Settles Hotel
Big Spring, Howard County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Will R. and Lillian Settles built this hotel after the discovery of oil on their ranch in 1927. The grand opening was October 1, 1930. Designed by David Castle (1884-1956), the 15-story brick highrise was for many years the tallest building between Fort Worth and El Paso. Under construction for one year, the hotel boasted 150 guest rooms, grand public rooms, office and retail space, furnished apartments, restaurants, ballrooms, and a private club on the top floor. Although the Settles family operated the hotel for only two years, it remained open under new ownership. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1987
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When oil was struck on the Settles ranch in 1927, Will and Lillian Settles poured their new fortune into this fifteen-story hotel, which opened in grand style on October 1, 1930. Designed by David Castle, it was for years the tallest building between Fort Worth and El Paso, with 150 rooms, ballrooms, restaurants, and a private club crowning the top floor. Though the family ran it for only two years, the skyscraper stood as a bold emblem of West Texas oil-boom optimism.
Why it matters
It embodies the sudden wealth and soaring ambition the oil boom brought to small West Texas towns.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Will R. Settles
- · Lillian Settles
- · David Castle
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
First National Bank in Big Spring
Big Spring, TX
Chartered in 1890 with $50,000 in capital, the First National Bank of Big Spring opened on the ground floor of a downtown building that also housed the post office. A rival, West Texas National Bank, followed in 1903, and both prospered through the boom years of the 1920s before the Great Depression brought hard times. The two institutions merged in 1934 to become the First National Bank in Big Spring.
The J. & W. Fisher Company
Big Spring, TX
In 1881, as Big Spring took shape, Austrian-born Joseph Fisher opened a general store out of a tent, joined two years later by his brother William. From that beginning the Fishers built a trade territory as large as four New England states, ran a pushcart that doubled as the town hearse, and served as the community's first bank—sometimes staying open until 2 a.m. to cash paychecks. They carried debt-ridden farmers and ranchers for years and gave freely to lodges, schools, and churches until the store closed in 1941.
Potton House
Big Spring, TX
Joseph Potton, an English-born master mechanic for the Texas & Pacific Railroad, built this Victorian home in Big Spring in 1901, using local Pecos sandstone, iron pillars, and zinc gable decorations from a Fort Worth architectural firm. A school board trustee, Potton retired in 1912 and lived here with his wife, often entertaining guests, before the house passed to their daughter's family. It survives as a well-preserved emblem of the prosperity the railroad brought to West Texas.
First Commercial Oil Well in Howard County
Garden City, TX
On November 9, 1925, wildcatter Fred Hyer's well 'No. 1 H.R. Clay' struck oil at 1,508 feet on land many had dismissed as worthless. The strike touched off a rush of speculators and drillers into West Texas and helped open the Permian Basin, one of the richest oil regions in the state. Howard County alone has since produced more than 300 million barrels.