SAN ANGELO — A lot of oil wellshave been drilled in the Permian Basin, but not many wells in the history of the oil industry have had more impact than Santa Rita No. 1. The effects of that discovery well are still felt and seen today.
In case you don't know, Santa Rita No. 1 is less than 70 miles west of San Angelo, near Big Lake. Awell-built replica of the oil drilling equipment and derrick sits where the well was originally drilled in 1923. Much of the original drilling equipment now resides on the University of TexasAustin campus, a testimony to the well's importance to the UT System.
The well was drilled with used equipment and old technology, even for its day. Pay dirt was reportedly found at a depth of 3,050 feet, using a secondhand cable tool rig. A cable tool rig literally drives a piece of pipe, called a bale, into the ground. The bale is suspended from a cable, and the surface equipment repeatedly picks up the bale and drops it to the bottom of the hole, pulverizing rock and thus deepening the hole with every stroke. The bale fills up with pulverized rock, then is brought to the surface, where the rock is baled out. Thenthe process repeatsuntil "pay dirt" is hit.
Santa Rita No. 1 was not the first commercial oil discovery in America. That distinction belongs to a well drilled beginning Aug. 28, 1859, near Titusville, Pennsylvania. And Santa Rita No. 1 was by no means the first oil discovery in Texas. That distinction goes to a well drilled near Corsicana in 1894, followed by the famous Spindletop, drilled near Beaumont in 1901. There were many other oil discoveries throughout Texas before Santa Rita No. 1 came in on May 28, 1923.
The acknowledged distinction of Santa Rita No. 1 is that it was the discovery well for the Permian Basin — andthat is quite a distinction. The drilling rig itself was brought to the site by train, and the well was spudded just 180 feet north of the tracks that led from San Angelo to points west. Later, more equipment, oil workers and investors came to Santa Rita No. 1 via train from San Angelo. All of those men and all of that equipment came through what is now the Santa Fe Depot.
At that time, San Angelo was a much larger town than Midland. Midland got its name from the fact that it was halfway between FortWorth and El Paso. It was only later, when it was discovered that San Angelo was on the eastern edge of what became the Permian Basin, that many oil companies moved their headquarters from San Angelo to Midland, which was more centrally located within the Permian Basin.
San Angelo was an oasis compared to Midland, but proximity to the oil fields was more important to oil industry companies than the confluence of the North, Middleand South Concho Rivers, and the beauty, amenities and comforts that went with them.
Before the oil industry picked up and moved to Midland in the mid- and late 1920s, San Angelo was transformed into a metropolis. The grand Texas Theater, several multi-story banksand several nicer-than-average hotels were built in San Angelo, including the Hilton, which is now the Cactus Hotel. It is reported that about 43 oil companies had offices in San Angelo during the early days of the boom spawned by Santa Rita No. 1.
The character and appearance of central San Angelo was transformed from a dusty, rowdy wooden frontier town, with mostly taverns, brothelsand dives, to a modern, brick-and-mortarsophisticated city, with modern amenities including a new City Hall and a new County Courthouse, still in use today. The Santa Rita area of San Angelo was built by and for oil executives in the 1920s. I guess you could say that San Angelo suffered the first oilfield bust of the Permian Basin. It has gone through a few more since.
It just so happens that Santa Rita No. 1 was drilled on University of Texas property, so it is the reason that UTand, later, Texas A&M are so well endowed. The discovery of oil at what later became the company town of Texonaffected the entire area for hundreds of miles around it. San Angelo falls into that category. Texon is no longer there, but you can see the imprint of the town on Google Earth.
If you come to the old Santa Fe Depot this Saturday to celebrate Santa Rita Oil and History Day, you will find a stunning panoramic photo of what was the company town of Texon. It was built by the owners of Santa Rita No. 1and included track-side oil-loading facilities, a baseball diamond, company storeand all the other things necessary to provide for the company's workers and their families.
The owners of Texon Oil and Land Company were wise. They realized thatin therough-and-tumble oil industry, men made better employees if they came home to a wife and children each night. They had a tendency to be more reliableand showed up rested and ready for work if they didn't go out carousing and drinking in their time off.
Santa Rita No. 1 started a black gold rush that goes on today. To find out more about that rush, come to the Railway & Heritage Museum of San Angelo, 703 S. Chadbourne St.,from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.Saturday. Staff and volunteers will on hand. There will be family-oriented activities and a small garage sale to benefit the museum. There will also be a display of model tank cars, ranging from the types of cars used to transport oil from San Rita No. 1to modern tank cars, with many safety features designed to contain the contents in rail accidents.
Come see us!
IF YOU GO
What:Santa Rita Oil and History Day,
When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, June 3
Where:Railway & Heritage Museum of San Angelo, 703 S. Chadbourne St.
Cost: Outdoor activities are free. Admission to the museumis $5 for ages 12 and older, $3 for ages 4-11 and free for anyone younger than 4. Military and seniors 65 and older get at 10 percent discount.
Contact: 325-657-4880
