Bill Text: TX HCR68 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the discovery of oil at Santa Rita No. 1.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 6-1)
Status: (Passed) 2023-03-27 - Signed by the Governor [HCR68 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HCR68-Enrolled.html
| H.C.R. No. 68 | ||
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| WHEREAS, May 28, 2023, marks the 100th anniversary of the | ||
| discovery of oil in Reagan County at the Santa Rita No. 1 oil well, | ||
| an event that sparked a wave of exploration and development that | ||
| would transform the Permian Basin into one of the most productive | ||
| oil fields in the world; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Santa Rita No. 1 is located on land in Reagan County | ||
| that the State of Texas set aside for the support of public higher | ||
| education in Texas, initially for The University of Texas System | ||
| and later for The Texas A&M University System; the land was later | ||
| leased to El Pasoans Frank T. Pickrell and Haymon Krupp, who | ||
| solicited funding from investors to build a drilling operation; the | ||
| first oil test on the Group No. 1 acreage was named after Santa | ||
| Rita, the patron saint of impossible causes, and drilling commenced | ||
| at the site on January 8, 1921; and | ||
| WHEREAS, For 646 days, the cable-tool rig broke through the | ||
| ground at a pace of under five feet per day, while a two-man crew | ||
| bailed the hole; late on May 27, 1923, driller Carl Cromwell ordered | ||
| the shutdown of the well when he saw gas bubbles escaping from the | ||
| casinghead, a sign that they had struck oil; his suspicions were | ||
| confirmed early the following day, when a fountain of oil erupted | ||
| over the rig's derrick, covering a 250-yard area around the site; | ||
| the news of the find soon spread to local residents and scouts from | ||
| major oil companies, and continued exploration would reveal further | ||
| oil reserves on the land; other spectacular oil discoveries | ||
| throughout the region would follow, which would make the Permian | ||
| Basin the epicenter of petroleum production in the United States | ||
| for decades to come; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In 1940, the Texas State Historical Association | ||
| oversaw the relocation of the original Santa Rita rig to The | ||
| University of Texas at Austin campus for preservation purposes; oil | ||
| continued to be pumped from the Santa Rita well for nearly 67 years, | ||
| before the well finally reached the end of its production life and | ||
| was plugged in 1990; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The discovery of oil at Santa Rita No. 1 had a | ||
| profound and transformative impact on the State of Texas and on the | ||
| higher education entities, The University of Texas System and later | ||
| The Texas A&M University System, that shared in the benefit of the | ||
| find, and the far-reaching effects of this watershed moment in | ||
| Texas history continue to be seen to this day; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 88th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of oil at | ||
| Santa Rita No. 1 and pay tribute to the well's historical | ||
| significance and enduring legacy. | ||
| Darby | ||
| Landgraf | ||
| King of Hemphill | ||
| Morales of Maverick | ||
| Murr | ||
| Craddick | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 68 was adopted by the House on March | ||
| 8, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 140, Nays 0, 2 present, not | ||
| voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 68 was adopted by the Senate on | ||
| March 13, 2023, by a viva-voce vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| APPROVED: __________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| __________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
