The final stop on the Gregg County Windshield Tour takes you back south along Highway 42, where the landscape opens up and the Sabine River glimmers between the pines. From White Oak, travel east on Highway 80 toward Longview, then turn south on Highway 42 toward I-20 and Kilgore.
As you cross the Highway 42 bridge, look to both sides of the river. This is one of the most photographed views in East Texas, with oil derricks rising along the banks of the Sabine River. These tall metal structures once formed the backbone of the East Texas Oil Field and marked the height of a transformative era. During the 1930s and 1940s, this area was alive with the sounds of engines, pumps, and heavy equipment, while the riverbanks filled with workers drawn by the promise of opportunity.
Today, many of the derricks stand silent, their outlines rising against the sky as reminders of ambition and industry. Though no longer active, they have become lasting symbols of East Texas, appearing in photographs, paintings, and documentaries. Seeing them now, calm and still, offers a powerful contrast to the intense activity that once turned this quiet stretch of river into a cornerstone of global energy production.