Skip to Content
Texian Trail Get the App

Million Barrel Tank

A project of the Shell Oil Company, the construction of this oil storage tank in 1928 was the result of an oil boom in the area. Built to accommodate crude oil until it could be shipped to refineries, the tank was constructed by crews working on a 24-hour schedule using hand operated and horse-drawn equipment. Covering eight acres of land, the tank was able to hold over one million barrels of oil. It was filled to capacity only once. Efforts to convert it into a water-filled recreation center in the 1950s were unsuccessful, and it became a museum in 1986.

31.5943° N, 102.8777° W

Where to Find It

At the Million Barrel Museum, on US 80 at Eastern Edge of Monahans

Nearby Markers

All 14 markers in Ward County

Topics