Houston Oil Industry In The 1800s

From the onset of Texas’ introduction into the United States in the mid 1800s, cotton farming was an important engine for the state economy such as much of the south during that era. Many of the first people to settle in Texas at the time of annexation emigrated from states below the Mason-Dixon Line and had brought with them, the production of cotton, as would be expected. In addition, ranching also played a key role in the financial progress of the state. Throughout the 1800s and into the early 1900s, this trend continued and grew stronger with developments such as the railroad and other new technologies which allowed cotton to be harvested in a more efficient manner. The construction of railroads was particularly important because of the lacking infrastructure within the vast state for reliable transportation. It is at this point where the theory of “creative destruction” soon starts to surface in the history of the Lone Star state. Railroads allowed farmers and ranchers to transport their products more efficiently and with

As oil was being discovered in the state, it triggered immense industrialization across many regions, particularly in the southeast. Houston was one of the main benefactors of the oil boom. During the early 1900s the city grew at an incredible rate, rising quickly up the charts of the biggest American cities. Dallas also heavily benefitted from the success of oil and with Houston became the first Texas cities to experience heavy industrialization and development in the new century. The prosperity of oil even helped ease some of the pain that the economic onslaught of the Great Depression brought to the country. Farmers, on the other hand, experienced the full extent of the 1920s as crop prices declined dramatically, but even this setback did not leave the agriculture industry hindered for too