The Joiner No. 3 Daisy Bradford
Posted by: TeamBPL
N 32° 10.705 W 094° 55.359
15S E 318733 N 3561832
Texas Historical marker commemorating the first oil well in East Texas near Joinerville. Lead to the discovery of the largest oil field in the world during the 1930s.
Waymark Code: WMK7K6
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 02/24/2014
Views: 19
At the time of the discovery, it was the largest oil field known and remained the largest discovered field until the discovery of Prudhoe Bay oil field in 1969. The East Texas Oil Field is still the second largest oil field in the United States. Near the marker is a rest area and picnic tables.
Marker Number: 10980
Marker Text: East Texas Oil Field Discovery Well
The Joiner No. 3 Daisy Bradford
Discovery genius was C. M. (Dad) Joiner, 70-year-old Oklahoman who for years believed there was oil in Rusk County. Driller was E. C. Laster. Crew: Dennis May, Dave Cherry, Glenn Pool, Jim Lambert and Dave Hughes.
Joiner's 2 early efforts failed-- one with a jammed bit, one with the drill pipe stuck. The rig was next skidded 300' down slope. "This is as good a place as any," said Laster. Then on May 8, 1929, Joiner No. 3 Daisy Bradford was spudded in. Equipment consisted of an old rotary rig powered by a single-cylinder engine; one 45 hp boiler; one old cotton gin boiler fired with soggy oak and pine chunks by roustabout Dan Tanner. The depression was on, and money scarce. The crew often went without pay. Joiner sacrificed much of his 10,000 acre block of leases. Finally, on Sept. 5, 1930, a drill stem logged at 3536' into the Woodbine Formation showed oil. A better rig had to be brought in. On Oct. 3, 1930, the well blew in and oil went over the crown block. The boom was on.
Cars were bumper-to-bumper on all access roads. Derricks rose in all directions. In its first 30 years, this great field produced more than 3.5 billion barrels of oil. It now covers some 200 square miles-- the largest in the world. (1965)
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