Historic Midland

1945. Combining oil and the war’s end, Midland
enjoyed a major boom following the discovery
in Midland County and the population jumped
up to some 40,000.
Two more years passed until on Feb. 1, 1949,
the Texas Company No. 1 Clarence Scharbauer
was completed, opening the Warfield pool.
Drilled in the southwest corner of Section 20.
Midland was in the midst of another boom and
the population continued to grow to almost
60,000.
However, not even a month after the Texas
Scharbauer well was completed, a discovery of
greater significance was made. Located in the
east central part of Midland County, it was the
Tex-Harvey Oil Company’s No. 6-14B Mrs. B.W.
Floyd et al, in the northwest quarter of Section
16, Block 37, T3S. Ben Wiseman sat on the well,
and he is still active in the Permian Basin.
Following that came the Pegasus field, producing
from the Ellenberger, San Andres,
Fusselman, Bend and Wolfcamp. Then the
Sweetie Peck field, with production from the
Ellenberger, Wolfcamp and Pennsylvanian
zones. This was followed by the High-Lonesome,
Clarence Scharbauer and the Warfield. On the
opposite side of the county, a wildcat opened the
Germania field, followed by the Azalea field, the
War-San, the Dora Roberts and the Virey.
We reached over 80,000 population during
this period, and we are still growing and still
finding new Midland County oil. We credit this
continued growth to petroleum pioneers and
their successors. As Daryl Royal was wont to say,
“Don’t forget to dance with who brung ya!”
Optimism Rules
the Oil Patch
By J.C. Williamson
On June 19, 1937, I arrived in Midland to go
to work for the Phillips Petroleum Company in
their geological department, which was located
in the west end of the seventh floor of what is
now called the Petroleum Building one block
north of the courthouse square—and what was,
I might say, the only real office building in this
town at that time.
I had come home from the University of
California where I had spent a school year
working on a Ph.D. in geology. I was tired of
studying and determined to try to work in the
oil industry. The low, heavy fog of the “Great
Depression” was somewhat rising from the land
and the oil business was sending out signals that
there might be some hiring in the geological
departments.
I received a telegram in the mail from Phillips
Petroleum Company, mailed to Dad and Mom’s
rural address south of Lubbock, and an offer of
a job at $150 a month at Midland, Texas. I borrowed
Pop’s car again to go to Midland to confirm
the employment.
Midland had a little over 8,000 population.
There weren’t any affordable places to stay, no
motels, very few rooms available in private homes.
I was amazed at the number of oil companies
that had acquired offices in Midland, nearly all
❖
Toyah Bell No. 2 Pecos, Texas, 1921.
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