Wortham rejected a well drilled by C. L. Witherspoon in 1912 when it produced gas instead of water, but after oil and gas wells in 1919-23 brought prosperity to neighboring areas to the north and south, petroleum exploration began there. The discovery well for the Wortham Field, Roy Simmons No. 1, one mile south, came in as a gusher on Nov. 27, 1924. Within three weeks more than 300 drilling rigs were in the field. In Jan. 1925, 3,509,768 barrels of oil were produced, and the total for the year reached 16,838,150 barrels. Wasteful drilling slowed yield to 3,000 barrels a day by Sept. 1927, and the boom ended.