In 1901, a black oil geyser spewed from a small hill in Beaumont, Texas, forever changing the state’s history. That hill, now known as Spindletop, became the site of the first major oil strike in the United States, and it put Texas on the map as an energy powerhouse.
The Spindletop oil field is a geological formation located in the Gulf Coast of Texas. The field was discovered on January 10, 1901, when an oil gusher erupted from a well drilled by wildcatters Anthony F. Lucas and Patillo Higgins. The site was named for the 
spindles of oil that danced on the saltwater springs’ surface. For over two decades, Spindletop was the largest oilfield in the world, producing more than 1 million barrels of oil per day.
Pattillo Higgins was a self-taught amateur geologist who first thought there might be oil beneath the mound when he took his Sunday School class there on a picnic. Higgins spent years unsuccessfully trying to interest investors in drilling for oil at Spindletop, but he never gave up. Finally, in 1900, he found partners willing to take a chance on his hunch.
For nine days, black gold gushed from the ground at a rate of 100,000 barrels per day. The strike transformed Beaumont from a sleepy backwater town into a booming city virtually overnight. And it made millionaires out of Higgins and his partners.
Despite its prodigious output, Spindletop was not without its problems. The field’s productive life was short-lived, and it has been estimated that only about 10 percent of the original reserves remain. Additionally, production declines were rapid, and by 1924 the field was essentially exhausted. Nevertheless, Spindletop remains an important part of Texas history and continues to be a popular tourist destination.
Keep the Story of Texas Alive!
Spindletop also had a profound impact on the state of Texas. Before 1901, Texas was largely an agricultural state with little industry. But the discovery of oil at Spindletop spurred a wave of industrial development across Texas, and by the end of the 1920s, the state was one of the country’s leading oil and gas producers.
Spindletop is more than just an important moment in Texas history; it’s also a reminder of what can happen when we dare to dream big and take risks. Pattillo Higgins took a chance on his hunch that there might be oil beneath that small hill in Beaumont—and his gamble paid off in a big way. Today, Texas is one of the leading energy producers in the world thanks to that fateful strike at Spindletop.
