Clayco #1 Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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ELECTRA, TEXAS. is on U.S. Highway 287 and State Highway 25, approximately 25 miles northwest of Wichita Falls in northwestern Wichita County. Daniel Waggoner began ranching in the area in 1852. In the mid-1880s the tracks of the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway reached the area. Shortly thereafter Waggoner and his son William T. Waggoner built loading pens and persuaded railroad officials to establish a switch at the site in 1885. The location was briefly called Waggoner, but with the construction of a depot and the opening of a post office in 1889, it was renamed Beaver, probably for Beaver Creek, beside which most of the original Waggoner ranchland was located. Within ten years Beaver provided businesses and a school for Waggoner employees. In 1902 residents selected the name Electra, in honor of W. T. Waggoner's daughter.
W. T. Waggoner had drilled unsuccessfully for water. But oil was a different matter. On April 1, 1911, the Discovery Well later dubbed Clayco No. 1 blew in a mile north of Electra, in the Electra Oil Field. News of the gusher spread rapidly-although some thought it was an April Fools Day prank-and a boom resulted. The town's population reached 5,000 within months. Because Electra was an established community and the oil land was already leased, the plague of tent cities and the chaos that accompanied the discovery of oil in other areas never materialized. Many who rushed to Electra seeking quick profits, however, just as quickly departed. Sadly, the oil crisis of the 1970s hit this little town hard and the population has decreased.
On April 1, 2011, The City of Electra celebrated the 100th aniversary of Clayco #1 and dedicated the Monument of the Discovery Well, Electra Field. The Electra Historical Museum was dedicated in 1982 during the city's 75th anniversay, and has much more information on the city's Oil Boom days.
This cache is a small pill bottle, with room for small items and log, bring own pen. Do not block the road, and beware of muggles, both two-legged and four-legged!
CONGRATS TO fiddler26 for FTF!!
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