spindletop impact on southeast texas
...le of Beaumont know that what Higgins believed would change not only their lives, but also the lives of their posterity. On January 10, 1901, the first gusher was tapped, proving Southeast Texas as a possible great producer of oil. This occurred with a great rumbling as the Lucas Gusher shot over one hundred feet into the air. For nine days, this gusher produced 100,000 barrels each day until being capped. The news spread quickly of a great oil find, bringing thousands of people to Southeast Texas almost overnight, all looking to make a piece of the fortune that laid in the oil industry. Beaumont’s population grew from barely 9,000 to 50,000. These new people to the area brought new business, money, as well as culture to Southeast Texas. Within the next two years, almost three hundred wells were dug, and over six hundred oil companies had been chartered. New interest began to arise in ways to manufacture the crude oil into usable product. Several oil plants were founded for processing, including Texaco founded in Sour Lake. Over the next hundred years the demand for oil products has increased, new plants were built, and many jobs provided to Southeast Texas workers. Oil has also affected the shipping industry in Southeast Texas, bringing international commerce into the area. Many products people use today are made from oil. All plastics, candles, film, gasoline, asphalt, lubric...