Ebook359 pages5 hours
Indians, Cattle, Ships, and Oil: The Story of W. M. D. Lee
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
()
About this ebook
Indian trader, rancher, harbor developer, oil impresario—these are the many worlds of one of the least chronicled but most fascinating characters of the American West. In the early, bustling years of the frontier, a brazen young man named William McDole Lee moved from Wisconsin to Kansas and then to Texas to forge a life for himself. Becoming a driving entrepreneurial force in Texas's development, Lee soon garnered the alliances and resources necessary to shape the financial destinies of disparate groups throughout the state. His story is expertly told in Donald F. Schofield's Indians, Cattle, Ships, and Oil. Beginning in 1869 as a trader to the southern Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes and fort provisioner to troops garrisoned at Camp Supply, Indian Territory, Lee gained a partner and amassed a fortune in short order from trading buffalo hides and robes. Vast herds of buffalo grazing on the southern plains were killed largely on his order. When buffalo were no longer a profitable commodity, Lee tackled his next challenge—the cattle trade. He began with herds branded LR that grazed on pastures near Fort Supply. Then came his LE herd in the Texas Panhandle. Another partnership, with noted cattle rancher Lucien Scott, resulted in the vast LS ranch, one of the most successful operations of its day. Lee even introduced a new breed of cattle, the Aberdeen-Angus, to the western range. But as his partnership faded, Lee moved on to his next undertaking—the development of Texas' first deep-water harbor. In 1888, Lee and other financiers put up one million dollars to finance a dream: opening international trade from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the mainland at the mouth of the Brazos River. Their Brazos River Channel and Dock Company was to construct, own, and operate a deep-water harbor at Velasco, with a railroad link to Houston. Though threats of financial disaster loomed large, the Velasco facility was to welcome, in its day, tugs, barges, and three-masted schooners and to provide impetus for Houston's boom. Yet with success, the mercurial Lee turned to yet another challenge—oil. Starting still another partnership, Lee committed himself to prospecting for oil on the West Columbia Ridge in Brazoria County. Lee and crew struck oil in 1907, developing one of the first producing wells of Brazoria County, but inadequate drilling equipment hampered further fruitful exploration. Lee moved his rigs to the famed Spindletop, where he perfected the technique of shallow drilling. Though spectacular success in the oil business eluded him, Lee's accomplishments set him squarely among the great entrepreneurs of the Texas oil industry. Lee's exploits led him to roles in some of the most dramatic moments in Texas and the West—Indian uprisings, buffalo hunts, political scandals, cowboy strikes and shoot-outs, railroad promotions, oil-well blow-outs and gushers. The people he encountered are the famous and infamous of western history: Cheyenne Chief Little Robe and the outlaw "Hurricane Bill" Martin; Indian Agent John D. Miles and Major General John Pope; outlaws Tom Harris and William Bonney, and Sheriff Pat Garrett. Altogether, Lee's biography vividly shows one man's manipulation of people and events during the settlement of the American frontier.
Related to Indians, Cattle, Ships, and Oil
Related ebooks
Indians, Cattle, Ships, and Oil: The Story of W. M. D. Lee Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lapeer Area Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGrowing Up in the 1850s: The Journal of Agnes Lee Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Northfield Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPlum Borough Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStephens City Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDelta County Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShelby County Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSouthlake Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWilliam F. Tolmie at Fort Nisqually: Letters, 1850-1853 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBig Spring Revisited Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPoestenkill Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Yorkville Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom Mansions to Suburbia the Massapequas 1945–1985 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHidden History of Plano Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBanking on Cattle: Texas Settlers Growing with the West Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDowners Grove Revisited Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGhosts of Houston's Market Square Park Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Family Tree Toolkit: A Comprehensive Guide to Uncovering Your Ancestry and Researching Genealogy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5St. Charles: An Album from the Collection of the St. Charles Heritage Center Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSebasticook Valley Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCalling This Place Home: Women on the Wisconsin Frontier, 1850-1925 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Isaac Shelby and the Big Blue Whale: Being the True Story of Jeremiah's Cove and the Untimely Demise of Its Only Resident Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRebel Journey: A Texas Civil War Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRussell County Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lancaster Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBuffalo Bill and the Overland Trail Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWillows Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom Slavery to Agrarian Capitalism in the Cotton Plantation South: Central Georgia, 1800-1880 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Business Biographies For You
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, 3rd Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?: How Reginald Lewis Created a Billion-Dollar Business Empire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sex Cult Nun: Breaking Away from the Children of God, a Wild, Radical Religious Cult Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hidden Genius: The secret ways of thinking that power the world’s most successful people Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Elon Musk Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Same as Ever: Timeless Lessons on Risk, Opportunity and Living a Good Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Uncanny Valley: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Confessions of a Bookseller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mortuary Confidential: Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Claim Your Confidence: Unlock Your Superpower and Create the Life You Want Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All the Way Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bitcoin Billionaires: A True Story of Genius, Betrayal, and Redemption Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Authentic: A Memoir by the Founder of Vans Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Marathon Don't Stop: The Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Hypomanic Edge: The Link Between (A Little) Craziness and (A Lot of) Success in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Kochland: The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Power of Conflict Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School (Review and Analysis of McCormack's Book) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crazy Rich: Power, Scandal, and Tragedy Inside the Johnson & Johnson Dynasty Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Education of a Value Investor: My Transformative Quest for Wealth, Wisdom, and Enlightenment Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5American Rascal: How Jay Gould Built Wall Street's Biggest Fortune Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Indians, Cattle, Ships, and Oil
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Indians, Cattle, Ships, and Oil - Donald F. Schofield
Ud book_preview_excerpt.html }ےǑڬhVB$.C7n6&CTUTU2yBf_mM3S%{qȬ&Gf2Όov~mSEq,,?{xEͯo~]y^UnˮCE`],E,mb6[̦}^ݦe1E}C)?]sœcG]<(N0E88
ޘXcXLe^rޅLCn&Kel;_U_6Cv/MUWWųOowwŇ=}?z]ISZlUx*S;?w^2ݬR* rzY4eu%E
ֵ؝/a;?_@#F2lMw 1DlO?;xp^<nc7y+fk~S\ny0UM{_/['qU|y1ԋMQ Bȫ_y
ݢ)~οˡ7e3չ!Lyqd?+{vH2XKVė\Ճc_sO=<|_&s]qgܻQ=qM %=6ShR,*8mAj>xTv>tBH
D<qiu"&Vh.sshgMs[9<>rq]7*.[p#Wl?]je
0^C]1ʃqW(pU6-v)*T=^ʪY֣ӠqKNuU!v#o/?\FRڬOq_Ɩx] Ӷ%LzїY)1ݱ^<~|FsoOG{p{ӟ5(+#3ZKok*^ҢLY~цU<81wWE3Uhg+wɯ`uxnwUzͳzR0Y#Ʃ#}]<=+R}Vo
|zgq};LK Uq,CuXsxzZ@ ?+rir ϱb,4Ç(V 1aM]PƉQwz:#W>SNE]ho nϋQo~P9~7% _6k6҂v\rW`IGN-g{(qyn̔C.[$ņ00K
&O9r4
1(*lmC[.7жa3N
C]1R)BƼ7aq"?TM{4o{UOp,
{H]9NRC`Gs9NB$m睲0H3Eio;tm
[Zu#bnPî6QֶqwPs @L+lv6k(ۢj{)`Vf9$PYz% c7?laID#M|g&Qf+v@km2
h*XG-s{?jFڍCÔy/-twŌPd5@E߰lv]۴;5;ÎWkDEju!7:
ݰX@jq&itb v|/-̫Ñr&4-c\sW [
3,
ŔemSjBk@xHVӹqL{<]]=UXUN!W(#aٹ~t`bJ1n<@ٓϋfX|Yv~ߔ6Ljpnnح/;e8@cQt
?s=1_ٷ_ƳZv|=ИfRaK8ud6iXtxYV܅@e
(vA1*^
&"D1)Ǿ+\#蝋F
ni/-WD
CÓnN6A;/>l(G7iB~h7C&u]B\
UKZSHKt݁0ѡAoF4XLCJ/U;,pP7%6lvOB?/]NPu oyՍ(*Z.xHii wSnrB,T}};ȹ/,ʟ#
gfFOy(.fWYP38Bw
u]~Z/ [KnL30NfpRyy.frDla{nv}WMSI!vJlPe@ݢ52D]
6&}(cPWC ܂7C^Q:pFr+,&U! J~7YBYgOc