On Nov. 9, 1925, the wildcat well No. 1 H.R. Clay, drilled by Fred Hyer on H.R. Clay's land, began pumping oil after hitting pay dirt at 1,508 feet in a venture that hinted at vast oil resources in West Texas. Oil land speculators soon developed great interest in this formerly "worthless" territory, and other wildcatters flocked to the area. Efforts here led to the development of the Permian Basin, one of the richest oil repositories in the state. Since 1925 Howard County has produced more than 300 million barrels.