Leon Powell
Leon Powell was on Farm Road 1676 fifteen miles south of Big Lake in northern Crockett County. It was established as an oil-company camp to provide residences for workers and their families in the isolated Powell oilfield. Oil was discovered in the Powell (or World) field on January 8, 1923, and Leon Powell was built in the 1930s. The camp was named for the rancher on whose land the field and camp were located. By 1940 only a small population lived there, and by the end of the 1950s, like most Permian Basin oil-company camps, Leon Powell was abandoned. In 1990 little evidence of it was found. Leon Powell represented a way of life in the Permian Basin oil patch between 1925 and 1959. Over 500 such camps dotted the stark landscape by 1941. Because roads were unimproved and communications were limited, company camps were necessary for the maintenance of operations in the oilfields. People who lived in them became close-knit. With the advent of paved roads, dependable automobiles, and mobile radios, company camps were closed by the end of the 1950s, and the buildings were sold.
Julia Cauble Smith | © TSHA
Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.
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Belongs to
Leon Powell is part of or belongs to the following places:
Currently Exists
No
Place type
Leon Powell is classified as a Town
Location
Latitude: 31.06659300Longitude: -101.56953900
Has Post Office
No
Is Incorporated
No