W. P. Norton Wildcat Oil Payroll Strongbox — Duval County

Three wildcatters drilling on the W. P. Norton property just southwest of the Freer townsite struck one of the nation's largest oil reserves in 1928. William Patton Norton was among the earliest Rosita Valley settlers; the discovery well set off a boom that briefly made Freer the nation's second-largest oilfield. The Heller-Suttle Number One well in spring 1932 set off a second, even bigger boom after the East Texas oilfield and Depression slowed the first rush. Wildcat payrolls moved in cash before banks arrived — a standard South Texas treasure-tale setting. Coordinates mark the Norton wildcat area southwest of Freer in Duval County.