Page 33 - All About History - Issue 11-14

The Spindletop oil find
quickly made the news

Media
Newspapers throughout Texas,
including The Dallas Morning News,
student paper The Daily Texan
and the Houston Post were key to
spreading the news of the oil find
in Spindletop. The latter printed the
now-famous images of the Lucas
gusher spewing oil high into the air.

The South Pacific
Railway crossing
the Pecos Viaduct

Society
At the turn of the century, Texas
was still in the grips of racial
segregation. The African-American
population in Texas had steadily
declined up until 1900, numbering
around 600,000. State attitudes
towards race persisted into the 20th
century and arguably beyond.

Education What was it like?
The Texas Constitution of 1876
decreed that millions of acres of
public land would be dedicated to
the construction of state schools
and universities. The University of TEXAS, 1901
Texas opened in 1883 and grants of
land were also given over to public
schools, which benefited from the
wealth pouring into the region.
An oil find would mark the explosive
beginning of an economic boom – one
Texas O
that would redefine the Lone Star State

for the coming century

he earth shook violently beneath the salt destroying the city of Galveston, one of the state’s
fields south of Beaumont, Texas on 10 key ports. Prospectors in search of the black gold
January 1901. Those workers still operating had been frustrated for years, but this discovery
in and around the towering derrick, which signalled the beginning of a new era in the state’s
T had drilled 347 metres (1139 feet) into the history. The strike of oil flooded in not just wealth
ground, stopped what they were doing and ran for for the lucky prospectors and growing petroleum
their lives. Minutes later, a torrent of mud, gas and companies, many of which still exist today, but
eventually – and most importantly – oil erupted also for the state, which taxed production heavily.
from the ground. The great Texas Oil Boom had The industry, economy and entire culture of Texas
blasted off in style. gradually turned from cattle and agriculture and
Just the previous year, the beleaguered on to supporting and profiting from the black
At one stage the Lucas gusher produced over southern state had been battered by one of riches below the ground, ensuring the Lone Star © Corbis; Alamy
100,000 barrels (15.9 million litres) of oil a day the worst hurricanes in US history, completely State would prosper for generations to come.
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