DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Moonshine Hill, out there in Harris County. Now settle in, because this one's got the makings of a genuine Texas legend — gas, oil, a boomtown that rose up like a brushfire, and a name that just dares you to ask questions. Late in the 19th century, folks in this part of Harris County kept noticing something peculiar along the San Jacinto River.
Natural gas seeping right up out of the ground. Not once, not twice — early reports of it were not uncommon. In 1887, a man named James Slaughter took particular notice of those seepages.
He filed that away, the way a sharp man does. A few years on, Slaughter teamed up with a fellow named S. A.
Hart, and the two of them set up a drilling operation in the area. Now, that venture proved unsuccessful. Then came Charles Barrett — a former Houston merchant — who drilled wells of his own out here.
He found the results limited. Limited. That's a polite word for 'not what you were hoping for.' So for a spell, Moonshine Hill kept its secrets.
Then 1904 arrives, and the Higgins Oil Company brings in a major gas well. That right there was the first crack in the door. And the following year — 1905 — the first successful oil well was drilled.
That was the door coming off its hinges entirely. Within months of that 1905 discovery, the population of the Moonshine Hill settlement jumped to ten thousand people. Ten thousand.
Months. Tents went up faster than anybody could count them, because that's what you build when there's no time for lumber. But eventually — and this is where Moonshine Hill starts looking less like a camp and more like a town — a church appeared.
A school. A postal station. Stores, hotels, and saloons.
The whole human arrangement, assembled at speed out in the Texas brush. Among the early operations working this ground was the Moonshine Oil Company, run by Walter Sharp, Ed Prather, and Howard R. Hughes.
Names worth remembering. Now, Moonshine Hill wasn't a one-boom wonder. It had three separate boom eras — the last one rolling in as late as 1929.
But despite all that fire, the community declined. The people scattered, the tents came down, the hotels went quiet. And yet.
The marker makes sure you understand this part: Moonshine Hill's brief existence had a dramatic impact on the economic development of both Humble and Houston. Dramatic. That's the marker's word, and the marker earned the right to use it.
A boomtown that burned bright, faded fast, and still left its mark on one of the great cities of Texas. That's Moonshine Hill.
What the marker says
Early reports of natural gas seepages in this area were not uncommon in the late 19th century. James Slaughter noticed such natural occurences near the San Jacinto River in 1887. Several years later, with S. A. Hart, he set up a drilling operation in the area, but it proved unsuccessful. Charles Barrett, a former Huston merchant, also drilled wells here, but found the results limited. In 1904, the Higgins Oil Company brought in a major gas well and the following year, the first successful oil well was drilled. This area, known as the Moonshine Hill section of the great Humble oil field, became the site of a boom town. Within months of the 1905 discovery, the population of the Moonshine Hill settlement increased to 10,000. Early operations associated with the site included the Moonshine Oil Company of Walter Sharp, Ed Prather, and Howard R. Hughes. Although tents comprised most of the early structures, Moonshine Hill eventually included a church, school, postal station, stores, hotels, and saloons. Despite three separate boom eras, the last occurring in 1929, Moonshine Hill declined as a community. Its brief existence, however, had a dramatic impact on the economic development of Humble and Houston. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986