I enjoyed a good read this past week called The Big Rich, written by Bryan Burrough.  I am not a fast reader but I do love history books, especially ones about Texas history.  I remember how much I enjoyed having to take Texas history in the 7^th grade and I have been hooked ever since.

            The book chronicles the history of four prominent Texas oil families who were at the beginning of oil discovery in Texas in the early 20^th century.  These families acquired vast fortunes.  Unfortunately much of the wealth was eventually lost by the close of that same century.  I used to enjoy watching the 1980’s TV show, Dallas, but doubted people actually lived like JR Ewing.  Well, Mr. Burrough does a nice job of revealing just how independent and rough-living some of the wildcatters really were.  They made the sex charades of JR look quite tame.  I suppose some people have a risk gene that enables them to gamble their last bit of money on one more business venture or in this case a possible “gusher.”   I read that movie stars, great athletes, and many prominent politicians also have this same “go for it,” and “I’ll deal with the results later,” attitude.  They want to experience life to the fullest at the moment.  Unfortunately, it often spills over into other areas of their lives resulting in gambling, drugs and sex adventures.  These personalities also seem to intrigue us, and I think The Big Rich did a good job of revealing the lives of these families.

            The author mentioned traveling to a West Texas location where an individual can turn 360 degrees in any direction and see pump jacks bobbing up and down as far as you can see.  I have been to that, very spot.  It is near Kermit, TX. 

I had just stopped in a little town called Wink to visit a small museum dedicated to one of its famous persons, the singer Roy Orbison.  Pretty Woman is one of his songs you might recognize.  As I drove out of Wink I anxiously sought to see desert scenery like out of the Arabian Desert.  The remote open spaces of West Texas, some with actual sand dunes have always fascinated me.  Just outside of Kermit I found the sand dunes.  I also discovered the pump jacks.  I stopped the car and just sat there amazed. 

                                      The Texas oil man that opened this area to drilling went on to become one of the richest people in America.  He was not alone.  Other Texas oilmen who discovered their riches in the East Texas oil fields and those near the gulf also amassed fortunes.  By the middle of the 20^th century four of America’s top ten wealthy were Texas oilmen.  It would not last.  By the turn of the 21^st century the wealthiest were hi-tech creators, Wal-Mart heirs and financial investors.  Oil tycoons are no longer even in the top 25.  So what happened to the money from these families?

Some of the families eventually gave millions away helping establish hospitals, schools, supporting communities and so forth.  On the other hand some families ventured into costly, risky, sometimes questionable legitimate investments that ended up losing much of their families fortunes.  Was oil good for these Texas families or for that matter Texas?

The book does a good job of making you wonder if Texas has handled its wealth wisely.  A wealth that is no longer as easy to come by as it was in the last century.  I believe oil helped bring industry to Texas and thereby fueled the growth of cities such as Houston, Dallas, Midland, Odessa, and numerous others. One lasting effect of Texas oil money according to the book was its affect on American politics.  Money has always had a hand in Washington and it was no surprise to me that it helped Lyndon Johnson’s political career.  However, I did not realize it was Texas oil money that helped finance religious and conservative radio programs beginning in the 1950’s.  In time these movements began to influence the right wing of the Republican Party which still has repercussions today.  The book does a good job of chronicling this.  Whether that is good or bad is probably dependant on each individual’s political perspective.

I have asked myself  if Texas is better because of oil.  The book sort of challenged me to ask this question.  I was born in Texas and have lived here most of my life. Well, I think it has helped us.  I also do not think we have necessarily managed our wealth as well as we should have.  But then again I see wealth from a different perspective.  I have visited over a dozen countries and over two dozen states and have met decent people everywhere.  I also think Texas has been blessed with many, many decent people.  That is what I see as the true treasure of Texas.  They are what make Texas a great state.  Unfortunately, the book did not touch on that much.

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