Texas and the Oil Industry

The oil industry has played a major role in the development of the southern central American state of Texas. The discovery of oil and the subsequent rush to utilize it resulted in considerable growth and progress for the state.

The Texan oil industry started with the discovery of oil at Spindletop near Beaumont in 1901. It was this particular discovery that usurped Pennsylvania as the main oil producer and made Texas a formidable player in the industry. Over the next few years, discoveries at Brownwood, Petrolia and Wichita Falls increased the sphere of growth. The oil fields near Turnertown and Joinerville in Rusk County, East Texas was another major discovery that changed the life of everyday Texans.

Due to the massive whirl of activity surrounding the oil fields, entire towns were being built around this hub. The towns grew and sprawled out along with the blossoming network of roads. To this effect, transportation was developing rapidly which brought in more people, more trade and important technological advancements from other states. The increasing use of automobiles and trains run with oil also helped this movement. This well-connected network added to the boom being experienced by the state as more and more products of the local farmers could now be exported outside the state.

The oil industry also brought in monetary benefits for the state. The oil tax implemented from as far back as 1905 helped the local government and indirectly spurred more developments. As it is, private and public educational institutions receive funding because of the oil industry. This could be due to benefits from land leases or oil discovered on campus of certain universities or it could simply be from the specific funds set up to receive oil based royalties.