMARY
In many ways the development of the oil industry in
Cooke County, Texas, has been nothing short of amazing.
There seems to be no master pattern for the oil experts to follow. Oil, and dry holes, have been found in prac- tically every nook and corner of the county, frequently in close proximity with each other. Each field appears to be an isolated pool, with little apparent connection with other pools. Furthermore, these fields are found at varying depths, some in shallow sands, some in compara- tively deep sands, and others in between these. There seems to be no large underlying lake of oil in a specific
sand and at a more or less uniform depth. Very few counties have presented oil men with a greater variety of chances to win or to lose, or with a more tantalizing invitation to risk one of the chances. Cooke County oil has been and still is an enigma, but a fascinating one.
Somewhat similar to the nature of the oil business
itself in the county, has been the story of its develop- ment. Fortunes have been made and lost. Some people tried,
failed, and gave up; some people tried, failed, but never gave up.
71 72
The first wells were drilled in the townsite of
Myra, in an area north of Myra, on the Hal Murrell farm,
and on the Ball ranch. These unsuccessful attempts finally dampened the ardor of the operators, and plans were made
for abandoning the field; but Irene Hathaway, who had been instrumental in interesting the Big Indian Company in
Cooke County, insisted that operations continue. She even went so far as to promise the drillers that she would guarantee their salaries. They had faith in her and returned to their drilling; and within a few hours, on
November 9, 1924, the first producer was spouting oil into the air.
Excitement ran high, and drilling continued in vari- ous areas. These attempts resulted in the development of the following major fields: Anderson-Kerr, Atcheson,
Bindel, Bulcher, Dangelmayr, Fleitmann, Gatewood, Grand-
Modesett, Lemnaster, Muenster, Sivells Bend, Walnut Bend,
Wilson, and Woodbine. Wildcat wells are being drilled often, and many people believe that the Cooke County field eventually will be one of the most valuable oil areas of the state.
Several refineries have been located in or near
Gainesville during the oil-development period. However, the Tydal Refinery is the only one which has not discon- tinued operation. This plant produces almost all known petroleum by-products. The effects of the oil development upon Cooke County's
economic structure have been favorable. Real estate valu- ations and business volume have increased. A gain in employment has been noted, because the oil development
required more lawyers, notary publics, stenographers, abstractors, along with skilled and unskilled laborers.
The Cooke County public schools have benefited from the local oil industry because of the resulting financial assistance which has been made available. The local junior college has received additional benefits in the onn of revenue from the oil estate of Mary Josephine Cox.
The social environment of Cooke County has been enriched by the addition of several wealthy, cultured, and civic-minded families. No increase in crime has been reported as a result of the oil development, and Cooke
County has always welcomed the influx of people who have been instrumental in making Gainesville and the surrounding communities desirable places in which to live. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Printed Material
Bybee, H. P. and Bullard, F. M., The Geology of Cooke CounQ, Texas, University ofCTexas Bulletin No. 2710, Austin, Texas, The University of Texas Press, March 8, 1927. Gainesville, TexasCon Surve City Directory, 1949, Baytown, Texas, Mullin-Kilfe and Page-Interstate C6.
Gainesville Dak jRegister, Gainesville, Texas, November 10, 1924,p.I., August G, 1948, and October 25, 1949. Hawtof, E. M., Petroleum Development in Cooke Coun, Uni- versity of Texas Bulletin No. 27T7, ATusin, Texas, The University of Texas Press, March 8, 1927.
Railroad Commission of Texas, Annual Report of the Oil and Gas Division, 1947.-
Rinehart, Ira, Central Information Office Staff, Production Statistics, Dallas, Texas, Rinehart Oil News Company, flWpp. 2, 369, 370, 371. Selected Tables from the Annual pReport, Office of Robert S. CalvertComptroTTrof PublicAcounts, 1949.
Unpublished Material
O'Brien, Randolph, "Schools of Cooke County, Texas," Unpublished Master's thesis, School of Education, North Texas State College, August, 1944.
Roberts, W. G., "Development of the Oil Industry in Texas, " Unpublished Master's thesis, Department of History, North Texas State College, August, 1939.
Mimeographed Material Rinehart's CGit Report, Dallas, Texas, June 16, 1949.
Local Chamber of Commerce Bulletin, Pertaining to the City of Gainesville, Gaihesyille, Teas, June2Ol 960.
74 75
Personal Interviews
Culp, Bengta, wife and partner of John deceased, Culp, lawyer, Gainesville, Texas, July 10, 1950. Gore, Jack, plant superintendent, Sivells Bend, Texas, April 30, 1950. Gray, John, Gainesville, Texas, July 20, 1950. Hathaway, Hazel, daughter of Irene Hathaway, Gainesville, Texas, June 2, 1950. Bendley, Ben P., Gainesville, Texas, July 10, 1950.
Henry, L. V., Gainesville, Texas, June 19, 1950. Mitchell, H. 0., Gainesville, Texas, June 2, 1950 Monroe, D. L., Gainesville, Texas, May 4, 1950. Murdock, Bob, Secretary, Chamber of Commerce, Gainesville, Texas, July 1, 1950.
Snuggs, Fred, Gainesville, Texas, July 20, 1950. Strader, Miss Gladys, Secretary to H. H. Moss, tendent Superin- of Cooke County Schools, June 5, 1950. Thomas, Ann, Gainesville, Texas, June 2, 1950.
Willett, E. .R ,Manager, Tydal Refinery, Gainesville, Texas, July 8, 1950.
Wilson, Roy, Superintendent of Gainesville Public Schools and President of Gainesville Junior College, Gainesville, Texas, July 10, 1950.