Arkansas Historical Quarterly, Spring 2001:

"On May 14, 1922, just south of Smackover, the "Murphy 1" oil well blew in with a roar of epic proportions The well's drill bit struck the apex of the Norphlet Dome, a geologic structure that housed mammoth amounts of natural gas. Almost instantly, gas was released toward the surface of the earth, at an astonishing rate of 65 million cubic feet per day, destroying an eighty-four foot derrick, trees, and anything else in its path. Red-hot sand blew up to 7,000 feet into the air and eventually covered the ground as far as ten miles away. A vast crater measuring about 450 feet across and 70 feet deep formed. It burned for months afterwards, spurting gas at different intervals and sending flames over thirty feet into the air."