LAUSR

ABSTRACT Coal mines, factories, and many other forms of industrial heritage have been well documented in terms of tourist motivations, economic impacts, and community attitudes, but little attention has been given to tourism associated with oil and natural gas, among the world’s most significant and controversial natural resources. Texas is arguably the US state most widely associated with the resource, economically, politically, and culturally. As the site of several historic oil booms, extensive onshore and offshore oilfields, and important contemporary oil and natural gas hubs, Texas has a strong associated heritage dating back over 100 years. This article is a discussion of the major discourses found in the interpretative material and site design at nine prominent oil and natural gas tourism sites in Texas. Major interpretive themes found across five or more of the tourism sites are analyzed in terms of similarities and differences in how they represent the heritage and influences of oil and natural gas. Discourses identified at the tourism sites include: an emphasis on boomtowns and the contemporary industry, a focus on wildcatters and influential oilmen, the science and technology of production, positive impacts of oil and natural gas, essential oil and natural gas products, and industry recruitment.