Oil and Gas Production Has Long Shaped Wheeler County

A gas well was drilled near Shamrock in 1923 and the first producing oil well followed in 1924. Energy production transformed the county. In some years the county has produced hundreds of millions of cubic feet of natural gas and hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil.

When buying land in Wheeler County, check whether mineral rights are included in the sale. In Texas, mineral rights can be split from surface rights and sold separately. If someone else owns the minerals under your land, they may have the right to drill. The Railroad Commission of Texas regulates all oil and gas activity and keeps public records of wells and permits.