A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BUCHANAN RANCH
Founded in 1904 by a true West Texas pioneer, O. P. Buchanan, the Buchanan Ranch covers 7,000 acres of prime energy and ranch land. O. P. Buchanan came to West Texas in the late 1800’s, when the Comanche and the famous Buffalo Soldiers shared the land. In the early days, cattle and cotton were the staples of West Texas life. The Midland area remained essentially the same until a metamorphosis occurred when the first well was drilled on the Buchanan Ranch and oil was discovered in the Permian Basin.
From that time, oil and gas production became the focus and the largest contributor to the local economy. Gradually, pipelines were built, crude oil terminals and tank farms sprang up on the Buchanan Ranch, and in recent years, horizontal drilling activity became prevalent in the vicinity of the Buchanan Ranch.
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Today, the ranch is still run by descendants of O. P. Buchanan which includes the Lee Family. The Lee family office, located in Manchaca, Texas, is known as “Dirt & Derricks, LTD” which oversees and manages a number of energy industry-related businesses such as the production of freshwater for fracking operations, an energy waste disposal facility, oil drilling operations, a rock quarry, and numerous pipelines.
As a natural addition to their ranch operations, the Lees turned their present focus to local production of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel and other products via the building of the Buchanan Refining Unit #1.
We invite you to view our facilities including our historical marker for the first oil well drilled in the Permian and to join us for a visit while we share some of our more colorful stories about Midland’s history which include bank robbers, bootleggers, speakeasy owners and an arsonist and that is just within the family. The Buchanan Ranch has seen it all while making Midland’s history since 1904.