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I thought there was a history thread on here, but couldn't find it.
Today's Seguin Gazette had a neat article on the Darst Field oil camp in eastern Guadalupe County. The area was the home for Dowdy School, which played 6 man in the 40's until it closed in the early 50s and combined with the Seguin ISD. Article online includes several pictures, but nothing of the school. The school building has long since been gone and is now a private residence. I've been told one of the football field goal posts still exist ... someday I am going out there and photograph them ... and maybe see about relocating them to Lifegate field.
Dowdy School graduate recalls youth in oil camp
Jessica Limmer | Posted: Tuesday, March 20, 2012 12:00 am
Seguin Gazette
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles leading up to a tour of eastern Guadalupe County.
Gene Chambliss’ old stomping ground has a very different look.
Gone are the oil field camps, towering derricks, nodding pumpjacks and thriving school that once marked the far eastern end of Guadalupe County.
Though still an important part of the county’s economy, the oil business is nowhere near as visible as it once was, said Chambliss, who grew up in the Sun Oil Camp.
“It’s amazing how changed it all is. There used to be derricks butted up against each other — there were fewer restrictions back then — they’d just slide over another 50-100 feet and start drilling. But a lot of those pumpers were getting old and deteriorating.”
Chambliss, who now lives in Dale, said he moved to a few different camps as his family followed his father’s job. Most of his growing-up years, however were spent in the last oil camp house on Darst Oil Field. Chambliss is helping with an upcoming tour of the historic spots in eastern Guadalupe County set for April 21. Participants are invited to check-in at 8:30 a.m. at Seguin’s Oak Park Mall, 1221 E. Kingsbury St. Tickets are $49 and include a guided bus tour and lunch at the Belmont Social Club.
Chambliss said he’s glad to have grown up during such an interesting time in the county’s history and looks forward to sharing some history with others.
“It’s a chance to reminisce about the past, that’s what it boils down to,” he said with a smile. “That oil field, at that time, was allowed more drilling because of the high quality of oil. It supported our economy and the war effort in World War II.”
There was some time for play, too, he recalled.
“I roamed the woods a lot, we would go down to Nash Creek and there was a swimming hole there,” he said. “Usually the families went in to Kingsbury, Luling and Seguin to do shopping or socializing.”
The influence of the oil business was never far from everyday life, at the time. Chambliss recalled using some oil field landmarks to help him track down the family’s wayward cattle in the evening.
“There was no telling where they would be. I could walk the whole 75 acres and still wouldn’t find them,” he said. “One day, I thought to crawl up on the derrick and it let me spot them and go straight to them. It did become a practice of mine — not that it was permitted — but I would do it.”
Chambliss and the other kids on the oilfield caught the bus to Dowdy High School. Chambliss said he enjoyed himself so much he returned for a fifth year to finish a half-credit and play sports — the year his basketball team took the district championship.
“We had really good high school teachers, because of the oil royalty, the school was able to pay them better than some of the other schools in the area,” he said. “The school was made up of people who lived around the oilfield, and also areas like Leesville and Belmont.”
After graduation, Chambliss served in the military and graduated from Southwest Texas Teachers College (now Texas State) in San Marcos. He followed in his father’s footsteps by taking a job with Sun Oil Company in Dallas. After 12 years, however, he moved on to other professional endeavors.
During his absence, Chambliss said the way of life on the oilfield gradually changed. As the oil industry became more mechanized and roads improved, the need for oil camps and a community around the field diminished.
“After graduation a lot of people moved into Seguin for convenience,” he said. “The oil industry changed, a lot of companies cut down on employees and started using contractors, which ended the family-atmosphere that existed before.”
He said that employees on a company’s oil lease would actually take pride in creating a beautiful property for their employers.
“They used to keep the trees trimmed and whitewashed,” he said. “It was something to be proud of when you had a beautiful lease. But that’s all faded out. These days they just let it be.”
Though he’s lived and traveled all over, Chambliss said the eastern edge of Guadalupe County will always be special to him.
“I am very proud to have been raised where I was raised,” he said. “It gave me a broad view of things in my life.”
For more information on the tours, call Jesse Roy Hart at 830-303-2402 or for tickets, contact Stanley Dolle at [email protected] or send self-addressed stamped envelope to 185 Dolle Farm Rd., Seguin, TX 78155.
Today's Seguin Gazette had a neat article on the Darst Field oil camp in eastern Guadalupe County. The area was the home for Dowdy School, which played 6 man in the 40's until it closed in the early 50s and combined with the Seguin ISD. Article online includes several pictures, but nothing of the school. The school building has long since been gone and is now a private residence. I've been told one of the football field goal posts still exist ... someday I am going out there and photograph them ... and maybe see about relocating them to Lifegate field.
Dowdy School graduate recalls youth in oil camp
Jessica Limmer | Posted: Tuesday, March 20, 2012 12:00 am
Seguin Gazette
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles leading up to a tour of eastern Guadalupe County.
Gene Chambliss’ old stomping ground has a very different look.
Gone are the oil field camps, towering derricks, nodding pumpjacks and thriving school that once marked the far eastern end of Guadalupe County.
Though still an important part of the county’s economy, the oil business is nowhere near as visible as it once was, said Chambliss, who grew up in the Sun Oil Camp.
“It’s amazing how changed it all is. There used to be derricks butted up against each other — there were fewer restrictions back then — they’d just slide over another 50-100 feet and start drilling. But a lot of those pumpers were getting old and deteriorating.”
Chambliss, who now lives in Dale, said he moved to a few different camps as his family followed his father’s job. Most of his growing-up years, however were spent in the last oil camp house on Darst Oil Field. Chambliss is helping with an upcoming tour of the historic spots in eastern Guadalupe County set for April 21. Participants are invited to check-in at 8:30 a.m. at Seguin’s Oak Park Mall, 1221 E. Kingsbury St. Tickets are $49 and include a guided bus tour and lunch at the Belmont Social Club.
Chambliss said he’s glad to have grown up during such an interesting time in the county’s history and looks forward to sharing some history with others.
“It’s a chance to reminisce about the past, that’s what it boils down to,” he said with a smile. “That oil field, at that time, was allowed more drilling because of the high quality of oil. It supported our economy and the war effort in World War II.”
There was some time for play, too, he recalled.
“I roamed the woods a lot, we would go down to Nash Creek and there was a swimming hole there,” he said. “Usually the families went in to Kingsbury, Luling and Seguin to do shopping or socializing.”
The influence of the oil business was never far from everyday life, at the time. Chambliss recalled using some oil field landmarks to help him track down the family’s wayward cattle in the evening.
“There was no telling where they would be. I could walk the whole 75 acres and still wouldn’t find them,” he said. “One day, I thought to crawl up on the derrick and it let me spot them and go straight to them. It did become a practice of mine — not that it was permitted — but I would do it.”
Chambliss and the other kids on the oilfield caught the bus to Dowdy High School. Chambliss said he enjoyed himself so much he returned for a fifth year to finish a half-credit and play sports — the year his basketball team took the district championship.
“We had really good high school teachers, because of the oil royalty, the school was able to pay them better than some of the other schools in the area,” he said. “The school was made up of people who lived around the oilfield, and also areas like Leesville and Belmont.”
After graduation, Chambliss served in the military and graduated from Southwest Texas Teachers College (now Texas State) in San Marcos. He followed in his father’s footsteps by taking a job with Sun Oil Company in Dallas. After 12 years, however, he moved on to other professional endeavors.
During his absence, Chambliss said the way of life on the oilfield gradually changed. As the oil industry became more mechanized and roads improved, the need for oil camps and a community around the field diminished.
“After graduation a lot of people moved into Seguin for convenience,” he said. “The oil industry changed, a lot of companies cut down on employees and started using contractors, which ended the family-atmosphere that existed before.”
He said that employees on a company’s oil lease would actually take pride in creating a beautiful property for their employers.
“They used to keep the trees trimmed and whitewashed,” he said. “It was something to be proud of when you had a beautiful lease. But that’s all faded out. These days they just let it be.”
Though he’s lived and traveled all over, Chambliss said the eastern edge of Guadalupe County will always be special to him.
“I am very proud to have been raised where I was raised,” he said. “It gave me a broad view of things in my life.”
For more information on the tours, call Jesse Roy Hart at 830-303-2402 or for tickets, contact Stanley Dolle at [email protected] or send self-addressed stamped envelope to 185 Dolle Farm Rd., Seguin, TX 78155.
