The inside of the Pistol Hill Gas Station has a lot of great information. If you would like, feel free to walk over to the video about drilling, located directly in front of the entrance.
Drilling Rig Display: These men are roughnecks working on a rig floor with tools known as break-out tongs. The tongs work as wrenches. The drill pipe extends down through the rotary table which turns the pipe. Attached to the end of the pipe is a drill bit. Bits come in all sizes and shapes and are used according to the type of formation being drilled. There are many different types and sizes of bits on the wall to your right and the floor.
Check out the drill bit display, pull down the handle and see how the bit turns and cuts through rock. This design is called a tri-cone bit designed by Howard Hughes in the 1920s.
Next, view the three shadow boxes that are dedicated to the first three wells of the East Texas Oilfield.
Daisy Bradford #3: This well was located in Joinerville (south of Kilgore, west of Henderson) on Miller Farm owned by Daisy Miller Bradford. The Drill Stem Test was on September 5th, 1930. The well came in on October 3, 1930.
Lou Della Crim #1: This was the second well in the field. It was located South of Kilgore at Laird Hill on land owned by Lou Della Crim. The well came in on December 28th, 1930. This well extended the oil field in a northerly direction.
F. K. Lathrop #1: This was the third well in the field. It was located 1 1/2 miles northwest of Longview on land owned by F.K. Lathrop. It came in on January 28th, 1931. This was the first well in Gregg County.
Cable Tool Model: This is the large model in the center of the room. This model was made in 1930 and represents a cable tool method of drilling. This method of drilling was used before the 1930s. Rotary drilling was used during the boom.
Adjacent to the model is a green gasoline motor used to push fluid in a pipeline to a gathering station. On the floor at the back of the gas station are two pieces of steel pipe that were used in cable tool drilling, where the driller pounded this unit into the earth to loosen the dirt, which was then bailed out by shovel or bucket. A heavy steel “bit” is raised by a cable and dropped into the borehole. A slow and tedious process, it was successful in drilling shallow oil wells.
Other additions to the left of the entrance are pieces of cable tool equipment. They are very heavy and it took very strong roughnecks to handle this dangerous equipment.
Exit the Gas Station through the side door. As you head out, check out the tools and equipment on the wall. Which one is the most interesting to you?