Established by the legislature in 1891, the Railroad Commission of Texas originally managed the rates and operations of intrastate railroads, express companies, wharves, and terminals. By 1917, the agency also oversaw the transportation of petroleum pipelines and obtained jurisdiction over gas utilities three years later. During the 1930s, it became involved in political and economic issues, such as prorating the amount of oil wells could generate, thus conserving resources and managing the price of oil. Because of its role in petroleum production, the commission wielded a great deal of influence in both national and international industries until the decline of the Texas oil enterprise in the 1970s. Nonetheless, it still oversees a variety of operations that supervise and examine oil and gas production, while also regulating surface mining, among other activities.
Sources:
Prindle, David F.
Comprising reports, the Texas Railroad Commission Records, 1903, 1935, document the agency’s plans for development. An excerpt from a 1903 report discusses reducing passenger rates for merchants’ conventions in response to petitions filed by various merchant organizations, while four copies of a 1935 report concern the extension of the railways and the creation of different track lines throughout Texas. Additionally, another 1935 report pertains to the Fort Smith and Western Railway Company’s finances.
This collection is open for research use.
Texas Railroad Commission Records, 1903, 1935, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s