Long ago, Beaumont, Texas, was a small town with dirt roads and wooden buildings. 

Most people worked on farms or in local businesses. 

No one knew that something amazing was hidden deep underground.

Pattillo Higgins believed there was oil beneath a nearby hill called Spindletop. 

Many people thought he was wrong, but he never gave up.

He believed the land held a valuable natural resource.

Workers built a tall wooden drilling rig and began searching for oil.

Day after day, they drilled deeper into the ground.

Everyone hoped their hard work would pay off.

The drill reached farther underground than ever before. 

The workers kept going even when the job was slow and difficult. 

They believed something special was waiting below.

On January 10, 1901, oil suddenly burst into the air with a loud roar! 

The giant gusher sprayed oil high above the drilling rig.

 People cheered because they knew Texas would never be the same.