H.C.R. No. 68
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, May 28, 2023, marks the 100th anniversary of the
discovery of oil in Reagan County at the Santa Rita No. 1 oil well,
an event that sparked a wave of exploration and development that
would transform the Permian Basin into one of the most productive
oil fields in the world; and
WHEREAS, Santa Rita No. 1 is located on land in Reagan County
that the State of Texas set aside for the support of public higher
education in Texas, initially for The University of Texas System
and later for The Texas A&M University System; the land was later
leased to El Pasoans Frank T. Pickrell and Haymon Krupp, who
solicited funding from investors to build a drilling operation; the
first oil test on the Group No. 1 acreage was named after Santa
Rita, the patron saint of impossible causes, and drilling commenced
at the site on January 8, 1921; and
WHEREAS, For 646 days, the cable-tool rig broke through the
ground at a pace of under five feet per day, while a two-man crew
bailed the hole; late on May 27, 1923, driller Carl Cromwell ordered
the shutdown of the well when he saw gas bubbles escaping from the
casinghead, a sign that they had struck oil; his suspicions were
confirmed early the following day, when a fountain of oil erupted
over the rig's derrick, covering a 250-yard area around the site;
the news of the find soon spread to local residents and scouts from
major oil companies, and continued exploration would reveal further
oil reserves on the land; other spectacular oil discoveries
throughout the region would follow, which would make the Permian
Basin the epicenter of petroleum production in the United States
for decades to come; and
WHEREAS, In 1940, the Texas State Historical Association
oversaw the relocation of the original Santa Rita rig to The
University of Texas at Austin campus for preservation purposes; oil
continued to be pumped from the Santa Rita well for nearly 67 years,
before the well finally reached the end of its production life and
was plugged in 1990; and
WHEREAS, The discovery of oil at Santa Rita No. 1 had a
profound and transformative impact on the State of Texas and on the
higher education entities, The University of Texas System and later
The Texas A&M University System, that shared in the benefit of the
find, and the far-reaching effects of this watershed moment in
Texas history continue to be seen to this day; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 88th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of oil at
Santa Rita No. 1 and pay tribute to the well's historical
significance and enduring legacy.
Darby
Landgraf
King of Hemphill
Morales of Maverick
Murr
Craddick
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 68 was adopted by the House on March
8, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 140, Nays 0, 2 present, not
voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 68 was adopted by the Senate on
March 13, 2023, by a viva-voce vote.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: __________________
Date
__________________
Governor