First New Mexico Oil Wells
Giant oilfield discovery at Hobbs in 1928 launched the New Mexico petroleum industry.
“It was desolate country: sand, mesquite, bear grass, and jackrabbits. Hobbs was a store, a small school, a windmill, and a couple of trees.” — A New Mexico roughneck.
Although the Hobbs discovery came six years after the first oil production (seven years after the first natural gas well), petroleum geologists soon called it the most important single oil find in New Mexico history.
Spudded in late 1927, the Midwest State No. 1 well saw its first signs of oil on June 13, 1928, and the wildcat well was completed November 18 at a depth of 4,065 feet to produce 600 barrels of oil per day. It had been a long journey revealing the giant Hobbs field. (more…)
