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Spindletop oil discovery...
Spindletop oil discovery...
Item # 575150
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January 13, 1901
THE NEW YORK TIMES, January 13, 1901 Although discoveries were made in various locations long before this date, this discovery--to be known as Spindletop--marked the emergence of the oil industry at a time when the automobile and other industries were experiencing rapid growth, coinciding with the need for this new product.
The discovery of oil in Beaumont, Texas, was the beginning of the oil industry in Texas. When the well struck on January 10, 1901 it would gusher uncontrollably for 8 days before being capped.
On the front page is a one column report headed: "BIG OIL STRIKE IN TEXAS" with subhead: "Well With Flow of 700 Barrels Hourly Driven Near Beaumont--Prices of Land in The Section Soar". The article begins: "There is wild excitement throughout Southeast Texas over the oil strike that has just been made three miles south of Beaumont..." with further details, as seen in the photos. The article with the heads take 3 1/4 inches in the second column.
As noted by Wikipedia, the January 10 discovery at Spindletop marked the birth date of the modern petroleum industry. At 100,000 barrels of oil a day, the gusher tripled U.S. oil production overnight.
Some of the companies chartered to exploit the wealth of Spindletop, such as Gulf Oil and Texaco, are part of today's Chevron Corporation.
This is the complete 26 page newspaper. Lightly browned throughout with various chipping at the margins and various edge tears as is typical with fragile newsprint of this era. It must be handled carefully. There is no damage near the noted article.
A great newspaper on the birth of the modern oil industry, and terrific to have not only in perhaps the most revered newspaper in the country, but on the front page as well.
Category: The 20th Century
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