Questions and Answers
What did some independent producers call Standard Oil?
The New Century House
What posed threats to the preeminence of Standard Oil in the 1890s and the first decade of the new century?
Shifts in the oil industry markets
What was the main source for artificial light at the end of the nineteenth century?
Kerosene, gas, and candles
What were the main problems associated with kerosene, gas, and candles as sources of artificial light?
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What was the major concern associated with the production and use of gas derived from coal or oil?
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What was changing dramatically at almost exactly the same time as the shift in oil industry markets?
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Which company was formed in the early 1890s to challenge Standard Oil's dominance?
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Which region challenged the conventional wisdom that oil was limited to the Eastern United States?
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Who promoted the potential of oil in California in the 1860s?
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Which company became the dominant producer in California?
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Which state's oil production led the nation for most of the next dozen years after 1903?
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What led to significant and lasting domestic competition for Standard Oil?
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Who organized the Gladys City Oil, Gas, and Manufacturing Company in 1892?
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Which company started to move directly into oil production in 1907?
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Who sought funding from Guffey and Galey for drilling at Spindletop?
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Which location led to the birth of the Texas oil industry?
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Who was known for their unstoppable hunt for oil and ability to find oil?
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Who was experienced in prospecting salt domes and struck a deal with Higgins to drill at Spindletop?
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What did Thomas Edison develop in 1879 that initiated the shift from kerosene and gas to electric illumination?
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Which event demonstrated the ruggedness and reliability of cars, as they were used for rescue and relief efforts?
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What marked the transition from kerosene to electricity for lighting by 1902?
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What did the rise of the automobile pose a threat to in the oil industry?
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What did the rapid development of electricity threaten in the oil industry?
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What industry experienced a significant increase in the value and use of gasoline due to the rise of automobiles?
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What was the initial depth at which oil was discovered at Spindletop?
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What caused the rapid population growth in Beaumont after the oil discovery?
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What led to the surge in whiskey consumption in Beaumont?
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What kind of entertainment was hosted in the town's saloons after the oil discovery?
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What brought fortune seekers, deal-makers, and oil field workers to Beaumont after the discovery?
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What led to the skyrocketing of land prices in Beaumont?
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Study Notes
The Spindletop Oil Discovery
- Captain Lucas, Guffey, and Galey formed a deal where Lucas retained only an eighth of the financial backing in exchange for the support of Guffey and Galey.
- John Galey surveyed the drilling site in Beaumont and chose a location next to the gas springs found by Patillo Higgins.
- Drilling began in the autumn of 1900 using rotary drilling techniques, and oil was discovered at about 880 feet.
- On January 10, 1901, a massive gusher erupted from the well, producing as much as seventy-five thousand barrels of oil per day, leading to the Texas oil boom.
- The discovery sparked a riotous scramble for leases, with land prices skyrocketing from less than $10 an acre to as much as $900,000 an acre.
- Beaumont's population swelled from 10,000 to 50,000 in a matter of months, with tents, shacks, saloons, and gambling houses springing up to cater to the influx of people.
- Beaumont became a hotbed of lawlessness, with frequent fighting and multiple murders occurring nightly.
- The town's saloons hosted popular and macabre entertainment, such as betting on how long it would take a rattlesnake to eat a bird.
- Beaumont saw an influx of prostitutes, and the names of some madams, such as Hazel Hoke, Myrtle Bellvue, and Jessie George, became legendary.
- The discovery led to a surge in whiskey consumption, with Beaumont reportedly drinking half of all whiskey consumed in Texas during the early months of the boom.
- The frenzy also led to the rapid growth of the town, with makeshift establishments and a population living in tents on the hill.
- The news of the discovery spread rapidly, attracting fortune seekers, deal-makers, and oil field workers to Beaumont, with excursion trains bringing in thousands of sightseers.
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