RIG UP 80 AND BOOM DAZE If you lived in Big Spring in the late 1970s and early 1980s, you were part of a glorious and rollicking time that saw a rising promise for the town, but would fall to earth. The time frame saw welders wearing Rolex watches, street packed with new trucks and cars, many buying into interests of oil/gas wells, a lot of jewelry, and overnight money thrown into outrageous and sparkling endeavors. For most, there was the normal and good things, but on all levels of the food chain, reasoning was often overridden with the swoon of a lottery fever. A substantial portion of the 1980s version of booming Big Spring was enjoying the now bigger partying, large entourages of travel to exotic places and Las Vegas, and conversation of who did the bigger and crazier things. Excalibur cars, more airplanes, a celebration of the railroad coming to Howard County in 1882, more personal home decorators, unbelievable orders for parties, a bigger night life, increased drug use, larger politics, big poker games, a lot of gun sales, fancier offices, looser morals, bigger bragging rights, and people making over the top business deals came on the scene. The boom daze seemed to bedazzled the dynamics of Big Spring. It was a combination of the 1970s hippie-dippy culture, a shifting tide from the Carter years, and money over brains dovetailing into once again re-visiting that quirky slice of West Texas. A money-fed swagger with no Boy Scout mentality of Be Prepared if you may. In 1980, with the drilling boom rising like full blast in a hot air balloon, Charles S. Christopher and others from Synergistic Technology blew into Big Spring with sights on building the worlds largest drilling rig equipment company. With promise and intentions of grandeur, and done with massive spending to just be right, O.I.L. and Christopher aimed at completing six rigs with 350 employees and contract labor by the end of 1980. In the midst of this flurry, and the need to stroke customers, boost sales, and raise money, O.I.L. and Christophers salesmanship personality had to have a party. And a big one it would be. On November 15, 1980, RIG UP 80 was attended by some 3,500 people with a few whales and other potential catches who could invest in O.I.Ls new money making machines. Seven 727 jets were charted and brought industry people from Oklahoma City, Dallas, and Houston. Well known county and western performer, Johnny Duncan, the Houston Oiler Cheerleaders, and the premier guest of all, Farrah Fawcett of Charlies Angels highlighted the party. Over 10,000 lbs. of shrimp, 5,000 lbs. of barbeque, and 3,000 lbs. of ham were served up by the future Big Springs 1st Chamber of Commerce Industrialist of the Year. RIG IP 80 s promoter and high-flyer would rival S.E.J. Coxs grand party of 1920, and with similar results. By early 1981, Christopher was having what he emphatically called cash flow problems. The long hangover from the party style of business was in play as venders were not getting paid, credit started drying up, and employee unrest set in. Christopher arrogantly called the venders who sued him as near sighted. Within months, Christopher quickly sold and made deals with the KIDDE Corporation and took credit for guiding the company to a better deal---and even remained at the helm. With new funding and fast-paced shuffling, O.I.L. had over 600 people working by the fall of 1981 and projections of 100,000 million in sales for 1981 and 200 million in sales for 1982---and plans for a RIG UP 82. But the bloom would soon fall off the rose in coming months. Christophers O.I.L. motto from the Ground to the Crown was soon reversed as the oil play would cycle out and the horizons of fortune disappeared as quickly as they appeared. With legal troubles, loss of credibility, diving oil prices, and eventually criminal consequences, Christophers view from the house overlooking Big Spring from South Mountain would change. At least Chris Christopher and Oilfield Industrial Lines wrote some Big Spring history and that Gatsby party so many remember. As Mr. Steinbeck would say, The plans of mice and men. JAMJ
Posted on: Thu, 01 May 2014 15:39:03 +0000
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