All of the towns located in East Texas at the beginning of the boom are represented on this wall.
Kilgore grew from a population of 500 people to a population of 12,000 at the height of the boom. The photographs are accented with tools that were used in this oil field. The very top photograph was taken from atop an oil derrick in 1937 looking towards downtown. As you look at the horizon line, see all the derricks. Within Kilgore alone there were over 1100 wells. Within the field, there were over 32,000.
Now, take a look at the map. This is a 1934 TEXAS ROAD MAP. The East Texas Oil Field is in red. It appears to be rather small in comparison to the size of the state. It was the largest known oil field in the world, at the time of its discovery. It is 42 miles long and averages 10 miles in width. The field covers a total area of 140,000 acres. It has parts in five counties: Rusk, Gregg, Smith, Cherokee, and Upshur. This field is still geographically the largest in the continental United States.
Please head to the giant red piece of equipment just inside the front exhibit hall and click "next".
