First Producing Gas Well in McMullen County and First Gas Pipeline to San Antonio
McMullen County, McMullen County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Thirty years before the first producing gas well was drilled in this county, traces of salt water, sulphur, gas, and oil in water wells gave hints of the presence of petroleum here. For years wildcat drilling went on, but with only moderate success. Then in 1908, a well on Charles Byrne's land began to blow warm sulphur water and gas 120 feet into the air every 8 days, arousing much interest. After this discovery, Byrne, a promoter, set out to locate capitalists to develop his petroleum deposits. Armed with a picture of the gusher and a bottle of area oil, he attracted the attention of W.M. "Bee" Stephenson, his sons Light and Donald, and others. The well they drilled here in 1917-1918, on the Tom Brown Tract, blew in at 816 feet with 62,000,000 cubic feet of natural gas a day, but for 3 months it spewed out of control because of the intense subsurface pressure and inadequate equipment. After other producers were drilled, W.M. Stephenson arranged to pipe gas to San Antonio, 68 miles north, in 1922. Among those joining this enterprise was H.A. Pagenkopf, Wichita Falls oil man. Thus petroleum took a leading role in the economy of McMullen County. 1970
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Long before the drills came, salt water, sulphur, and gas seeping into water wells hinted at petroleum beneath McMullen County. A gas-and-water gusher on Charles Byrne's land in 1908 drew investors, and a 1917–1918 well on the Tom Brown Tract blew in at 62 million cubic feet of gas a day — spewing uncontrolled for three months. In 1922 W. M. Stephenson piped the gas 68 miles north to San Antonio.
Why it matters
The strike and the pipeline that followed launched McMullen County into the oil-and-gas economy and helped fuel the growth of San Antonio, part of the energy boom that transformed Texas.
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Related people
- · Charles Byrne
- · W. M. Stephenson
Themes & tags
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