On September 3, 1918, oil was discovered in Desdemonia. Stephenville and Dublin competed to see who could tap into this new source of business by attracting the railway through their towns. Dublin won the economic boost by convincing Jake Hammon to build the line through there in exchange for a $125, 000 gift and free right-of-way.
M.L. Auten. A History of Erath County. Unpublished master’s thesis, Hardin-Simmons University, August, 1951, in the Texas Tech Southwest Collection.
Desdemona – not Desdemonia
In September 1918, the Joe Duke discovery well created an oil boom that saw Desdemona covered with a sea of oil rigs. The Desdemona field was drilled by numerous small operators. Crowded conditions led to increased lawlessness and by 1920, the Texas Rangers had to intervene to reestablish order.