Drillers led by Anthony Lucas struck an oil reservoir of unprecedented size at Spindletop, unleashing a geyser that produced roughly 100,000 barrels a day, far exceeding any well previously drilled in America. The strike triggered a frantic oil boom in East Texas, birthed companies that became Texaco and Gulf Oil, and helped shift the world's energy economy from coal to petroleum.
Anthony Lucas had drilled repeatedly at the salt dome known as Spindletop Hill, convinced that its unusual geology hid substantial oil deposits, despite skepticism from established geologists. On the morning of the strike, mud began bubbling up the derrick, then pipe sections shot skyward, and finally oil roared out in a column that towered over the derrick itself, uncontrolled for nine days before workers managed to cap it.
The well, known as Lucas No. 1, produced more oil in a single day than all the rest of the world's wells combined at the time, an almost unbelievable statistic that drew speculators, drillers, and swindlers from across the country to Beaumont within weeks.
Spindletop's crude was so abundant and cheap that it made oil a viable fuel for ships, factories, and eventually automobiles, accelerating the 20th century's petroleum age. Companies founded on Spindletop's riches, including Gulf Oil and what became Texaco, grew into some of the largest corporations in American history.
Key people: Anthony Lucas