Near Colorado City in Mitchell County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Coleman Ranch Field Discovery Well
(2/3 miles southwest)
Photographed by Bill Kirchner, November 12, 2017
1. Coleman Ranch Field Discovery Well Marker
Inscription.
Coleman Ranch Field Discovery Well. (2/3 miles southwest). Completion of The Westbrook Field T&P No. 1 oil well in 1920 signaled the beginning of commercial oil production in the Permian Basin. In the rush of oil activity that followed, the P.C. Coleman No. 1 Well was drilled on land owned by Dr. Preston C. Coleman, physician, civic leader and promoter of early oil development in Mitchell County. Completed in January 1923, the well was a slow producer. After nitroglycerine was used to temporarily increase production, the well was capped with a cedar stump. Frank Kelley, landman for the Magnolia Oil Co., removed the stump in 1925, and the well began flowing again. When occasional pumping yielded only small amounts of oil, Magnolia abandoned it in 1940. , Although not a significant producer, the P.C. Coleman No. 1 Well confirmed the possibility of further oil development on the eastern shelf of the Permian Basin. In 1946, large quantities of oil were found southwest of the discovery well on former public school land filed on in 1900 by Dr. Coleman's son Walter. , Marked today only by a concrete well cap on a concrete base, the site of the Coleman Ranch Field Discovery Well serves as a reminder of the early days of oil production in the Permian Basin.
Completion of The Westbrook Field T&P No. 1 oil well in 1920 signaled the beginning of commercial oil production in the Permian Basin. In the rush of oil activity that followed, the P.C. Coleman No. 1 Well was drilled on land owned by Dr. Preston C. Coleman, physician, civic leader and promoter of early oil development in Mitchell County. Completed in January 1923, the well was a slow producer. After nitroglycerine was used to temporarily increase production, the well was capped with a cedar stump. Frank Kelley, landman for the Magnolia Oil Co., removed the stump in 1925, and the well began flowing again. When occasional pumping yielded only small amounts of oil, Magnolia abandoned it in 1940.
Although not a significant producer, the P.C. Coleman No. 1 Well confirmed the possibility of further oil development on the eastern shelf of the Permian Basin. In 1946, large quantities of oil were found southwest of the discovery well on former public school land filed on in 1900 by Dr. Coleman's son Walter.
Marked today only by a concrete well cap on a concrete base, the site of the Coleman Ranch Field Discovery Well serves
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as a reminder of the early days of oil production in the Permian Basin.
Erected 1983 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 942.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1923.
Location. 32° 30.061′ N, 101° 3.002′ W. Marker is near Colorado City, Texas, in Mitchell County. It is on Farm to Market Road 1229 2.6 miles south of State Highway 350, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Colorado City TX 79512, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Big Country. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Comancherνa, the Republic of Texas, and one of the Confederate States of America.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 4, 2018. It was originally submitted on July 4, 2018, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 837 times since then and 61 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on July 4, 2018, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona.
