These collected tales - some taller than others - offer revealing glimpses into how and why West Texans are different. Rugged enough to make the harshest of environments their own, this species thrives in hundred-degree-plus heat and near-zero humidity. Folks like the crop duster who nearly sets his plane down in the bed of a pickup, the 'boll weevil' whose naivete is tested in the oil patch, and Frank the 'Goofy Roofer', who enters a bullfight with nothing more than a denim jacket and a bottle of beer, are far from rare. All these yarns contain a grain of truth, and some of them actually happened just as related. Most of them have a humorous bent; some are reasonably serious; a few are totally outrageous. But all of them illustrate the character of this distinctive region of the Lone Star State. Whether they concern ranchers, farmers, or oilfield hands; weather, work, or play, all reflect the essential nature of West Texans. Weaver's lively anecdotes prove several truths about Texas west of the hundredth meridian: you may learn how not to haul hogs, ride in rodeos, conduct bullfights, or drill oil wells - and you may well meet petroleum promoters, coon hunters, chuck-wagon cooks, cotton farmers, and even college professors - but you won't encounter an uninteresting character where things get hotter than Pecos.

In 1842, French banker Henri Castro secured a colonization grant and recruited more than two thousand Europeans - from France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Hungary, and England - to immigrate to Texas and populate his colony. Bobby D. Weaver describes the empresario system under which this community, now known as Castroville, was formed and considers the life of its founder. He also examines the pioneers' struggles with frontier life - drought, disease, and Indian attacks.

When the first gusher blew in at Spindletop, near Beaumont, Texas, in 1901, petroleum began to supplant cotton and cattle as the economic engine of the state and region. Very soon, much of the workforce migrated from the cotton field to the oilfield, following the lure of the wealth being created by black gold.The early decades of the twentieth century witnessed the development of an oilfield culture, as these workers defined and solidified their position within the region’s social fabric. Over time, the work force grew more professionalized, and technological change attracted a different type of labourer.Bobby D. Weaver grew up and worked in the oil patch. Now, drawing on oral histories supplemented and confirmed by other research, he tells the colourful stories of the workers who actually brought oil wealth to Texas. Drillers, shooters, toolies, pipeliners, teamsters, roustabouts, tank builders, roughnecks . . . each of them played a role in the frenzied, hard-driving lifestyle of the boomtowns that sprouted overnight in association with each major oil discovery.Weaver tracks the differences between company workers and contract workers. He details the work itself and the ethos that surrounds it. He highlights the similarities and differences from one field to another and traces changing aspects of the work over time. Above all, Oilfield Trash captures the unique voices of the labouring people who worked long, hard hours, often risking life and limb to keep the drilling rigs “turning to the right”.

These collected tales - some taller than others - offer revealing glimpses into how and why West Texans are different. Rugged enough to make the harshest of environments their own, this species thrives in hundred-degree-plus heat and near-zero humidity. Folks like the crop duster who nearly sets his plane down in the bed of a pickup, the 'boll weevil' whose naivete is tested in the oil patch, and Frank the 'Goofy Roofer', who enters a bullfight with nothing more than a denim jacket and a bottle of beer, are far from rare. All these yarns contain a grain of truth, and some of them actually happened just as related. Most of them have a humorous bent; some are reasonably serious; a few are totally outrageous. But all of them illustrate the character of this distinctive region of the Lone Star State. Whether they concern ranchers, farmers, or oilfield hands; weather, work, or play, all reflect the essential nature of West Texans. Weaver's lively anecdotes prove several truths about Texas west of the hundredth meridian: you may learn how not to haul hogs, ride in rodeos, conduct bullfights, or drill oil wells - and you may well meet petroleum promoters, coon hunters, chuck-wagon cooks, cotton farmers, and even college professors - but you won't encounter an uninteresting character where things get hotter than Pecos.

In 1842, French banker Henri Castro secured a colonization grant and recruited more than two thousand Europeans - from France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Hungary, and England - to immigrate to Texas and populate his colony. Bobby D. Weaver describes the empresario system under which this community, now known as Castroville, was formed and considers the life of its founder. He also examines the pioneers' struggles with frontier life - drought, disease, and Indian attacks.

When the first gusher blew in at Spindletop, near Beaumont, Texas, in 1901, petroleum began to supplant cotton and cattle as the economic engine of the state and region. Very soon, much of the workforce migrated from the cotton field to the oilfield, following the lure of the wealth being created by black gold.The early decades of the twentieth century witnessed the development of an oilfield culture, as these workers defined and solidified their position within the region’s social fabric. Over time, the work force grew more professionalized, and technological change attracted a different type of labourer.Bobby D. Weaver grew up and worked in the oil patch. Now, drawing on oral histories supplemented and confirmed by other research, he tells the colourful stories of the workers who actually brought oil wealth to Texas. Drillers, shooters, toolies, pipeliners, teamsters, roustabouts, tank builders, roughnecks . . . each of them played a role in the frenzied, hard-driving lifestyle of the boomtowns that sprouted overnight in association with each major oil discovery.Weaver tracks the differences between company workers and contract workers. He details the work itself and the ethos that surrounds it. He highlights the similarities and differences from one field to another and traces changing aspects of the work over time. Above all, Oilfield Trash captures the unique voices of the labouring people who worked long, hard hours, often risking life and limb to keep the drilling rigs “turning to the right”.