Ector County's First Dry Hole
Odessa, Ector County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Drilled in 1924 near this site. Geologists were forecasting oil and urgently-needed potash, but Pennsylvania experts (using a chilled shop core drill) gave up the well at 900 feet, on "Red Bed" Rock--A substance new to them. Loss in this and a second drilling was $150.000. In 1927 a well was brought in just west of Odessa, and in a few years oil was found within yards of the first dry hole. By 1964 Ector County had 9,600 oil and 22 gas wells. However, the U.S. average is 8 dry holes out of 9 wells such as that drilled here in 1924.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1924, hopeful geologists and drillers probed the West Texas plains near Odessa for oil and potash, only to be stopped cold at 900 feet by unfamiliar "Red Bed" rock. Two costly attempts failed, but the gamble paid off in 1927 when a well came in just west of town, and soon oil was struck within yards of that first dry hole. By 1964 Ector County counted thousands of producing wells.
Why it matters
The marker captures the trial-and-error grit of the Permian Basin oil boom, where a single dry hole could stand yards from a fortune and reshape the economy of an entire region.
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Related events
- · Permian Basin oil boom
Themes & tags
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