Truth Resources, L.P.

🚂Texas Trivia Time

Did you know, the agency that regulates most of Texas oil and gas production is called the Railroad Commission of Texas?

The catch...

It hasn't regulated a single railroad since 2005.

The last railroad-related responsibility was transferred to TxDOT over 20 years ago, but the name stuck.

Today, the Railroad Commission oversees:
🛢️ Oil & Gas Production
⛽ Pipelines
🔥 Natural Gas Utilities
⛏️ Surface Mining

Yet somehow... it's still called the Railroad Commission.

Maybe it's the most Texas thing ever:
"We know what it does. No need to change the sign." 🤠

A little fascinating oil tycoon history. Interestingly enough, we had a customer who had a habit of giving out half dollar coins when he came around. He’s since passed, but I wonder if he was channeling some tycoon legend energy. 🤔 Some of the greatest characters and personalities are drawn to this oil world.

A flamboyant Texas oil heir turned Houston into his personal playground of money, chaos, and silver dollars, blurring the line between legend and real life
James Marion West Jr.—better known as “Silver Dollar Jim West”—was one of the most eccentric and memorable figures in the Texas oil boom era. Born into immense wealth as the son of a major oil fortune, he inherited a vast estate that grew even larger over time, placing him among Houston’s richest and most unpredictable personalities.
West lived in Houston’s elite River Oaks neighborhood but behaved nothing like the restrained social class around him. He dressed in bold cowboy-style clothing, wore oversized belt buckles, carried a pistol, and famously stuffed silver dollars into custom-made pockets so he could toss them freely throughout the day. This habit of scattering coins at doormen, strangers, reporters, and even protestors gave him his “Silver Dollar” nickname and made him a walking spectacle in downtown Houston.
His lifestyle was built on excess and control, extending far beyond money. West owned airplanes, ranches, dozens of cars, and even built his own infrastructure when public systems frustrated him. When he disliked utility bills, he created his own electricity and water supply. When city regulations blocked him, he engineered mechanical workarounds on his property, turning legal restrictions into personal engineering projects.
One of his most unusual passions was his obsession with law enforcement. He spent nights riding along with police, monitoring radio calls, and arriving at crime scenes in his own vehicles—often before official officers. He treated policing almost like a personal hobby, equipping his cars with radios, weapons, and communication systems, and maintaining extensive surveillance-style setups at home.
Despite his wealth and generosity toward police departments, his behavior was controversial and sometimes dangerous. Incidents involving weapons, accidents, and confrontations drew public criticism, even as law enforcement officials often welcomed his support. Over time, media portrayals of him shifted between admiration, amusement, and concern, cementing his image as both a benefactor and a liability.
James Marion West Jr.’s legacy reflects the extremes of Texas oil wealth in the mid-20th century—where immense fortune, personal freedom, and eccentric personality combined to create figures who seemed larger than life. He remains a symbol of an era when money could shape not just lifestyle, but reality itself, often in unpredictable and unforgettable ways.