For many years adventurers from Spain and France had explored Texas. For about fifty years Spain had tried to civilize and Christianize the Indians in East Texas. Finally the Spanish government had abolished the missions and presidios. During the following fifty years, very little had been done toward colonization in Texas. In 1821, Texas was an almost uninhabited country, with the exception of savage Indians. The Anglo-Americans came and changed it into a great state. The East Texas Timber Region has been the gateway through which most of the settlers came to Texas. The settlers who stopped there did their part in establishing the present state of Texas. The East Texans did their part in helping to win freedom from Mexico so they could lay a foundation for American civilization there.

The purpose of this study was to determine the mental health assets and liabilities of prospective elementary teachers as compared with undergraduates outside the field of education. This investigation sought to determine differences in mental health adjustment between the prospective elementary teachers and undergraduates enrolled in selected divisions of a college other than the Department of Education. Additional attention was given to possible differences in mental health adjustment among the prospective elementary teachers when scholastic attainment, age, marital status, the urban-rural factor, and socio-economic status were considered.

The main body of this thesis is composed of four chapters: Chapter II is concerned with the development of the oil industry in Texas prior to the discovery of Spindletop; Chapter III deals with Spindletop; Chapter IV sets forth the later developments of the oil industry in Southeast Texas or Railroad Commission District No. 3; Chapter V is the concluding chapter, complete with summary, evaluation present status and future possibilities of the oil industry in Southeast Texas.