DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker says about the World's Richest Acre, right here in Gregg County. Now, they call it the World's Richest Acre — and before you roll your eyes at a name like that, let me walk you through the numbers, because the numbers do not lie. It starts in 1930, when the fabulous East Texas oil field was discovered.
That's the foundation of everything that follows. The field was already something extraordinary — but this particular patch of ground, this 1.195-acre tract right here, was about to become something else entirely. First production on this block came on June 17, 1937, when the Mrs.
Bess Johnson-Adams and Hale No. 1 well was brought in. Now hold that thought, because here is where the story gets interesting. This tract was developed before well-spacing rules existed.
Before anybody said, "now wait a minute, fellas, let's not crowd the dance floor." Nobody put the brakes on. And so what you ended up with was 24 wells drilled on 10 lots, owned by six different operators, all packed onto 1.195 acres. The most densely drilled tract in the world.
Let that sink in for just a moment. That little acre produced over two and a half million barrels of crude oil. Selling at anywhere from a dollar and ten cents to three dollars and twenty-five cents a barrel, this ground brought in more than five and a half million dollars.
Out of one acre. One acre and a sliver. And zoom out just a little, and the picture gets even wilder.
For many years, a full forest of steel derricks stood over more than a thousand wells in downtown Kilgore. Downtown. Not out on some lonesome prairie — downtown.
The greatest concentration of oil wells in the history of the world, right in the middle of a city. Dozens of those derricks still dot Kilgore's internationally famous skyline to this day. Since 1930, the East Texas oil field — they call it the granddaddy of oil fields — has produced nearly four billion barrels of oil.
At the time this marker was placed in 1966, it had more than 17,000 producing wells, and geologists were predicting at least another 45 years of production ahead. The field's development attracted diversified industries to the area, along with what the marker calls a progressive citizenship with a high degree of civic pride. Four billion barrels.
Seventeen thousand wells. A granddaddy of oil fields sitting on top of a world's richest acre. Sometimes the tall tale writes itself — and then the ground beneath your feet goes and beats it.
What the marker says
Part of fabulous East Texas oil field discovered in 1930. This 1.195-acre tract had first production on June 17, 1937, when the Mrs. Bess Johnson-Adams & Hale No. 1 well was brought in. Developed before well-spacing rules, this block is the most densely drilled tract in the world, with 24 wells on 10 lots owned by six different operators. This acre has produced over two and a half million barrels of crude oil; selling at $1.10 to $3.25 a barrel, it has brought more than five and a half million dollars. A forest of steel derricks for many years stood over the more than 1,000 wells in downtown Kilgore, marking the greatest concentration of oil wells in the history of the world. Dozens of these derricks still dot city's internationally famous skyline. Since 1930, the East Texas oil field has produced nearly four billion barrels of oil. It now has more than 17,000 producing wells, and geologists predict a future of at least 45 years for this "granddaddy of oil fields." Its development has attracted to the area many diversified industries and a progressive citizenship with a high degree of civic pride. (1966)