| Marker Text |
Covering 135,000 acres and holding more than 3,000 wells, the KMA Oilfield has impacted the north Texas area since the early twentieth century. In January 1919, four local businessmen, Joseph A. Kemp (1861-1930), S.I. Munger (1855-1921), H.M. Munger (1854-1923) and Reece S. Allen (1874-1946), joined together to form the Kemp-Munger-Allen Oil Company and bought a plot of land in southwestern Wichita County. From its inception, the KMA Oilfield continuously produced oil from depths of 75 to 4,300 feet and almost all major oil companies profited from the operation. KMA's first oil well began flowing in October 1919 and by August 1921, the oilfield produced 7,200 barrels of oil per day. However, with production declining and the appearance of saltwater, investors had to find alternate methods for oil acquisition. Deep Oil Company's 1931 discovery of the 3800-ft. oil zone led to the 1937 Kadane-Mangold 2000-barrel-per-day gusher and the 1942 Ellenberger 4300-ft. oil zone. Pressurized gas and saltwater injection advances in the 1940s and 1950s ensured continued oil recovery in the KMA field. Over the years, the success of the KMA Oilfield led to the boom of the old town of Kemp City. As the town expanded in size, residents called for a post office. Because Kemp, Texas, already existed to the southeast and KMA was not accepted as a word, the postmaster added an "a" and a "y" to KMA to designate the town as Kamay, naming the town after the oilfield that spurred the region's initial boom. (2018) |
