The Moorhead Derrick

Aug. 6, 2018
The oil fields of West Texas have been an important component of the US oil industry for many decades. Wooden oil derricks dotted the plains of West Texas oil fields during the boom days.

The oil fields of West Texas have been an important component of the US oil industry for many decades. Wooden oil derricks dotted the plains of West Texas oil fields during the boom days. These wooden derricks played an important role in the ability to drill deeper compared to the “pick-and-shovel” early days. The cable tool rigs eventually gave way to the more stable steel derricks but undoubtable they made an impact on the Texas petroleum industry and other petroleum-rich areas.

One derrick to make history was the Moorhead Cable Tool Rig, which was the last operating wooden derrick in the US. It began service in June 1930, drilling the Moorhead No. 1 well in Loving County, Tex., and retired on Feb. 13, 1966. The 84-ft wooden assembly was built by a group of independent oil operators on the site of the then-known Chapman No. 1 well in May 1930. After completion in November 1930, the well reached a depth of 4,370 ft and initial production test yielded about 100 b/d. The wooden derrick, until 1942, used bull wheels and 1920s-styled rig irons, “yo-yo” wheels driven by steam engines and a 16 in. by 18 ft walking beam. After the owner Robert Owen Moorhead acquired the well and derrick, a steam power boiler was added for operation and one for backup, while another was refurbished. During World War II, Moorhead donated the three boilers for scrap iron and then operated the “Waskesa Engine” to generate 84 hp with the four-cylinder engine. In 1966, the wooden Moorhead derrick became “modernized” by adding an electric pump for power generation and then the derrick was replaced with a modern-day pump jack.

Resurrection

According to the University of Southern California, the Moorhead rig was the last operating wooden derrick in the US, pulling 3,000 ft of tubing in 1964 and retired the cable tool rig in 1966. Moorhead, a pioneer rancher, donated the wooden derrick to the City of Kermit, Tex., to be a Permian basin oil empire history exhibit. It was to be preserved as a “national treasure” and stands as a memorial to the men who worked in the petroleum industry that gave of their “time, dreams, fortunes, and in many cases, their lives to their work.” Many local companies and community groups jointly assisted in relocating the wooden derrick, without being dismantled, to its new home 35 miles away in Kermit, Tex. In addition, the well house, bull wheel, pulley and belts, walking beam, rig irons, and tool shed were all placed near the wooden towering structure at the city of Kermit’s Pioneer Park.

Paramount Studios filmed raising of the weathered wooden derrick, supervised by J.H. Marks Trucking Co. Inc., in July 1966. The Moorhead derrick, during Oil and Gas Appreciation Day, was formally dedicated to the city as a memorial to the petroleum industry. In January 1987, the old, weather-worn derrick required added steel support to help steady the rotting wooden legs. However, the aging derrick couldn’t withstand the winter of December 1993 and its 50-mph wind gusts, which broke one of Moorhead’s stabilizing guy wires. Down came the tool rig in a twisted, jumbled mess.

Restoration

Plans are now in progress to bring back to life the Moorhead Derrick. Because the cable tool rig isn’t a recorded historic landmark, the materials needed to rebuild it can be different than the original. The derrick will be built with resources that can endure the strong West Texas winds and harsh weather so that it will last long into the future. Many other states with oil-rich plays have similar monuments to pay homage to the early days of the oil industry and how these wooden derricks played a role.