Big Lake is a small rural city in and the county seat of Reagan County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Big Lake had a population of 2,965.

It is the county seat of Reagan County.

Description

Big Lake is situated atop the divide between the Rio Grande and Colorado River watersheds. The city takes its name from a dry lake, a unique dryland plains geographic feature located approximately two miles south of the city, through which St Hwy 137 passes. The dry lake, with no outlet, is more than two sections in size, making it the largest in Texas; it impounds water temporarily after high-runoff rain events, being used for grazing the remainder of the time. Though seasonal and temporal, the "big playa lake", in wet periods, is significant in a semiarid, drought-frequented environment and has been utilized regularly as a food and water resource by man and animal, alike, since prehistoric times.

Started as a small ranching community in the late 1880s, Big Lake owes its original existence to the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway, which passed through the area in 1912, as it was extended from Sherwood, west of San Angelo, to Girvin and beyond the Pecos River. The growth from the railroad, coupled with that from the Santa Rita discovery well in 1923, allowed it, in 1925, to take over the position of county seat from Stiles, a pioneer ranching community established in 1894 on Centrailia Draw, about 20 miles to the north. The main highway through the area, US 67, was extended through the region in 1934, on the way to its terminus in Presidio. The city's current existence is based on agriculture (some farming, but mostly ranching) and oil and gas service and production throughout the area.

History

In 1919, Rupert Ricker began the process of leasing 674 sections of University of Texas land, part of their Permanent University Fund. Unable to fund any test wells, Ricker sold the prospect to Frank Pickrell and Haymon Krupp, who organized the Texon Oil and Land Company. The company geologist, Hugh H. Tucker, picked the drill site, claiming a structure wide and long. The initial drill site was about west of Big Lake, north of the Orient Railroad tracks at what became Texon. They hired Carl G. Cromwell to spud the first test well in 1921, using cable tools. On the afternoon of 27 May, oil showed in the bailer. Then, on the morning of 28 May 1923, the Santa Rita No. 1 gushed oil after drilling to a depth of . Initial production was 100 BOPD, which overflowed the earthen tanks, and then onto the ground for over a month before casing could set. The oil was then shipped by tank car to a refinery in El Paso. Michael Late Benedum bought the Texon find, and formed the Big Lake Oil Company, in October 1923. By 1924, Benedum had established the Big Lake oil field as the first major oil field in the Permian Basin. In 1926, this field had 74 wells producing a total of 32,317 BOPD.

Geography

Big Lake is located at (31.193908, –101.458834).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Big Lake was served by the Kansas City, Mexico, and Orient Railway, and continues to be served by its successor Texas Pacifico Transportation.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 2,965 people, 1,014 households, and 710 families residing in the city.

The median age was 34.0 years, 29.8% of residents were under the age of 18, and 10.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 104.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 103.7 males.

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census

! Race !! Percent

|-

| White || 49.6%

|-

| Black or African American || 1.3%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 1.0%

|-

| Asian || 0.6%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || <0.1%

|-

| Some other race || 23.1%

|-

| Two or more races || 24.3%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 69.5%

|}

{| class="wikitable"

|+Big Lake racial composition<br /> (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Race

!Number

!Percentage

|-

|White (NH)

|780

|26.31%

|-

|Black or African American (NH)

|31

|1.05%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native (NH)

|12

|0.4%

|-

|Asian (NH)

|18

|0.61%

|-

|Pacific Islander (NH)

|1

|0.03%

|-

|Some Other Race (NH)

|5

|0.17%

|-

|Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)

|58

|1.96%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino

|2,060

|69.48%

|-

|Total

|2,965

|

|}

2000 census

As of the census

Education

thumb|300px|Santa Rita No. 1 rig, used in the discovery of the Big Lake Oil Field in 1923.

The City of Big Lake is served by the Reagan County Independent School District, which covers all of the county.

All of the county is in the service area of Midland Community College.

The city of Big Lake was featured in the 2002 movie The Rookie, although the town portrayed in the movie was actually Thorndale, Texas, which is east of Austin.

In the movie, the town lacked a proper baseball field, while the high school football stadium was the main focus of athletic attention. The Rookie made Big Lake interested in hosting a minor league baseball team: the West Texas Big Fish of the Texas–Louisiana League in the 2000s. Today, another Big Fish team is a member of the collegiate level Central Texas Collegiate League.

Big Lake is featured in a semi-biographical 2019 novel, by Russ Brown, titled Miss Chisum. The narrative explores the life of cattle baron, John Chisum, and his fabled relationship with a slave. Big Lake is depicted as a watering hole on Chisum's 19th century westward cattle drives. Revisited in 1970 by his granddaughter, whilst retracing his steps.

See also

  • List of municipalities in Texas

Notes

References

  • City of Big Lake official website