DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official Texas Historical Commission marker has to say about a piece of ground that changed everything for Fisher County. Now, some stories start with a bang. This one starts with a whole lot of nothing.
The search for oil in Fisher County began in 1918 — and right out of the gate, the county wasn't cooperating. Four wells got drilled in the southwestern part of the county in 1919. All four came up dry.
Drillers moved over toward the Rotan area. Drilled more wells. Still nothing.
Not a drop. Fisher County was keepin' its secrets. Fast forward to 1927.
A man named Dan W. Stephens — born in 1860 — and his wife Laura Bell Johnson owned 3,100 acres of land out near the railroad town of Royston. Now, the Stephens property caught somebody's eye, and it was selected for a well that same year.
On May 21, 1927, the Texas Company — the outfit that would later become Texaco — spudded a hole approximately four miles north of the marker site. They drilled that well all the way down to 2,302 feet. And then... trouble.
A casing problem. They plugged it and abandoned it. Another swing, another miss for Fisher County.
But here's where the story turns. On October 24, 1927, they started again — fifty feet to the east. Just fifty feet.
That's shorter than most people's driveways. And that shift made all the difference. By January 19, 1928, that new hole had reached 3,275 feet into the earth — and Fisher County had its first producing oil well.
Eventually, seven wells were located on the Stephens land alone. More wells dotted the landscape across Fisher County after that. And what those wells meant to people — well, the marker doesn't mince words about it.
Revenues from the petroleum business helped landowners through the Depression era. Brought sorely needed employment. Helped build and maintain schools, roads, buildings, and hospitals.
In hard times, that oil was a lifeline. The Stephens No. 1 itself? That single well produced 481,447 barrels of oil over 66 years of service.
Sixty-six years. Finally, in November 1994, it was plugged and abandoned — the same fate as that first failed attempt back in 1927, only this time earned after a long, full run. Dan W.
Stephens lived until 1946. The well he and Laura Bell Johnson staked their land on outlasted him by nearly half a century. And fifty feet — just fifty feet east of a dry hole — turned out to be the luckiest distance in Fisher County history.
What the marker says
(The Texas Company [Texaco]) The search for oil in Fisher County began in 1918. Though four wells were drilled in the southwestern part of the county in 1919, all four were dry, and more wells were drilled in the Rotan area. None of these yielded oil. Dan W. Stephens (1860-1946) and his wife Laura Bell Johnson owned 3,100 acres of land near the railroad town of Royston. The Stephens property was selected for a well in 1927. On May 21, 1927, the Texas Company (later Texaco) began drilling approximately four miles north of this site. The well was drilled to 2,302 feet. It encountered a casing problem and was plugged and abandoned. On October 24, 1927, another hole was begun fifty feet to the east. By January 19, 1928, it had become the first producing oil well in the county, reaching 3,275 feet into the earth. Eventually, seven wells were located on the Stephens land, and more wells dotted the landscape of Fisher County. Revenues from the petroleum business helped landowners through the Depression era, brought sorely needed employment, and helped to build and maintain schools, roads, buildings, and hospitals. The Stephens No. 1 produced 481,447 barrels of oil in 66 years. Plugged and abandoned in November 1994, its service to Royston and Fisher County is remembered. (1998)