Choctaw County

First Oil Well In Alabama

  On January 2, 1944, the State of Alabama granted Hunt Oil Company a permit to drill the A.R. Jackson Well No. 1 at this location near Gilbertown. Hunt Oil Company was owned by the famous oil man, H.L. Hunt of Dallas, Texas. Drilling commenced on January 10, 1944, and was completed approximately one month later. The well struck oil at a depth of 2,580 feet in fractured Selma chalk. The discovery of this well led to the creation of the State Oil and Gas Board of Alabama in 1945, and to the development and growth of the petroleum industry in the State.

• Newspapers on microfilm at ADAH
• Probate records on microfilm at ADAH
• Vital records on microfilm at ADAH
• County historical and genealogical societies
• Current county highway map from Department of Geography, The University of Alabama