When the first gusher blew in at Spindletop, near Beaumont, Texas, in 1901, petroleum began to supplant cotton and cattle as the economic engine of the state and region. Very soon, much of the workforce migrated from the cotton field to the oilfield, following the lure of the wealth being created by black gold. The early decades of the twentieth century witnessed the development of an oilfield culture, as these workers defined and solidified their position within the region's social fabric. Over time, the work force grew more professionalized, and technological change attracted a different type of labourer. Bobby D. Weaver grew up and worked in the oil patch. Now, drawing on oral histories supplemented and confirmed by other research, he tells the colourful stories of the workers who actually brought oil wealth to Texas. Drillers, shooters, toolies, pipeliners, teamsters, roustabouts, tank builders, roughnecks . . . each of them played a role in the frenzied, hard-driving lifestyle of the boomtowns that sprouted overnight in association with each major oil discovery. Weaver tracks the differences between company workers and contract workers. He details the work itself and the ethos that surrounds it. He highlights the similarities and differences from one field to another and traces changing aspects of the work over time. Above all, Oilfield Trash captures the unique voices of the labouring people who worked long, hard hours, often risking life and limb to keep the drilling rigs "turning to the right".

In 1842 French banker Henri Castro secured a colonization grant and recruited more than two thousand Europeans--from France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Hungary, and England--to immigrate to Texas and populate his colony. Here, Bobby D. Weaver describes the impresario system under which this community, now known as Castroville, was formed and considers the life of its founder. He also examines the pioneers' struggles with frontier life--drought, disease, and Indian attacks. Bobby D. Weaver, who received his Ph.D. from Texas Tech University, is the author or editor of several books and other contributions to Texas history.