It was a time of great difficulty for most, a time for barely keeping your head above water. But it wasn't water these early pioneers stumbled upon, it was oil, and its discovery not only changed their lives, but the world...explore the world of oil in Kilgore at the East Texas Oil Museum...
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Have you ever stopped to wonder about all those oil wells in Texas? Sure, you know where oil comes from. You understand it's many uses and why it is such a valuable resource. Chances are you're aware that the United States gets the majority of its crude oil from the Middle East. You're familiar with the term OPEC. You might even blame the conflict in Iraq over oil - and you might be right.
But did you know, contrary to popular belief, the oil boom of the late 1800s didn't start in Texas. But by 1901, on a salt dome at site later to be known as Spindle Top near Beaumont, somebody discovered Texas was full of oil. And everything changed.
 Even though production has been declining over the last few decades, the state still produces more oil and gas than any other state in the Union. Indeed, if Texas were a nation (as once it was), it would rank as one of the top ten producers of oil in the world. Today, there are some 241,000 active oil and gas wells which produce an average of some 1.7 million barrels of oil a day and 11.5 BCF (billion cubic feet) of gas a day.
And that's a lot of oil!
But most of us understand very little about oil, and perhaps surprisingly so considering oil-based products are such an integral part of our daily lives. Oh sure, we know that oil comes from the fossils of ancient dinosaurs. (Isn't that the line of thinking these days?) But how did we get around to discovering its existence so far below the earth? How did we determine its usefulness; first recognize it as a natural resource? And how do/did they get it out of the ground?
Questions like these, and many others, are answered in a most informative and entertaining way at the East Texas Oil Museum at Kilgore College near Tyler.
Roadtrippers and weekend travel warriors will enjoy a trip into the East Texas piney woods for a closer look at this quaint museum. For one, Kilgore is a great community, nestled in a wooded environment full of wildlife and friendly people. In Kilgore, you can still ask a man the time of day and get an honest answer.
If that's not enough, you're surrounded by a multitude of great attractions, including the Texas railroad at Rusk, the Tyler Rose Gardens and mystical Caddo Lake near Jefferson.
But regardless what else might attract your attention, you should take a couple of hours to tour this unique museum, and travel 3,800 feet below the earth’s surface to where oil deposits lie.
According to the museum's web site, " The easy-going rural life of East Texas changed drastically with the discovery of oil in 1930 and 1931. In 1929, a wildcatter, Columbus Marion “Dad” Joiner, unsuccessfully drilled two dry holes south of Kilgore. Then in May, Joiner spudded a third hole on the Daisy Bradford farm in Rusk County. It was not until Oct. 3, 1930 that a production test was done, resulting in a gusher – the discovery well, Daisy Bradford No. 3. Two months later, oil fever had begun to mount"...over what would come to be known as the famous East Texas oil field.
 Welcome to the East Texas Oil Museum, located on the campus of Kilgore College in Kilgore, Texas. This fascinating museum houses the authentic re-creation of oil discovery and production in the early 1930s from the largest oil field inside U.S. boundaries. Here, visitors see the people, their towns, their personal habits, their tools and their pastimes – all colorfully depicted in dioramas, movies, sound presentations and actual antiques of the era.
The museum is well designed to offer a glimpse into the life and times of East Texas at the time of the oil boom. From modeled period-store fronts, including a barber shop, post office and drug store, to a theater where you can watch actual footage of oil history, there's plenty to hold your attention.
And a ride to the center of the earth in a mine shaft style elevator is a thrilling sensation and a reality-ride well worth the visit. And did I mention the experience is very educational, in a fun sort of way.
Kids of all ages will enjoy the East Texas Oil Museum. Put Kilgore on your travel map for the weekend and travel like a wildcatter.
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