Page 116 - midland

In 1920, the Texas and Pacifc Abrams No. 1 well was drilled in Mitchell County making it the frst successful well drilled in the Permian Basin. The discovery of the Yates Oil feld in Iraann followed shortly and became one of the largest and most proftable oil felds in the United States. Perhaps the most famous of these pioneer wells was the Santa Rita No. 1, which gushed so much oil in 1923 that people traveled from as far as Fort Worth to see the famous well blow oil over the top of the derrick. News of these discovery wells spread like a West Texas wildfre and soon wildcatters and investors from all over the country focked to the Permian Basin in search of oil.

Midland quickly became the center of activity for the Permian Basin. Thousands of businessmen, oilfeld workers and investors moved their families to the city, establishing businesses and promoting growth and development in the area. Along with the infux of new citizens came new restaurants, stores, hotels and even a new airport. The oil business was booming, and Midland was thriving.

During the early 1930’s, the Great Depression took its toll on Midland. Due to the decrease in demand for oil, many of the businesses that had fourished during the 1920’s went under, leaving many citizens without jobs. But by the end of the decade Midland began to recover. By 1940, Midland had grown considerably, with many new businesses and oil companies. During the late 1930’s and 1940’s many new oilfelds were discovered and Midland was once again a growing oil town. During this time, the discovery of the Spraberry Trend, a large oilfeld covering six counties, contributed considerably to the city’s growth.

From 1945 through the 1960’s, Midland continued to grow as oil and gas production in the Permian Basin continued to increase, and the city continued to attract more businesses. Midland grew from a small oil town into the city we know today. Another boom period occurred during the 1970’s due to a sharp increase in the price of oil, and thousands more relocated to Midland as the city continued to grow.

Rigs can be seen popping up on the horizon throughout West Texas again today. Through technological advances in the drilling process, big oil and gas companies once again have their sights set on Midland and the Permian Basin.

Since its discovery in 1943, oil and gas companies have been drilling in the Spraberry Trend, as well as similar trends such as the Dean in the Permian Basin. But due to limited technology, these early wells barely tapped the vast potential of oil these formations contained, thus making them uneconomical. Today, however, new technology is allowing companies to capitalize on the resources and opportunities of the Permian Basin. These new technologies, such as horizontal drilling, 3-D seismic and hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, have been used to enhance production from these existing felds, as well as from new felds such as the Wolfberry.

Fracking is a proven technology for extracting oil and natural gas, which has been around for over sixty years. The fracking process involves pumping large amounts of pressurized water down the well, along with a proppant, usually made up of sand,