Discovery Well in the Wasson Field
Denver City, Yoakum County, Texas
Marker Inscription
L. P. and Ruth Bennett moved to Yoakum County in 1916 to take over the ranching operation they had inherited from Ruth's father Dr. J. R. Smith of Munday. In 1927 they leased part of the ranch to the Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company for the drilling of exploratory oil wells. By the mid-1930s the Bennett's cattle business was declining as a result of the economic depression and a severe area drought. They were in danger of losing their property through foreclosure when oil was discovered on the ranch. The find was made on October 10, 1935 at the Ruth Bennett No. 1-678 (6 mi. NE), a well supervised by Fort Worth wildcatter Red Davidson and crews of the Honolulu Oil Company. With the discovery, the Bennetts were able to pay all claims against their land. Increased drilling activity in the area created a "boom town" atmosphere and led to the founding of Denver City (6 mi. S) in 1939. Petroleum remains the major industry in Yoakum County, a national leader in the production of crude oil. In 1964 Gene H. Bennett, the youngest son of L. P. and Ruth Bennett, donated this portion of the Bennett Ranch to the county for use as a park. (1981)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Ranchers L.P. and Ruth Bennett, facing foreclosure amid Depression-era drought, saw their fortunes reversed on October 10, 1935, when wildcatter Red Davidson and Honolulu Oil crews struck oil on their Yoakum County land. The discovery well opened the vast Wasson Field and sparked a boom that gave birth to nearby Denver City in 1939. Petroleum remains the region's economic engine, and the family later donated this ground for a county park.
Why it matters
It captures the moment oil transformed the arid Texas plains from struggling ranch country into one of the nation's leading petroleum regions.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
In the early twentieth century, the South Plains of West Texas were ranching country. The land was flat, dry and wide open. Families like the Bennetts depended on cattle, and cattle depended on rain.
The 1930s were cruel to them. The Great Depression drove down prices and dried up credit, while severe drought across the southern plains left pastures bare. Ranchers who had held on for years found themselves in debt, and foreclosure was a real threat.
The land held another resource, though. Oil discoveries in the Permian Basin during the 1920s had shown that West Texas sat on enormous petroleum reserves. Companies and independent wildcatters were exploring farther across the region, drilling test wells in hopes of finding the next big field.
People & events
According to the marker, L.P. and Ruth Bennett came to Yoakum County in 1916 to run the ranch Ruth had inherited from her father, Dr. J.R. Smith of Munday. In 1927 they leased part of the land to the Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company for exploratory drilling, a common gamble for landowners who wanted to know what lay beneath their grass.
By the mid-1930s the cattle business was failing, and the Bennetts were in danger of losing the ranch. Then, on October 10, 1935, oil was found at the Ruth Bennett No. 1-678, about six miles northeast of this marker. The well was supervised by Fort Worth wildcatter Red Davidson and worked by crews of the Honolulu Oil Company. It is notable that the well carried Ruth Bennett's name.
The discovery let the Bennetts pay off every claim against their land. Drilling picked up quickly, and the area took on a boomtown atmosphere. Denver City was founded six miles south in 1939. In 1964 Gene H. Bennett, the couple's youngest son, donated this piece of the family ranch to the county as a park.
Its place in the American story
The Bennett story is a small, human version of a big American change. In the twentieth century, oil turned struggling agricultural regions into centers of national energy production, and few places show that more clearly than West Texas.
The Wasson Field opened by this discovery became one of the major producing fields of the Permian Basin, one of the most important oil regions in the country. As the marker notes, Yoakum County remains a national leader in crude oil production.
The discovery also shows how uneven Depression-era survival could be. While the drought and hard times drove many plains families off their land, the Bennetts kept theirs because of what was underground. It was fortune as much as grit, and it reshaped a whole county.
If you visit
This marker stands in a park on land that was once part of the Bennett Ranch. Give yourself a moment to take in how wide and open the country is. It's easy to see why both drought and discovery could change everything here.
The discovery well itself is not at the marker. The inscription places it about six miles northeast, so enjoy the park as the family's gift to the community rather than expecting to see the well.
As you drive around Denver City and Yoakum County, watch for the pump jacks and oilfield equipment that still dot the landscape. They're living evidence that the boom that began in 1935 never really ended. The stop fits naturally into a road trip across the Permian Basin and the South Plains.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · L. P. Bennett
- · Ruth Bennett
- · Red Davidson
Related events
- · Wasson Field oil discovery
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Yoakum County
Plains, TX
Carved out in 1876 and named for Henderson Yoakum — the only Texas county named for an author — this corner of the West Texas plains was so remote that only buffalo hunters and scattered ranchers ventured through until after 1900. The sale of state lands drew homesteaders, the county organized in 1907, and the 1935 discovery of oil finally brought industry and population to a place long defined by its frontier isolation.
C. M. Armstrong Building
Seagraves, TX
Clifton Martin Armstrong helped build northern Gaines County from its earliest days, brokering major land deals and selling town lots when Seagraves was founded in 1917. He served twelve years as mayor and, with his wife Carobel — daughter of pioneer rancher Col. D.H. Snyder — was a fixture of community life. In 1926 he raised this building to house his Seagraves Motor Co., and after a fire leveled the block in 1928 it briefly sheltered a bank and the post office.
Oil Industry in Gaines County
Seminole, TX
Gaines County's first oil lease dates to 1912, but real drilling waited until 1925, and the Landreth Company brought in the first producing well a decade later. In 1936 Amerada Oil opened the Seminole Pool, which yielded 350 wells within ten years. Less than fifty years after that strike, the county had produced over a billion barrels of crude.
Dan Cobb
Seminole, TX
A Tennessee native, Dan Cobb was the builder who gave early Gaines County much of its shape, constructing both the first county courthouse in 1906 and its 1922 successor, along with a Baptist sanctuary, a schoolhouse, and other landmark buildings. He and his wife Aurelia raised six children in the home they built here in 1906, and he held civic roles and even a federal mail contract spanning three counties. His work and leadership were central to the young county's growth.