Spindletop Changed the World — and Started in Jefferson County

The Lucas geyser at Spindletop struck oil at 1,139 feet. It flowed an estimated 100,000 barrels a day until workers capped it nine days later. Nothing like it had been seen before.

Beaumont grew fast. Its population tripled in roughly three months after the discovery, and eventually rose to 50,000 over the following years. Companies that later became Texaco, Gulf Oil, and Exxon all got their start at Spindletop.

Over time, the ground at the original well site sank due to subsidence. A Texas pink granite monument put up in 1941 was later moved to Lamar University's campus in Beaumont. The Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum is there and preserves the history.

The Handbook of Texas, published by the Texas State Historical Association, has a full account of the discovery and its impact.