MIDLAND, Texas — For a town known for pumping oil, it didn't start out that way.
"In a sense, it was a railroad stop," Jim Collett, president of the Midland Historical Society said. "I mean, there was nothing like a nexus of rivers or a famous route or something to say, 'this is where a town should be.'"
That railroad stop has since become one of the most important oil and gas hubs in the United States: Midland.
"Well, the history of Midland is about a place that I think is always about innovation and being inventive and trying to find ways to make money certainly, but also to be creative in the opportunities that were here," Collett said.
Nicknamed the Tall City, it actually took a while for it to even get tall.
In fact it took a while for it to even become “Midland."
"It was literally 'Midway' between Fort Worth and El Paso," Collett said. "A few years later, as people wanted to settle here and were ready to have a town, they asked to have a post office. Since there were already several 'Midways' in Texas, they were asked to find another name and they came up with Midland, which actually fits better because in many ways we are the Midland: we are in the middle of the Permian Basin, we’re in the middle of this agricultural area."
And that’s just the beginning of the fascinating history of Midland.
And you have the opportunity to learn all about that history, right at the Midland County History Museum's “Sea of Grass” exhibit, focusing on the timeline of 1880-1920.
"The name, 'Sea of Grass' and this exhibit talks about the early beginnings, the very beginnings of the Midland area, where as the train came in and was established," Collett said.
Believe it or not, the land didn’t have the iconic oil fields and pumpjacks like it does today.
"Ranchers and farmers — first sheep ranchers actually, and then cattle — began moving in and occupying this area," Collett said. "First as open range and then as it was settled up, and then the town of Midland grew up to serve that industry. It became a major shipping point. And so the early years of Midland — all pre-oil — it was all further east, no one really thought there was even any oil out here, where it was really about farming, ranching and the railroad."
If you were born and raised here, maybe one of your ancestors helped carve out early Midland.
They could have been one of the pioneers, they could've been one of the farmers, they might've even been a cowboy.
"We focus on not only the cowboy industry," Collett said. "But also the early days, one of the very first — they didn't call it a rodeo, they called it the 'Cowboy Carnival' — took place. And we even have one of the original awards from the Cowboy Carnival. A really rare artifact."
At the exhibit, you’ll find many historic objects during that time, items your ancestors might’ve used every day.
You’ll also get a peek at some of the major events and artifacts Midland had in the early days, as well as games for the children.
And you still have plenty of time to learn a local history lesson.
"This exhibit will last until we replace it with another exhibit," Collett said. "But being temporary doesn't mean a few weeks. It will probably be here at least a year or two, or perhaps a little longer so people have time to see it."
Plenty of time to learn about the interesting history of a town that today is mostly oil and gas, but started out with ranching and farming.
So dive into the “Sea of Grass” at the Midland County History Museum.
You might learn about the town that once was Midway, and how it became Midland.