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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, May 28, 2023, marks the 100th anniversary of the |
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discovery of oil in Reagan County at the Santa Rita No. 1 oil well, |
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an event that sparked a wave of exploration and development that |
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would transform the Permian Basin into one of the most productive |
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oil fields in the world; and |
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WHEREAS, Santa Rita No. 1 is located on land in Reagan County |
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that the State of Texas set aside for the support of public higher |
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education in Texas, initially for The University of Texas System |
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and later for The Texas A&M University System; the land was later |
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leased to El Pasoans Frank T. Pickrell and Haymon Krupp, who |
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solicited funding from investors to build a drilling operation; the |
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first oil test on the Group No. 1 acreage was named after Santa |
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Rita, the patron saint of impossible causes, and drilling commenced |
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at the site on January 8, 1921; and |
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WHEREAS, For 646 days, the cable-tool rig broke through the |
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ground at a pace of under five feet per day, while a two-man crew |
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bailed the hole; late on May 27, 1923, driller Carl Cromwell ordered |
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the shutdown of the well when he saw gas bubbles escaping from the |
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casinghead, a sign that they had struck oil; his suspicions were |
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confirmed early the following day, when a fountain of oil erupted |
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over the rig's derrick, covering a 250-yard area around the site; |
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the news of the find soon spread to local residents and scouts from |
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major oil companies, and continued exploration would reveal further |
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oil reserves on the land; other spectacular oil discoveries |
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throughout the region would follow, which would make the Permian |
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Basin the epicenter of petroleum production in the United States |
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for decades to come; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1940, the Texas State Historical Association |
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oversaw the relocation of the original Santa Rita rig to The |
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University of Texas at Austin campus for preservation purposes; oil |
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continued to be pumped from the Santa Rita well for nearly 67 years, |
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before the well finally reached the end of its production life and |
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was plugged in 1990; and |
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WHEREAS, The discovery of oil at Santa Rita No. 1 had a |
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profound and transformative impact on the State of Texas and on the |
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higher education entities, The University of Texas System and later |
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The Texas A&M University System, that shared in the benefit of the |
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find, and the far-reaching effects of this watershed moment in |
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Texas history continue to be seen to this day; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 88th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of oil at |
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Santa Rita No. 1 and pay tribute to the well's historical |
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significance and enduring legacy. |