March 5, 1938

The Magnolia Oil Field was discovered in dramatic fashion, when gushing oil topped the Barnett No. 1 derrick. This led almost overnight to the development of an oil and gas exploration industry within Columbia County that continues today. While the importance of oil and gas drilling declined steadily, a new natural resources industry arrived in Columbia County in the mid-1960s as chemical companies discovered the high bromine content of brine located thousands of feet beneath the earth’s surface.