Sabine River Off Shore Wells
Longview, Gregg County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The vast East Texas oilfield was discovered in October 1930, and wells were soon located across the field in five Texas counties. Drilling was expanded to include the Sabine River bed, which was owned by the state of Texas, in late summer 1932. The riverbed was divided into tracts and leased to drilling companies. The first well was drilled by the U-Tex Oil Company, which was made up of investors from Texas and Utah. The well was drilled to a depth of 3,466 feet and continues to produce today. The derricks that remain in the Sabine River near this site are the last standing of the approximately 200 wells drilled in the riverbed, and are a testament to the engineering ingenuity of an important Texas industry.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The giant East Texas oilfield was discovered in October 1930, and within two years drillers pushed into the bed of the Sabine River itself, which the state of Texas owned. The riverbed was carved into tracts and leased out, and the first well—sunk by the U-Tex Oil Company to nearly 3,500 feet—still produces today. The weathered derricks standing in the river near this spot are the last of roughly 200 wells once drilled in its channel.
Why it matters
These river derricks are relics of the East Texas oil boom, the largest field of its day, whose gushers reshaped the state's economy and helped power a nation.
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Related events
- · Discovery of the East Texas oilfield
Themes & tags
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