No one has the knowledge of fossil, but "newer" stories than the ones fossil recounted could get things going again.
One year at A&M I took a geology course. Really enjoyed it. The instructor was a retired geologist from an oil company. One day the lecture turned to the Santa Rita #1--the first well on university land. It was drilled in Texon, about 12 miles west of Big Lake. The instructor said the story was that the well was drilled at that particular location because the drilling equipment got stuck very soon after being off-loaded from the train. I told him I was from Big Lake and he asked if I could find out if there was any truth to this rumor.
When I went home for spring break I ran down Ike Chaffin, who owned the local liquor store in Big Lake as I was growing up. Ike had worked on the drilling rig that drilled the Santa Rita well. Ike confirmed that the legend was true. That a big rain had come and the resulting mud caused the equipment to get stuck.
The next week I informed the instructor of my research. I easily got an A in that course.
One year at A&M I took a geology course. Really enjoyed it. The instructor was a retired geologist from an oil company. One day the lecture turned to the Santa Rita #1--the first well on university land. It was drilled in Texon, about 12 miles west of Big Lake. The instructor said the story was that the well was drilled at that particular location because the drilling equipment got stuck very soon after being off-loaded from the train. I told him I was from Big Lake and he asked if I could find out if there was any truth to this rumor.
When I went home for spring break I ran down Ike Chaffin, who owned the local liquor store in Big Lake as I was growing up. Ike had worked on the drilling rig that drilled the Santa Rita well. Ike confirmed that the legend was true. That a big rain had come and the resulting mud caused the equipment to get stuck.
The next week I informed the instructor of my research. I easily got an A in that course.