Gregg County Discovery Oil Well, F. K. Lathrop A-1, Aransas Fuel Oil Co.
Longview, Gregg County, Texas
Marker Inscription
After years of undaunted faith in discovery of oil in East Texas, B. A. Skipper, Sr., assembled an 8300-acre block under lease; made a deal with J. E. Farrell, W. A. Moncrief and E. A. Showers; had the well drilled to 3500 feet. At this point Arkansas Fuel Oil Co. (now Cities Service Oil Co.) bought a half interest and assumed operations. Drillers were W. A. Andrews, B. A. Ferrell and James H. Lowery. Crew members were C. R. Kaylor, r. T. Crisp, C. Spruill, A. W. Owens, C. O. Croley, D. V. Chidester, Geo. Jones, J. V. Huckaboy, R. E. Roe, E. E. Houchin and R. H. Summers. The F. K. Lathrop A-1 was spudded in on Dec. 3, 1930; hit caprock at 3569 feet; was completed on Jan. 26, 1931, at total depth of 3587 feet. With an initial potential of 18,000 barrels of oil daily, it has produced over 527,000 barrels in its first 35 years. Oil fever ran high with the completion of the Joiner No. 3-Daisy Bradford at Turnertown, Oct. 1930; the E. W. Bateman No. 1 - L. D. Crim at Kilgore, Dec. 1930; and climaxed here with the F. K. Lathrop A-1. However, few could imagine that soon these three would be linked and extended to form the great East Texas field, which covers some 200 square miles and has made a world record as the largest of its time.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Completed in January 1931 after B. A. Skipper Sr. spent years assembling leases and partners, the F. K. Lathrop A-1 came in with an initial potential of 18,000 barrels a day near Longview. Together with the Daisy Bradford and Lou Della Crim wells drilled just weeks earlier, it revealed that these discoveries were all part of one vast pool. Those three wells would be linked and extended into the great East Texas Field, a 200-square-mile giant that set a world record as the largest oil field of its era.
Why it matters
The East Texas Field reshaped the American oil industry during the Depression, flooding markets with cheap crude and forcing the regulatory and conservation frameworks that still govern U.S. oil production.
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Related people
- · B. A. Skipper, Sr.
- · W. A. Moncrief
- · J. E. Farrell
Related events
- · Discovery of the East Texas Oil Field
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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