Midland County's First Producing Oil Well
Midland, Midland County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The discovery of oil in the Permian Basin during the 1920s helped sustain the area economy during the Great Depression, and many oil and gas companies established headquarters in Midland. Not until the 1940s, though, did Midland County begin seeing its own productive oil wells. Geologist H.L. Beckman worked with the Rowan Drilling Company to stake out Humble Oil and Refining Company's No. 1 Mrs. O.P. Buchanan Well at this site. They spudded the well on September 14, 1944 and completed in on November 6, 1945 at a total depth of 12,574 feet. The well produced 332 barrels of oil in 29 hours and became Midland County's first producing oil well. It was plugged on August 1, 1947. (1966, 2005)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Oil found in the Permian Basin in the 1920s carried the region through the Great Depression and drew company headquarters to Midland, yet the county itself saw no producing wells until the 1940s. Geologist H. L. Beckman and the Rowan Drilling Company staked Humble Oil's No. 1 Mrs. O. P. Buchanan well here, spudding it in September 1944 and completing it in November 1945 at a depth of more than 12,500 feet. It became Midland County's first producer before being plugged in 1947.
Why it matters
This well marks the moment Midland moved from oil-office town to oil-producing county, deepening its role at the center of American petroleum.
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Related people
- · H. L. Beckman
Themes & tags
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