Oil Industry in Gaines County

Leasing came long before production. In 1926 the Humble Oil Company leased more than 100,000 acres in the western part of the county at fifty cents an acre, and farmers took the money with wonder and gratitude; by 1929 lease prices had climbed to ten dollars an acre in places. Drillers had tried near Cedar Lake in 1912 and again in 1918-19 without success. The Seminole Pool lay at 5,000 to 6,000 feet, and in 1938 county wells yielded more than 650,000 barrels. Oil lifted the population to 8,136 by 1940.

What the plaque says

Oil Industry in Gaines County The first oil lease in Gaines County was in 1912 and the first drilling occurred in 1925. Ten years later the Landreth Co. brought in the first producing well. In 1936 Amerada Oil Co. opened up the Seminole Pool, a major field that yielded 350 wells within a decade. Less than 50 years after that discovery, Gaines County had produced over one billion barrels of crude oil. With several active fields, Gaines ranks as one of the top oil producing counties in Texas. The petroleum industry accounts for much of this area's prosperity. (1979)

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Dan Cobb — 7.5 mi
• Seminole — 7.8 mi
• Gaines County — 7.8 mi
• Gaines County — 7.9 mi