Welcome to the Kilgore College East Texas Oil Museum.
On October 3, 1930, the tranquil life of East Texas changed dramatically when oil was discovered on the Miller Farm located seven miles west of Henderson. Oil had already been found in Texas as early as 1866 in Nacogdoches and later in Corsicana, Spindletop near Beaumont, and in the Permian Basin of West Texas in Burkburnett, Electra, and Ranger.
But, the East Texas Oilfield discovered on the Miller Farm owned and operated by Daisy Miller Bradford was the largest oilfield in the world at the time of discovery.
Oil drilling in East Texas dates back to 1911. After 17 wells in the area were drilled without success in Henderson, Kilgore, Longview, and Tyler, the major oil companies and their geologists concluded there wasn't oil in East Texas.
The Wildcatter Columbus Marion "Dad" Joiner was not discouraged. On the advice of his friend, Dr. A. D. Lloyd of Fort Worth, he began leasing acreage west of Henderson in the mid-1920s. By 1925, Joiner had acquired more than 10,000 acres, including the 970-acre Miller farm. An oil lease is a contract between the landowner and a producer and gives the producer rights to drill on the land.
After two failed attempts in 1927 and 1928, exploration on the Daisy Bradford #3 started on May 8, 1929. After overcoming several problems and borrowing money from every possible source, Joiner's crew of farm boys and a few professionals were ready to perform a drill stem test in the fall of 1930. A crowd of several hundred excited observers gathered at the well site.
When they opened the drill stem, the well began to vibrate and shake. Everyone heard a rumbling noise deep within the earth. A plume of oil rose over the top of the crown block.
After October 3, 1930, East Texas would never be the same.
This phenomenal oil field produced more than six billion barrels of oil and more than a trillion cubic feet of natural gas during its lifetime.
The museum's mission is to preserve the oilfield's history and to tell the story of the men and women who lived in East Texas during the oil boom.
Our visitors often ask, "Where did the oil and gas of the East Texas oil field come from?" And, "How did it get there in the first place?"
Well, several times in geologic history, some or all of Texas was covered by seawater. During these times, conditions were suitable for oil and gas to form. In these warm, shallow waters, tiny marine plants and animals died, sank to the bottom, and were buried along with thousands of feet of gravel, sand, silt, and mud. Over time, this organic-rich mixture was cooked into the oil and gas that forms the oil-saturated rock formation that geologists refer to as the Woodbine sandstone. An exciting feature of the East Texas oil field is that an underground ocean of salt water still exists beneath the Woodbine sand, and this water pushes the oil up into a trap where it remains until someone drills into it. This type of oilfield is called a water drive reservoir.
In 1932, 150 wells in the East Texas oil field produced 2,000 barrels of saltwater a day, along with the oil. Ten years later, in 1942, the amount of saltwater taken out of the reservoir had increased to more than 400,000 barrels a day.
The production of saltwater along with oil caused two serious problems. First, the early operators allowed the saltwater to flow out onto the ground and into streams, creating a major environmental problem. Second, removing the water from the reservoir caused a drop in pressure, which experts said would substantially reduce the amount of oil recovered from the field.
Independent oil producers, the major oil companies, and the Texas Railroad Commission joined forces to solve saltwater disposal. The result was the creation of the East Texas Saltwater Disposal Company in 1942. Reservoir engineers recommended returning the saltwater to the Woodbine sand using injection wells. On October 1, 1942, The East Texas Saltwater Disposal Company injected its first barrel of saltwater back into the field.
It wasn't long before the process began paying dividends. Soared water pollution became a thing of the past, and the reservoir restored pressure in the process extending the life and productivity of the East Texas Oilfield by at least 55 years and by the additional production of more than 2 billion barrels of oil.
When the U.S. entered World War II, petroleum was destined to play a vital role. At the government’s request, a 1400-mile pipeline was built from the East Texas Oilfield to the great refining complexes in the Philadelphia and New Jersey areas.
By August of 1943, the "Big Inch Pipeline," as it became known, was delivering 300,000 barrels of East Texas oil per day to the East Coast. During its wartime service, the "Big Inch" carried more than a quarter-billion barrels of oil. According to HL Hunt, "The Allies float into victory on a sea of East Texas crude."
Folks, we sincerely hope you enjoy looking back at an exciting time in the history of East Texas and one of the world's most significant oilfields, a field that has served East Texas, the state, and the nation for almost a century.
While in town, we encourage you to visit the Rangerette Showcase and the Texas Museum of Broadcasting & Communications. For more area oil history, visit the World's Richest Acre in historic downtown Kilgore, the London Museum, and the Discovery Well, just a few miles south.
If you have any questions during your visit, do not hesitate to ask anyone with a Kilgore College star on their name tag. We love sharing the story of the East Texas Oilfield. We do ask, however, that you kindly respect the artifacts and exhibits by not touching them. It will help us preserve them for generations to come.
On your way out, please take a moment to sign our guestbook and visit our gift shop. Again, whether you live down the street or halfway around the world, we appreciate you coming by for a visit.