Spindletop

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The Lucas Gusher at Spindletop. Jan 10, 1901
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The Lucas Gusher at Spindletop. Jan 10, 1901

Spindletop is an oil field located just south of Beaumont, Texas in the United States. It was the first major oil field in the United States and catapulted Beaumont into one of the nation's first oil-fueled boomtowns. The oil field is a classic example of a salt dome.

Oil was first found on January 10, 1901; it was a gusher, spilling out 100,000 barrels of oil a day. Oil production at Spindletop lasted well over 30 years, with a revival in 1926 when the Yount-Lee Oil Company found a new field.

Spindletop was productive as a source of oil until about 1933. It was mined for sulfur until the 1950s.

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