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 First Producing Gas Well in Kleberg County Posted by:  PeterNoG
N 27° 26.666 W 097° 51.451
14R E 612906 N 3036180
This Texas Historical Marker is on US Hwy 77, just south of County Road 2130 and about 0.2 miles south of the junction of US Hwy 77 and US Hwy 77 Business on the south side of Kingsville, Texas.
Waymark Code: WMKDAC
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/24/2014
Views: 4
Marker Title: First Producing Gas Well in Kleberg County
Index Entry: Gas Well in Kleberg County
Address:
City: Kingsville
County: Kleberg
Subject Codes: oil/petroleum topics; Gothic Revial (Architectural style)
Year Marker Erected: 1974
Designations: na
Marker Location: from Kingsville take US 77 south about 3 miles to marker, on east side of road (south of junction with US business Route 77)
Marker Size: 27" x 42"
Marker Number: 2111
Marker Text:
(3.3 miles east)
Natural gas was first encountered in 1912 by Frank House while drilling for water on the Oscar Rosse farm. Other efforts to obtain fresh water resulted in more gas pockets or water contaminated with salt or oil. An unsuccessful attempt was made in 1915 to develop gas production. In Oct. 1919, the Kleberg County Oil and Gas Company was formed in Kingsville by lumber and hardware merchants Charles H. Flato and his son, Charles, Jr., oil sales manager H. C. Dennett, grocer J. F. Ivey, postmaster Marcus Phillips, Kingsville mayor J. C. Nolan, and retail merchants Sam Sellers, Ben F. Wilson, and C. M. Allen. The company leased the Rosse farm on Oct. 30, 1919, and contracted Hammill & Bess Drilling Company of Bay City to drill a well. The Rosse No. 1 was completed on January 16, 1920, at a depth of 3,000 feet. Pipelines were soon laid into Kingsville to supply businesses and residences with gas. Another well, the Rosse No. 2, completed in March 1920, was the first producing oil well in the county.
The discovery of gas and oil in the county provided a foundation for economic growth through development of petrochemical and refining industries.
(1974)
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