The Boom-and-Bust Meter
Drag the year slider. Watch the needle swing between BUST and BOOM. Tap any marked point on a line for its story.
STEADY
The needle averages Cattle, Cotton, and Oil together — the whole state's mood in one number.
Welcome to the Boom-and-Bust Meter
Every economy has moods. A boom is when an industry grows fast — money pours in, everybody’s hiring, towns spring up overnight. A bust is when it crashes — prices fall, jobs vanish, and the money dries up. Texas has felt both, over and over.
In this app, you’ll meet the three industries that drove Texas for nearly 140 years: Cattle, Cotton, and Oil. Drag the timeline from 1866 to 2005 and watch the needle swing. Tap the marked points to open the story behind each big swing.
One honest note before you start: busts were never just numbers on a gauge. They meant real families losing income, ranches, and farms. But Texans kept adapting — and that’s the real story here. Grab the slider and see for yourself.