Oil History
The 1918 Burkburnett Oil Boom Transformed the County
Commercial oil production began near Electra in 1911 and exploded at Burkburnett in 1918, turning Wichita County into one of Texas's most active oil-producing areas.
The Electra oilfield opened January 17, 1911, when a well drilled by the Producers Oil Company came in at 1,825 feet. By November 1911, the field was producing 12,000 barrels a day. The Burkburnett Townsite field followed in July 1918 when the No. 1 Fowler well came in at 2,500 barrels per day, setting off a full-scale boom with 56 drilling rigs running within three weeks.
Wichita Falls had about 8,200 people in 1910, before the boom; by 1920 the city had grown to over 40,000. By 1940, the county had produced 320 million barrels and was described as Texas's most productive oil county. By 2004, cumulative production had reached over 827 million barrels. That oil history still shapes land ownership, mineral rights, and active drilling in the county today.
Source to confirm: Texas State Historical Association – Wichita County Regular Field