Mcallen Daily Press

Texas' First Oil Well Gets New Memorial Mid-Continent Commemorates 45th Anniversary of Oil Industry

FORT WORTH, Sept. 7--A monument to the first oil well in Texas will be erected by the Texas Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, it was announced today by E. L. Smith, president.

Commemorating the 45th anniversary of the discovery of Texas commercial oil production at Corsicana in October, 1895, the Texas Mid-Continent will give a bronze memorial plaque to Corsicana representatives at the association's annual convention here Oct 31-Nov. 2, Smith said.

The plaque will then be mounted on a miniature derrick or other base and dedicated with appropriate ceremonies at Corsicana.

Many of the pioneers in the discovery and development of the Corsicana field, first commercial oil pool opened in Texas, are expected to take part in the convention and the dedicatory ceremonies.

The association is now trying to locate the driller and members of the crew on the original well, as well as officials of the early companies there.

Plans for exhibition at the convention of the first rotary rig in Texas, which was used at Corsicana, also are being made. This and other early pieces of equipment used to open some of the many famous Texas oil fields are to be part of an historical display at convention headquarters. Original paintings and etchings of colorful scenes in Texas oil history will be another feature of the display, carrying out the convention's oil anniversary theme.

Since the completion of the first commercial oil well at Corsicana for 2 1-2 barrels daily production, Texas oilmen have drilled nearly 600,000 wells at a cost of around four billion dollars. From a production of 1450 barrels the first year of Corsicana, Texas output has climbed to half billion barrels a year. Texas alone produces nearly two-fifths of all petroleum produced in the United States and now has over half of all the known oil reserves of the Nation.