Historical Annual Production on Microfilm
User Guide
Learn more about the Microfilm Images
Prior to 1993, oil and gas production information submitted to the RRC by operators was collected and collated by the RRC then recorded on paper records.
These paper records became known as Annual Production Records, which recorded the amount of production produced by a lease for each month of a particular year.
Annual Production Records have been imaged onto microfilm, and the actual paper records themselves no longer exist. The microfilm is the official record.
A typical roll of microfilm containing the Annual Production Records will contain on average 1500 individual images. Some rolls of microfilm contain more, and some contain fewer. Each image on the microfilm is one paper page of the Annual Production Record.
The earliest recorded Oil production contained in these records is from 1931. The earliest recorded gas production contained in these records is from 1933. These annual production records continue through 1992. (Beginning in 1993, production records can be found online.)
Guide to Microfilm
When using the Microfilm to find production for a certain lease and year, index books indicate the roll of microfilm in which the production for a certain lease and year can be found.
There are two index books, one for Oil Production, and one for Gas Production. Each index book is divided into districts, and within each district, there is a listing of years. The following image shows a page from the Oil Production index book, within the section of the book for District 3.
Within each District section, there is a chronological listing of years, beginning with the earliest year of production records for that district.
The column to the right of the year column will indicate if all of a district’s production for that year is located on a single roll of film, or on multiple rolls.
Using the first entry as an example, the middle column indicates that all production for 1934-1935 is located on a single roll of film, indicated as “Complete”. In this case, the roll number is PL-221.
In 1939, the production for that year in District 3 is contained within two rolls of film. Production from fields at the beginning of the alphabetized list (“Beginning”), through Mykawa, new are found on roll PL-215. Production in fields named Nome, through the end of the alphabetized list (“Complete”) are on roll PL-216.
Searching Film Rolls
To locate the production of a lease for a particular year, the index books will need to be consulted in order to locate the roll number where the production can be found.
The Oil and Gas index ledgers can be downloaded as a .csv file below (each district has its own sheet tab at the bottom):
- GL - all districts (Gas)
- PL - all districts (Oil)
After locating the roll number, the corresponding production records can be viewed by entering the film roll number at this link: Images of Historical Production found on Microfilm
The ledgers have also been combined and converted into a sortable table which can be accessed here:
Table of Oil and Gas Production Index Entries
Each microfilm roll has been imaged, and the digital images are available to view exactly as they are found on the actual microfilm rolls.
This means that if microfilm roll PL-220 has 1474 images, there will be a corresponding .pdf on that roll with 1474 pages of Production Records available to view. When scrolling through the pages on a roll, they are organized in order by:
- Year
- District
- Alphabetically by field name
- Alphabetically by lease name
Further notes on the organizational hierarchy of images found on the rolls of microfilm
Because the .pdf images are exact replicas of the images as they are stored on the microfilm, the misfiling, exceptions, and deviations from the general origination hierarchy, which are found on the microfilm, will also be found on the .pdf images.
Some notable exceptions to the general origination hierarchy above are:
- Production for the East Texas Field prior to 1964 has been imaged by, and found through the Longview Public Library:
- For all districts, the film for the years 1956-1963 Machine Post, the organization proceeds “District, Field, Lease Number, Year”
- District 7B production for the years 1934 – 1957 is organized first alphabetically by County name, then alphabetically by Field name.
- District 9 production for the years 1934 – 1958 is organized first alphabetically by County name, then alphabetically by Field name.
- District 8A was part of District 8 prior to 1965. All District 8A production prior to 1965 will be found in under District 8.
- District 10 fields for the years 1947 -1957 are out of order. They are ordered: Panhandle Carson, Moore, Wheeler, Gray, and Hutchinson.
The above is not a complete listing. Other misfiling may be encountered.
Other Items of Note that users may need to be aware of when browsing the microfilm images of historical Annual Production:
- RRC ID numbers, or lease numbers, did not come into existence, and were not used until the mid 1950’s. Users will find that they appear sooner on some records than on others.
- All Oil Production Rolls begin with PL
- All Gas Production Rolls begin with GL
Please e-mail records@rrc.texas.gov with any questions.
