Big Spring is Howard County's largest town, built up around both the historic Howard-Glasscock oil field and a refinery that's operated here for decades, and mineral ownership in the area reflects that long industrial history.
Howard County's oil production goes back to the 1920s, and the Howard-Glasscock Field made Big Spring an oil town long before horizontal drilling reached the Midland Basin. That legacy production, plus the presence of a refinery, has kept the local economy tied to oil and gas continuously for a century, which shows up in how thoroughly this county's mineral ownership has been leased, produced, and passed down.
Big Spring's identity as both an oil town and a refining town has meant generations of local families worked directly in the industry, which sometimes gives residents here a sharper instinct for reading a royalty statement than owners in areas where oil and gas stayed more abstract.
An Oil Town With a Refinery
Big Spring isn't only a drilling town, it's also home to a refinery that's processed regional crude for decades, which makes the town's economic identity unusually tied to oil and gas even by Permian Basin standards.
Legacy Field Production Meets Horizontal Development
The old Howard-Glasscock Field's vertical wells still dot the county, while more recent horizontal Wolfcamp and Spraberry units have been drilled across many of the same sections. A tract's value depends on where it sits relative to both.
Howard County Title Records
The Howard County Clerk's office holds decades of deed and lease history for Big Spring-area tracts. We confirm current ownership there before valuing anything.
Legacy Field Interests Versus New Unit Interests
A Howard-Glasscock Field legacy interest, tied to old vertical wells, is valued differently than a newer horizontal unit interest, since production rates, decline patterns, and remaining reserves differ substantially between the two. We identify which category, or both, your Big Spring-area tract falls into before valuing it.
Place the county tract on the basin board
The local file should tie the county record and legal description to the relevant basin, formation, field, unit, wells, permits, and operator position. A surface address can help find the tract, but it does not establish the mineral interest or prove participation in nearby development.
Read the local well vintages
Producing wells, shut-in wells, intermittent wells, newer laterals, older vertical wells, nearby completions, and general operator acreage in the surrounding area belong in separate evidence lanes. The paid property history carries more weight than a rig or permit that does not include the subject acreage.
Reconcile the ownership line
Deeds, reservations, leases, assignments, probate or trust records, division orders, unit documents, payor records, and statements should all point to the same local interest. Acreage, fractions, burdens, depths, products, and the paid decimal stay open until the supporting records agree.
Compare the deed and closing terms
A written offer for the tract should state the exact interest conveyed, effective date, receivables, reservations, title standard, curative responsibility, adjustment rights, payment conditions, and recording sequence. A strong headline number can still carry a broad deed or a weak closing condition.
Texas Owner Questions
Is Big Spring still an active drilling area?
Yes, both legacy vertical production and modern horizontal units remain active across Howard County.
Does the refinery in Big Spring affect your mineral rights?
No, the refinery processes crude but doesn't own the mineral rights to surrounding land unless specifically stated in your deed.
How far back does Howard County's oil history go?
Production dates back to the 1920s in the Howard-Glasscock Field, giving many tracts a long, documented leasing history.
Is your old Howard-Glasscock Field interest worth less than a newer horizontal unit interest?
Not necessarily less, just different. Legacy field interests are valued against their own long production history rather than compared directly to newer horizontal units.
Does the refinery in Big Spring buy minerals directly from local owners?
No, refineries process crude but don't typically purchase mineral rights; that's a separate transaction between an owner and a mineral buyer.
