DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it — and friend, this one's got everything a good Texas story needs. Now L. P. and Ruth Bennett came out to Yoakum County in 1916, not to seek their fortune exactly, but to take over a ranching operation they'd inherited from Ruth's father, a man by the name of Dr.
J. R. Smith of Munday.
So they arrive, they put down roots, and in 1927 they lease part of that ranch to the Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company for some exploratory drilling. Nothing much comes of it right away. Life goes on.
Cattle graze. Years pass. Then the 1930s roll in, and they roll in mean.
The economic depression hits. A severe drought settles over the area like it owns the place. The Bennetts' cattle business starts declining, and declining, and then comes the word that'll make any rancher's blood run cold — foreclosure.
They were in genuine danger of losing everything they'd built out there on that West Texas hardpan. And then — October 10, 1935. Out at a well called the Ruth Bennett No. 1-678, about six miles northeast of where you're standin', a Fort Worth wildcatter named Red Davidson and his crews from the Honolulu Oil Company hit oil.
Right there on the Bennett Ranch. The find that changed everything. With that discovery, the Bennetts were able to pay all claims against their land.
Every last one. The ranch they nearly lost was theirs, free and clear. And the ripples kept spreading.
Drilling activity in the area picked up — you can imagine the bustle, the rigs, the roughnecks, that whole boom town atmosphere descending on the county — and all of that led to the founding of Denver City, six miles to the south, in 1939. A whole town, called into being by oil. Petroleum has remained the major industry in Yoakum County ever since.
This county is a national leader in the production of crude oil. That one well started something that didn't stop. As for the Bennetts — in 1964 Gene H.
Bennett, the youngest son of L. P. and Ruth, donated this very portion of the Bennett Ranch to the county. For use as a park.
The land that almost slipped away became the land that was given away — on purpose, this time, and with grace. Sometimes the ground beneath your feet holds more than you know. The Bennetts found that out on October 10, 1935, and Yoakum County has never been the same.
What the marker says
L. P. and Ruth Bennett moved to Yoakum County in 1916 to take over the ranching operation they had inherited from Ruth's father Dr. J. R. Smith of Munday. In 1927 they leased part of the ranch to the Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company for the drilling of exploratory oil wells. By the mid-1930s the Bennett's cattle business was declining as a result of the economic depression and a severe area drought. They were in danger of losing their property through foreclosure when oil was discovered on the ranch. The find was made on October 10, 1935 at the Ruth Bennett No. 1-678 (6 mi. NE), a well supervised by Fort Worth wildcatter Red Davidson and crews of the Honolulu Oil Company. With the discovery, the Bennetts were able to pay all claims against their land. Increased drilling activity in the area created a "boom town" atmosphere and led to the founding of Denver City (6 mi. S) in 1939. Petroleum remains the major industry in Yoakum County, a national leader in the production of crude oil. In 1964 Gene H. Bennett, the youngest son of L. P. and Ruth Bennett, donated this portion of the Bennett Ranch to the county for use as a park. (1981)