Marker Number |
13403 |
Atlas Number |
5507013403 |
Marker Title |
Midland County's First Producing Oil Well |
Index Entry |
Midland County's First Producing Oil Well |
Address |
SH 158 |
City |
Midland |
County |
Midland |
UTM Zone |
14 |
UTM Easting |
222224 |
UTM Northing |
3539176 |
Subject Codes |
oil/petroleum topics |
Marker Year |
2005 |
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark |
No |
Marker Location |
10 mi. SE of Midland on SH 158, S side between E CR 130 and S CR 1110. Originally placed in 1966, replaced and rewritten in 2005, marker reported missing 5/19/21 |
Private Property |
No |
Marker Condition |
Missing |
Marker Size |
18" x 28" |
Marker Text |
The discovery of oil in the Permian Basin during the 1920s helped sustain the area economy during the Great Depression, and many oil and gas companies established headquarters in Midland. Not until the 1940s, though, did Midland County begin seeing its own productive oil wells. Geologist H.L. Beckman worked with the Rowan Drilling Company to stake out Humble Oil and Refining Company's No. 1 Mrs. O.P. Buchanan Well at this site. They spudded the well on September 14, 1944 and completed in on November 6, 1945 at a total depth of 12,574 feet. The well produced 332 barrels of oil in 29 hours and became Midland County's first producing oil well. It was plugged on August 1, 1947. (1966, 2005) |