Breckinridge, Texas The World’s Greatest Oil Field
THE HOME OF THE MILLION DOLLAR WELLS
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Description
Situated about 100 miles west of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the city of Breckinridge got its first start in 1854, when a small community named Picketville coalesced around the property of a prominent rancher. It remained a relatively quiet town through its Reconstruction-Era renaming to Breckinridge (after John C. Breckinridge), with a population of about 530 at the turn of the century. Oil discoveries around 1916 drew serious interest from America’s growing petroleum industry, and by the end of 1920, nearly 200 wells were in operation, and the population exceeded several thousand!
This striking panorama captures the boomtown in vivid detail during its oil-producing heyday. Immediately apparent are the dozens of labeled oil derricks, standing tall like the spires of churches in a medieval European city. Several ‘gushers’ are depicted along the bottom of the page. An image of Lake Grand highlights the proximity of a large body of water – critical for the operation of the steam-powered drills. Within the town, a prominent furniture manufacturer, a Dodge dealership, the stately Hotel Singer, and several other retailers reflect the diversification of the local economy to serve the rapidly growing population. Numerous automobiles line the streets, highlighting the local prosperity.
Various individual credits are given within several of the photographs, but it appears the composition was put together by the Fort Worth-based Commercial Art Engraving Company (according to text in the lower right). Printed by the Stafford-Lowdown Company (also of Fort Worth). Distributed around 1921/1922 by Harry T. Bearden of the Breckinridge Chamber of Commerce. The print is quite scarce and I’ve been unable to locate confirmed copies in WorldCat or other online repositories, though some of the original negatives are housed in the collections at the University of Texas – Arlington.
Sources: University of Texas-Arlington; Texas State Historical Association
Map Details
Publication Date: c. 1921
Author: Commercial Art Engraving Company
Sheet Width (in): 49.50
Sheet Height (in): 18.90
Condition: B
Condition Description: Single-sided lithographed composition on a single-sided sheet of sturdy paper. Heavy marginal wrinkling and creasing, likely due to the application of old tape on the verso (possibly for reinforcement?), along with some light toning and a few small tears. The panoramic photographs remain highly legible and entirely intact, though it does show some lighter wrinkling from where previously rolled. Good condition overall.
Out of stock