Columbus Marion Joiner
Columbus Marion Joiner | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date |
| Died | March 27, 1947 (aged 87) |
| Occupation(s) | Oil entrepreneur, politician |
| Known for | Discovering the East Texas Oil Field |
Columbus Marion Joiner, often referred to as Dad Joiner (March 12, 1860 – March 27, 1947), was an American oil entrepreneur and politician who, at the age of seventy, successfully drilled the initial well that uncovered the East Texas Oil Field in the 1930s. He earned the nickname "Daddy of the Rusk County Oil Field."[1]
Originating from Lauderdale County, Alabama, Joiner became an orphan early in life and received merely seven weeks of formal education. His sister provided his early instruction using the Bible, through which he acquired literacy. He departed from home in 1877, returned four years later to marry, and established a dry goods business along the Muscle Shoals Canal. By 1883, he was practicing law in Tennessee and held a seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives between 1889 and 1891.
In 1897, Joiner relocated to Ardmore, located in southern Oklahoma Territory, where he engaged in farming and oversaw lease agreements for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. The Panic of 1907 caused him to lose his possessions. Subsequently, he partnered with A. D. Lloyd (originally Joseph Idelbert Durham), a former pharmacist and amateur geologist. Together, they drilled exploratory wells near Seminole and Cement but failed to find significant oil reserves. Between 1921 and 1925, Joiner traveled regularly to Rusk County before settling in Dallas, Texas in 1925 to concentrate on marketing leases from Rusk County.
On August 11, 1925, Joiner secured a lease on widow Daisy Bradford's farm encompassing 975.5 acres and moved to Rusk County the following year.[2]
The landmark discovery of the East Texas field—the largest known petroleum reservoir at that time—occurred in 1930 when Joiner and Lloyd struck oil across five counties centered around western Rusk County. Despite this success, Joiner had overcommitted interests in all three wells located on Bradford's property and eventually sold his stake for $1.335 million to oil magnate H. L. Hunt.[2][1]
The community of Joinerville, Texas, situated in western Rusk County, bears his name.[1] He passed away in 1947.
East Texas Oil Field
In 1927, A. D. "Doc" Lloyd convinced Joiner to pursue oil exploration in East Texas, forecasting that drilling would encounter the Woodbine at approximately . Joiner obtained funding through a prospectus prepared by Lloyd and commenced drilling operations in Rusk County using outdated machinery. Despite numerous challenges and widespread doubt—including skepticism from Walter R. Smith, a geologist with the Texas Company—Joiner persevered. After initial failures with two wells on Daisy Bradford's farm located eight miles west of Henderson, success came on October 3, 1930, when the Daisy Bradford Number 3 well struck oil. This event sparked a significant oil boom and solidified Joiner's status as the pioneer of this major discovery, marking a transformative moment for the East Texas oil sector.[3][4][1]
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