Spindletop

What major event began in 1901 near Beaumont, Texas?

• The Texas oil boom.

• WW2

What surprising reason led Patillo Higgins to become interested in oil?
Hint: It has to do with bricks.

• He liked oil.

• He wanted to find better fuel for baking bricks in his brickworks.

• He needed to drive long distance throughout Texas.

What kind of person was Higgins when he was young, and what happened to him?
Hint: It involved trouble and an injury.

• Higgins always followed the rules.

• Higgins was a troublemaker and lost part of his arm in a shootout.

• Higgins was a kind and intelligent man.

Why did Higgins go to Pennsylvania in the late 1800s?
Hint: Think about what he wanted to learn.

• He went to learn about oil and gas because Pennsylvania was the center of the oil industry.

• To be with his family.

What did Higgins discover about the Texas Gulf Coast by 1892? (select 2 answers)

• He thought the land was perfect for finding oil.

• Oil made more money than bricks.

• That there wasn't any oil to dig.

• Dinosaurs

Even after many failed attempts, what did Higgins keep believing?

• There was gold underground.

• That there was oil under a mound called Spindletop.

What did the discovery of oil at Spindletop do for Texas?
Hint: Think about big changes.

• It changed Texas forever by starting the oil boom.

• Caused a war.

Why do people call Patillo Higgins the “Prophet of Spindletop”?
Hint: What did he believe before anyone else?

• Because he believed there was oil at Spindletop when others didn’t.

• Because he predicted the future.