McCamey, Texas
Encyclopedia
McCamey is a city in Upton County
, Texas
, United States
. The population was 1,805 at the 2000 census. The Texas legislature
has declared McCamey "the Wind Energy Capital of Texas" because of the many wind farms that have been built in the area. Its history, however, is primarily that of an oil boomtown.
along U.S. Highway 67.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²), all of it land.
Water supply was a problem in the early years of McCamey, as the nearby water sources were not drinkable. Water came in by train from Alpine, almost 100 miles (160.9 km) away, at a cost of a dollar a barrel. (McCamey was served by the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway
.) Finally a potable water supply was found in a geologic unit only 17 miles (27.4 km) distant, and pipes were built to bring it to town in 1929.
McCamey was the location of a Humble Oil Company Refinery, one of the first built in West Texas. Humble Oil
was later acquired by Exxon
. An early experiment by Shell Oil Company
in massive oil storage in McCamey proved a failure: local oilmen built a reservoir to hold up to a million barrels of oil in an earthen tank, but the limestone formation underneath the tank cracked under the weight of the crude, allowing much of it to leak into the subsurface.
The population of the town declined during the Great Depression along with the price of oil, and as the discovery of large oil fields elsewhere pulled workers away. In 1940 there were only 2,600 people in McCamey; in 1980, there were 2,436; and the 2000 census showed the population had shrunk to only 1,805.
In 1940, the Texas oilman and industrialist Bill Noël
moved to McCamey, where he joined M. H. McWhirter of Monahans
and J. B. Tubb of Crane County to establish the Trebol Oil Company. He worked eighteen-hour days as Trebol's tool pusher, pumper, and production supervisor. The company drilled fifty-two producing wells before it struck the first dry hole. Noël was so occupied in the pursuits of the business that he claimed to have been unaware that he had become a millionaire until several years after the accumulation of his early fortune.
of 2000, there were 1,805 people, 676 households, and 494 families residing in the city. The population density
was 900.4 people per square mile (348.5/km²). There were 854 housing units at an average density of 426.0/sq mi (164.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.30% White, 1.55% African American, 1.27% Native American, 23.82% from other races
, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 52.30% of the population.
There were 676 households out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples
living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.3% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,233, and the median income for a family was $28,906. Males had a median income of $31,513 versus $16,724 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $12,171. About 23.2% of families and 24.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.6% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.
Upton County, Texas
Upton County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 3,404. Its county seat is Rankin. The county is named for two brothers: John C. and William F. Upton, both Colonels in the Confederate army....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,805 at the 2000 census. The Texas legislature
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
has declared McCamey "the Wind Energy Capital of Texas" because of the many wind farms that have been built in the area. Its history, however, is primarily that of an oil boomtown.
Geography
McCamey is located at 31°7′56"N 102°13′20"W (31.132300, -102.222106). The town is about five miles (8 km) east of the Pecos RiverPecos River
The headwaters of the Pecos River are located north of Pecos, New Mexico, United States, at an elevation of over 12,000 feet on the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County. The river flows for through the eastern portion of that state and neighboring Texas before it...
along U.S. Highway 67.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²), all of it land.
History
McCamey is named for George B. McCamey, whose 1925 wildcat well, discovering the McCamey Oil Field, brought about the oil boom in the region. He brought in a real estate developer from Corpus Christi to lay out a townsite near the oil field and along the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway capable of housing 10,000 people. Initially the town was a jumble of tents and frame shacks; order came slowly, replacing the lawlessness of the early boomtown environment. A post office was built in 1926, and the town was incorporated near the end of that year. In 1927 the McCamey Independent School District was formed, and an enterprising newspaperman printed the first issue of the Tri-County Record, the town's first newspaper.Water supply was a problem in the early years of McCamey, as the nearby water sources were not drinkable. Water came in by train from Alpine, almost 100 miles (160.9 km) away, at a cost of a dollar a barrel. (McCamey was served by the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway
Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway
The Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway, started in 1900 by American railroad entrepreneur Arthur Edward Stilwell, was the predecessor to the Chihuahua al Pacífico railroad in Mexico. It was intended to reach the Pacific Ocean at Topolobampo, Sinaloa...
.) Finally a potable water supply was found in a geologic unit only 17 miles (27.4 km) distant, and pipes were built to bring it to town in 1929.
McCamey was the location of a Humble Oil Company Refinery, one of the first built in West Texas. Humble Oil
Humble Oil
Humble Oil and Refining Co. was founded in 1911. The company would later consolidate with Standard Oil of New Jersey to become Exxon.-Early history:...
was later acquired by Exxon
Exxon
Exxon is a chain of gas stations as well as a brand of motor fuel and related products by ExxonMobil. From 1972 to 1999, Exxon was the corporate name of the company previously known as Standard Oil Company of New Jersey or Jersey Standard....
. An early experiment by Shell Oil Company
Shell Oil Company
Shell Oil Company is the United States-based subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, a multinational oil company of Anglo Dutch origins, which is amongst the largest oil companies in the world. Approximately 22,000 Shell employees are based in the U.S. The head office in the U.S. is in Houston, Texas...
in massive oil storage in McCamey proved a failure: local oilmen built a reservoir to hold up to a million barrels of oil in an earthen tank, but the limestone formation underneath the tank cracked under the weight of the crude, allowing much of it to leak into the subsurface.
The population of the town declined during the Great Depression along with the price of oil, and as the discovery of large oil fields elsewhere pulled workers away. In 1940 there were only 2,600 people in McCamey; in 1980, there were 2,436; and the 2000 census showed the population had shrunk to only 1,805.
In 1940, the Texas oilman and industrialist Bill Noël
Bill Noël
William Douglas Noël, known as Bill Noël , was an independent oilman, industrialist, banker, rancher, philanthropist, and civic leader in Odessa, Texas.-Background:...
moved to McCamey, where he joined M. H. McWhirter of Monahans
Monahans, Texas
Monahans is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, Texas, United States. A very small portion of the city extends into Winkler County. The population was 6,821 at the 2000 census.-History:...
and J. B. Tubb of Crane County to establish the Trebol Oil Company. He worked eighteen-hour days as Trebol's tool pusher, pumper, and production supervisor. The company drilled fifty-two producing wells before it struck the first dry hole. Noël was so occupied in the pursuits of the business that he claimed to have been unaware that he had become a millionaire until several years after the accumulation of his early fortune.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,805 people, 676 households, and 494 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 900.4 people per square mile (348.5/km²). There were 854 housing units at an average density of 426.0/sq mi (164.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.30% White, 1.55% African American, 1.27% Native American, 23.82% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 52.30% of the population.
There were 676 households out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.3% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,233, and the median income for a family was $28,906. Males had a median income of $31,513 versus $16,724 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $12,171. About 23.2% of families and 24.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.6% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.