From Kittyhawk to the Moon: The Life, Times and Heritage of a Texas OilmanBy 1919, Owen Durham was smack in the middle of the oil boom, at a time when green money and amber booze flowed as freely as the thousands of barrels of black gold that surged from the ground each day. His richly woven text encapsulates the awesome feeling of possibilty that dominated American life in the early twentieth century, when roughnecks from across the country swarmed to the oil towns to claim their share of the emeriging wealth and a new subculture was born, with its own laws, customs, and history. |
Contents
Looking Back on a Century | 3 |
James Durhams Odyssey | 20 |
James Lucius | 35 |
The McIlwains | 57 |
The McIlwains Settle | 75 |
The Bayou Country | 103 |
The Billingsleys | 131 |
Leaving the Blue Ridge | 174 |
Taft | 293 |
Signal Hill | 307 |
Colombia | 331 |
Oil Field Intermission | 350 |
Venezuela and Back to Colombia | 364 |
Back to the Oil Rigs | 396 |
Starting Over | 415 |
Twilight | 428 |
Nacogdoches | 227 |
Westward | 247 |
California to Alsace Lorraine | 253 |
Humble | 261 |
Burkburnett | 273 |
Humble | 284 |
Source Notes | 441 |
Burkburnett | 447 |
Signal Hill | 448 |
Bibliography | 451 |
Common terms and phrases
A. P. Durham Abner American Angeles arrived Barranca Bermeja became Belle Belle's Big Hoppy Bill Dooley Billingsley Blue Ridge Blue Ridge Mountains born boys brother brought Buck buddies buggy Burkburnett California camp Chattooga River chicken Claude close couple crew DW-IW early farm father felt Fern Georgia going horse Huey Long hunting Ibid James Joab John JPD/APD-AOS Juan Lake County land Lars later Leon living Long Beach looked Louisiana married McIlwain Mexican Mickey Maguire miles months mountain moved mules Nacogdoches Nacogdoches County never night oil field oil towns oil workers Old Ruff older Oscar Owen Owen's Petaluma pulled Rabun County ranch returned roughnecks Santa Fe Springs seemed shot side Signal Hill Slick South Southern started Texas told trail trip Uncle wagon walked wife wild Winn Parish Winnfield woman young