D. W. Stephens No. 1 Discovery Oil Well
Roby vicinity, Fisher County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(The Texas Company [Texaco]) The search for oil in Fisher County began in 1918. Though four wells were drilled in the southwestern part of the county in 1919, all four were dry, and more wells were drilled in the Rotan area. None of these yielded oil. Dan W. Stephens (1860-1946) and his wife Laura Bell Johnson owned 3,100 acres of land near the railroad town of Royston. The Stephens property was selected for a well in 1927. On May 21, 1927, the Texas Company (later Texaco) began drilling approximately four miles north of this site. The well was drilled to 2,302 feet. It encountered a casing problem and was plugged and abandoned. On October 24, 1927, another hole was begun fifty feet to the east. By January 19, 1928, it had become the first producing oil well in the county, reaching 3,275 feet into the earth. Eventually, seven wells were located on the Stephens land, and more wells dotted the landscape of Fisher County. Revenues from the petroleum business helped landowners through the Depression era, brought sorely needed employment, and helped to build and maintain schools, roads, buildings, and hospitals. The Stephens No. 1 produced 481,447 barrels of oil in 66 years. Plugged and abandoned in November 1994, its service to Royston and Fisher County is remembered. (1998)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The hunt for oil in Fisher County began in 1918 and yielded nothing but dry holes for years. That changed on the 3,100-acre ranch of Dan W. Stephens and Laura Bell Johnson near Royston, where the Texas Company (later Texaco) began drilling in 1927. After an early attempt was plugged, a second hole struck the county's first producing oil in January 1928. Over 66 years the Stephens No. 1 produced nearly half a million barrels, and its revenues helped landowners weather the Great Depression.
Why it matters
This well marks the moment a hardscrabble ranching county joined the Texas oil boom, a transformation that funded schools, roads, and hospitals across the state's arid west.
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Related people
- · Dan W. Stephens
- · Laura Bell Johnson
Related events
- · Fisher County oil discovery, 1928
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