Miles Franklin “Frank” Yount (1880-1933) moved to Texas at age 15 to work in the oil fields. He formed what became the Yount-Lee Oil Company in 1913, securing mineral rights near Spindletop. While many believed the field dry after years of overproduction, Yount looked for deposits at deeper depths on the flanks of the dome. His McFaddin No. 3 well struck oil in 1925, launching a second Spindletop boom. Yount became known as the “Godfather of Beaumont,” investing in building projects and saving the city from financial ruin during the early years of the Great Depression through an $82,000 loan to cover payroll demands. Two years after Yount’s death, Stanolind Oil purchased Yount-Lee for over $41 million—the third-largest cash transaction in US history at the time.
With several films focusing on Mildred Yount Manion, the only child of Frank and Pansy Yount, the family’s home movies examine intergenerational oil wealth.
