Scurry County's Billionth Barrel of Oil


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Marker Number: 4621 
Marker Title: Scurry County's Billionth Barrel of Oil 
Index Entry: Scurry County's Billionth Barrel of Oil 
Address: US 84, about 6 mi. N of Snyder 
City: Snyder 
County: Scurry 
UTM Zone: 14 
UTM Easting: 316524 
UTM Northing: 3630137 
Subject Codes: OL 
Year Marker Erected: 1975 
Designations: na 
Marker Location: From Snyder take US 84 about 6 miles north. Marker is on northbound
 Business Rt. 84. 
Marker Size: 27" x 42" 
Repairs Completed:  
Marker Text: Petroleum discoveries in this county began in 1923, with recovery of
 oil in the San Andres Formation--eventually penetrated by over 2,000 shallow wells. 
In late 1948, rigs drilling deeper than 6,000 feet tapped the Canyon Reef Geological
 Formation. Four exploratory wells--Sun Oil Company's Schattel; Magnolia's Winston; 
Standard Oil Company of Texas Brown; Lion Oil Company's C. T. McLaughlin--
and other extensive drilling defined a gigantic field covering 85,000 acres and 
containing oil reserves estimated to total at least four billion barrels. 
The local economy and growth rate improved greatly. Many farmers and ranchers 
who had fought years of drouth and adversity paid off debts, modernized their homes,
 and continued to live on their land. On Oct. 8, 1973, twenty-five years after the 
Canyon Reef discovery, Scurry County produced from that formation its billionth 
barrel of oil, and in a week of festivities paid tribute to the petroleum industry. 
The celebrated billionth barrel of oil came from the well near this marker. 
By 1973, Scurry County was producing 3.2 per cent of all the oil recovered
 annually in the United States. (1975)