Wink
Wink, Winkler County, Texas
Marker Inscription
On land ruled up to 1874 by Comanche Indians, later part of famed "W" cattle ranch. Town "born" in 1926 when Roy Westbrook's Permian Basin oil discovery 1.5 miles to the north brought in 10,000 to 20,000 people, initiated area's conversion to industrialization. Named for Col. C. M. Winkler, famed Texas Confederate soldier. (1964)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The land beneath Wink was Comanche country until 1874, then range for the sprawling "W" cattle ranch. Everything changed in 1926, when Roy Westbrook struck oil in the Permian Basin just north of here and a town materialized almost overnight, swelling with ten to twenty thousand fortune-seekers. Named for Confederate officer C. M. Winkler, Wink became a raw emblem of West Texas's headlong rush from open range to oil derricks.
Why it matters
Wink captures in miniature the Permian Basin oil boom that turned dusty West Texas into one of the nation's great energy provinces, remaking its economy and its people in a single decade.
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Related people
- · Roy Westbrook
- · C. M. Winkler
Related events
- · Permian Basin oil discovery
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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