How Did Oil Change Texas In The 1900's

One cold January day on the hill Spindletop, the discovery of a black, thick liquid changed the future of Texas. In January of 1901, oil was stumbled on in Texas. In the beginning of the discovery, the profit went to the Easterners, then it changed. Wildcatters, who were investors that put their money into oil rigs, spread across the state and placed oil rigs everywhere. During this time it was rare to get very rich off of oil because of the dry holes and loss of money. One benefit was that oil provided many jobs for unskilled people. In today's show, I will explain how oil caused changes in Texas. Three important social changes oil brought to Texas in the 1900’s are the rise in divorce rates, the making of communities, and the spinoff work for colored Americans.

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Colored Americans, while not employed on the oil fields, were supporting unskilled jobs such as clearing the land, doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, baggage handling and performing cleaning duties in cafes. Willsie Lee McKinney, a black american woman who worked in a low paid unskilled job, decided to go work in the booming oil county of Midland due to earning higher wages. She would do the same job, but earn the same amount that her old job paid per week, which is $10, in a day. She could save up money and go to school. (DOC C). With the onset of the booming communities due to the increased oil production there was a need for unskilled minority laborers to work the jobs that supported the oil industry. Minority laborers took the jobs that white men would not do once they got rich from oil. These jobs allowed minorities to earn a decent wage as they worked the jobs that no one else wanted. This allowed for minorities to earn wages to better themselves and their families by earning money for their families or earning money to go back to school to help grow the