November 20, 1980

Posted on November 20, 2019 by Joel Byers

On November 20, 1980, on Jefferson Island in the middle of Lake Pigneur, Louisiana, Texaco oil company had one of the biggest ‘oh shit’ moments in history. One of their oil rigs unknowingly pierced the top of the salt dome under the island looking for oil. That little prick started a chain reaction that quickly drained the freshwater lake by creating an apocalyptic whirlpool that sucked down everything it could grab, including the oil rig that started the trouble, eleven barges, a tugboat and 65 acres of forest. But all 30 people on the oil rig escaped with their lives. Also, Lake Pigneur went from a 10 foot deep freshwater lake to a 1,300 foot deep saltwater lake. Don’t you wish you could have been there when the men from that oil rig called their supervisor at Texaco and had to explain what happened?

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About Joel Byers

Born in North Georgia and educated at some very fine public institutions. Real education started after graduating from college and then getting married and raising two boys. Has the ability to see the funny and absurd in most things and will always remark on it, even if it means getting the stink-eye from his victims.
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