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Penwell Closed
Gas Station
Photo courtesy Dustin
Martin, January 2018 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
Ector
County's first oil boom occurred at "Derrick City" – near the
former town of Judkins.
When the R. R. Penn Kloh-Rumsey No. 1, came in – the drilling operator
was Penn, thus it was Penn’s well or Penwell. He is
said to be the town’s namesake, however the historical marker on Hwy
80 states that the land was owned by one Robert Penn – another possible
source for the town’s name.
The discovery was in the first half of October, 1929, the town was
laid out the next month and a post office was granted in June the
next year.
Penwell experienced the same predictable explosion of population as
other oil towns and naturally, the same growing pains. Shacks and
tents outnumbered proper dwellings.
According to the Handbook of Texas - Penwell had filling stations,
stores, hotels, a drugstore, barbershop, dance hall, and the typical
boom town rooming houses.
When drilling declined the population dwindled accordingly. Odessa
and Midland – as well
as new oil towns siphoned off population and Penwell was down to a
ghost of it’s former self. |
Historical Marker:
(West City Limits, Hwy. 80)
Penwell
Birthplace of
Ector County's Oil
boom. First civic development here was wide-open town, "Derrick City",
platted March 1927, after Dec. 28, 1926, oil discovery by driller
Josh Cosden on land of W. E. Connell, near the old farming and cattle
station, Judkins. However, when Connell
well began pumping only 20 barrels a day, the boom crowd moved away.
The city was abandoned.
As nearby counties off the railroad struck oil that had to be shipped
by the Texas & Pacific to refineries, Ector
County in 1927 had a "Truck Drivers Boom" --a foretaste of the
leadership in supply and servicing that was to develop progressively.
Then on Oct. 14, 1929, on Robert Penn's land here, a 375-barrel per
day well came in. With that showing, exploration continued, soon followed
by the Penn Well, the 600 to 700-barrel a day gusher. In a busy, bustling
and prosperous tent city, the Penwell Post Office was established
June 30, 1930. This has remained a central distributing and shipping
point for numerous fields in several permian basin counties, thereby
establishing and earned reputation as "The Crossroads of the oil patch".
1965 |
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"The shell
of The Joker Coffee Shop"
June 2010 Photo courtesy Bronson Dorsey - http://lost-texas.com |
Joker Coffe
Shop in 2018
Photo courtesy Dustin
Martin, January 2018 |
Closed oil change
garage
Photo courtesy Dustin
Martin, January 2018 |
Defunct Rhodes
Welding Company
Photo courtesy Dustin
Martin, January 2018 |
Rhodes Welding Company ghost sign & Highway signs
Photo courtesy Dustin
Martin, January 2018 |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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