Scurry County's Billionth Barrel of Oil
Snyder, Scurry County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Petroleum discoveries in this county began in 1923, with recovery of oil in the San Andres Formation--eventually penetrated by over 2,000 shallow wells. In late 1948, rigs drilling deeper than 6,000 feet tapped the Canyon Reef Geological Formation. Four exploratory wells--Sun Oil Company's Schattel; Magnolia's Winston; Standard Oil Company of Texas Brown; Lion Oil Company's C. T. McLaughlin--and other extensive drilling defined a gigantic field covering 85,000 acres and containing oil reserves estimated to total at least four billion barrels. The local economy and growth rate improved greatly. Many farmers and ranchers who had fought years of drouth and adversity paid off debts, modernized their homes, and continued to live on their land. On Oct. 8, 1973, twenty-five years after the Canyon Reef discovery, Scurry County produced from that formation its billionth barrel of oil, and in a week of festivities paid tribute to the petroleum industry. The celebrated billionth barrel of oil came from the well near this marker. By 1973, Scurry County was producing 3.2 per cent of all the oil recovered annually in the United States. (1975)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Scurry County's oil story began with shallow San Andres wells in 1923, but the great boom came in late 1948 when deep rigs struck the Canyon Reef Formation below 6,000 feet. Wildcat wells from Sun, Magnolia, Standard, and Lion outlined an 85,000-acre field holding an estimated four billion barrels, and the strike transformed the fortunes of drought-weary farmers and ranchers. On October 8, 1973 — twenty-five years on — the field yielded its billionth barrel from the well beside this marker, celebrated in a week of festivities.
Why it matters
The Canyon Reef strike shows how a single deep-drilling discovery could reroute a struggling agricultural county into the heart of America's mid-century oil economy.
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Related events
- · Canyon Reef discovery, 1948
Themes & tags
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