The History of the Louisiana Gulf Coast Oil Exhibit (LAGCOE): One of the Largest Oil and Gas Expositions in the Nation

These days, not many people remember that the genesis of the idea for the first Louisiana Gulf Coast Oil Exposition (LAGCOE) in 1955 was the result of brainstorming by Oil Center Petroleum Club members in Lafayette who wanted to find a creative way to promote their burgeoning oil and gas industry here in south Louisiana.

The Petroleum Club was a popular lounge, bar, banquet hall and recreation room for oil business employees whose companies were moving their offices away from downtown Lafayette into a new, larger oil and gas business district known as the Oil Center created in 1952 by local entrepreneur, philanthropist and civic leader, Maurice Heymann.

What initially brought the oil industry to Cajun country and the Lafayette area were two major discoveries of oil. The first discovery was made by Superior Oil at Bosco, in Acadia Parish, near Mire, La. in 1932. And in 1947, Kerr-McGee made a major oil discovery offshore by building the first offshore drilling operation in history. Soon after Kerr-McGee's discovery the Hub City would see a steady increase in Texas oil companies moving offices to downtown Lafayette.

By the early 1950's Lafayette was considered by Texas oil companies to be the optimal location to set up a base of operations close to south Louisiana oil fields. The Hub City provided easy access to coastal areas, railroad traffic, ample waterways, and a good system of roads and highways. Plus, Lafayette was a large city with an abundant amount of entertainment and residents who were more accepting of outsiders and rapid change, unlike the more provincial smaller towns that surrounded the Hub City.