San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-30
Tall Dericks, Shacks and
Tents Intermingle in New
est South Texas Boom
town

Struggling shacks, implanted build
ings and tents dot either side of a
deeply rutted muddy road in Guada-
lupe county some five miles southwest
of Luling. In rainy weather the
road is all but impossible. In dry
weather it is nearly ms bad because
the wagons of the freighters who haul
oil field supplies have cut ruts foot
or more deep.
This is Gandcr Slue, latest mush-
room oil town, destined to be the
center of the next big oil play in South
Texas. Already the little town nestles
among a flock Of derricks which stand
within few feet of the leading mer-
camille establishment.
Everywhere is the rattle of rotary
drilling rigs, the coughing and snort
ing of engines. the shouts of the mule
drivers engaged in hauling the heavy
iron casing and rig timbers intermin-
gled with the occasional roar of gas
as a biz gusher blows in-there are
six producers already in the Guada-
seventy-five derricks dotting the sky
line.
1t is not possible to picture Gander
Slue unless one has seen an oil town
and an oil field in the making.
Gander Slue is typical, rough, un-
couth. Imprinted, temporary yet eff
ficient, active and very much alive.
Right now Gander Slue is the CEN
ter of more real oil activity than any
place in South Texas.
Rough and Ready.
Long lines of freight wagons, the
e. -aaA
creak and rattle down its one
thoroughfare to stop for a minute or
so before the ever open door of n
soft drink emporium while teamsters
mingle with the motley crowd OF
roughnecks, lease hounds, biologists,
oil operators and visitors at the
counter. Yes, Gander Sluc is rough
and ready but there is no serious out
lawry there. It's citizens hail from
the four corners mayhap but they
are there for business NOT rowdy-
ism and there is surprisingly little
disorder. In the first days of Gander
Slue. a deputy sheriff was assigned
to duty there. He has resigned !;
there wasn't any particular need for
deputy sheriff and besides he got
Job in the oil fields. SO Gander
Slue has sort of government by
mutual consent-everybody attending
to his own business.
II was December %, last, that the
United North and South Oil company
brought in its first well on the Ma
rines tract in Guadalupe county.
which is located Just across the San
Marcos river from the Caldwell sec
ton. or the original pool, of the
Luling oil field. This well was com
pleted for q substantial production
and the oil was found to be of fair
" high gravity. 1t is fully a mile
and one-half or two miles from the
center of the first Luling oil pool and
when it began TO spout oil at the rate
Of GOO to 1000 barrels daily the
drilling of offset wells was begun.
Next to the Marines tract is the John
Allen tract, which is proving exceed
ingly prolific also.
On January Il, last. J.. J. Dixon
and S. T. Trahan. of the firm of
Dixon-Trahan. machine shop owner.
pitched a tent on the Alien tract in
Guadalupe county where several
wells were drilling, with the inten-
tions of establishing a machine shop.
Messrs. Dixon and Trahan probably
were the first settlers ON the present
Gander Slue townsite. Shortly after
January Il they built large frame
building which is now being used as
a machine shop and drillers of near
by wells are finding it convenient to
have their drilling tools sharpened
there, broken machinery parts welded,