Texas Poor Boy Fishtail Bit
Unusual looking drill bit to break through a variety of Texas conditions
The Texas landscape is remarkable in its diversity, but the change in environment from region to region presented new challenges to wildcatters (oil drillers) during the oil boom of the early 1900s.
Drilling conditions varied throughout Texas, so wildcatters turned to the "Texas Poor Boy" fishtail bit, a rotary drill bit shaped like a fish tail. Equipped with the fishtail bit, rotary drills could penetrate a "gumbo" of conditions, ranging from quicksand to solid rock.
Lender
East Texas Oil Museum at Kilgore College, Kilgore
About
Tools
13" Length x 4 1/2" Width x 2 7/8" Height
ca. early 1900s
Display Status
This artifact is currently on view.
