Asa Phillip “Ace” Borger – Father of a Wicked City
Asa Phillip "Ace" Borger, a name synonymous with ambition, enterprise, and a touch of notoriety, stands as a pivotal figure in the history of the American Southwest. More than just a land developer, he was a catalyst, a force that shaped boomtowns from the raw earth, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape and the lives of those who flocked to them. This is the story of Asa Phillip “Ace” Borger, the man behind the city that bore his name, a city that quickly earned a reputation as one of the most untamed and "wicked" in Texas.
Born on April 12, 1888, on a family farm near Carthage, Missouri, Asa Phillip “Ace” Borger‘s early life was marked by both rural simplicity and unexpected hardship. His parents, Phillip and Minnie Ann West Borger, instilled in him the values of hard work and perseverance, qualities that would later define his career. Tragedy struck early when his father passed away when Ace was only six years old. He attended school in Carthage and went on to attend business college. Showing an aptitude for business from a young age, he pursued his education with a focus on practical skills. In 1907, he married Elizabeth Willoughby, a local woman from Sarcoxie, Missouri, and the couple began their life together in a rented farmhouse near Carthage. Their family would eventually grow to include three children, providing Borger with a strong foundation and a motivation to succeed.
Borger’s initial foray into the business world involved opening a lumber yard in Carthage. However, his entrepreneurial spirit soon led him to seek opportunities beyond the familiar confines of his hometown. By 1915, he and his younger brother, Lester Andrew, affectionately known as "Pete," had ventured into the burgeoning real estate market of Picher, Oklahoma, a town thriving on the riches of lead mining. This marked the beginning of the Borger brothers’ partnership, a collaboration that would prove instrumental in their future ventures.
In 1917, Asa Phillip “Ace” Borger and his brother joined forces with Tom Slick, a legendary figure in the oil industry known as the "King of the Wildcatters." Together, they developed the oil boomtown of Slick, Oklahoma. Situated strategically between Tulsa and Bristow, Slick experienced explosive growth, quickly amassing an estimated population of 5,000. The town was a testament to the allure of oil, drawing prospectors, laborers, and entrepreneurs from far and wide. However, like many boomtowns, Slick’s prosperity was fleeting. Today, it exists as a mere shadow of its former self, a near-ghost town with a population hovering around 130.
Undeterred by the transient nature of boomtowns, the Borger brothers continued their pursuit of opportunity. In 1923, they turned their attention to the Greater Seminole Oil Field, where they developed the town of Cromwell, Oklahoma. Their strategy remained consistent: acquire land, subdivide it into lots, and promote the town’s potential to attract new residents and businesses. They also actively lobbied for the construction of railroad lines to facilitate transportation and trade. At each town, they sold lots, pushed for the building of railroad lines to their towns, and opened hotels, gasoline stations, lumberyards, and other businesses. Though Borger and his family maintained a home for a short time in each of his new towns, he continued to use Carthage, Missouri as his main base of operations. Within weeks, the oil boomtown exploded to a population of thousands. As in Slick, Cromwell experienced a rapid influx of people, transforming it from a quiet rural area into a bustling center of activity. However, this rapid growth also brought its share of problems.
Cromwell quickly gained a reputation for lawlessness and vice, foreshadowing the challenges that would later plague Borger, Texas. Saloons, brothels, and gambling dens sprang up throughout the town, catering to the desires of the rough-and-tumble oil workers and attracting a criminal element. It became so rife with illegal activities that it earned the infamous nickname "Cromwell the Wicked." Approximately 150 businesses sold illegal moonshine whiskey and narcotics to the surrounding area. In an effort to restore order, authorities called upon William "Bill" Tilghman, a legendary lawman of the Old West, to come out of retirement at the age of 70.
Despite his storied career and experience in taming some of the West’s most notorious outlaws, Tilghman met a tragic end in Cromwell. On October 31, 1924, he was fatally shot outside of "Ma Murphy’s" cafe by a corrupt Prohibition agent named Wiley Lynn. He died early in the morning on November 1st. Tilghman’s death marked a turning point for Cromwell, signaling a descent into further chaos. A month later, the town of Cromwell was set ablaze and every saloon, brothel, fop house and pool hall was reduced to ashes. Though there was no investigation into the massive fire, local lore has it that the city was torched by friends of Bill Tilghman. With the oil already declining, only a few legitimate businesses and churches were rebuilt. Today Cromwell is called home to about 260 people.
As Cromwell’s fortunes waned, Asa Phillip “Ace” Borger recognized a new opportunity in the burgeoning oil boom of the Texas Panhandle. In March 1926, after personally assessing the reports of oil production in Hutchinson County, he and John R. Miller, an attorney and old friend from the Oklahoma boomtowns, purchased 240 acres from rancher John Frank Weatherly for $50 per acre. Borger then obtained a grant to organize the Borger Townsite Company. The company proceeded to lay out the town and opened the sale of lots on March 8, 1926. By the end of that first day, it had grossed between $60,000 and $100,000, and after six months Borger sold out completely, for more than a million dollars.
He established a lumberyard in Borger and often he took out full-page ads in area papers promoting settlement in Borger and other oil-rich sites throughout west Texas and eastern New Mexico in which he had bought an interest. He also owned a string of Panhandle wheat elevators and 19,000 acres of farmland in Hansford County. In 1927, he and his brother, Pete, along with Albert S. Stinnett, established the towns of Stinnett and Gruver, Texas, and were influential in making Stinnett the Hutchinson County seat.
However, the rapid growth and influx of diverse populations also brought a darker side to the city. As Borger boomed, it attracted a mix of oilmen, roughnecks, prospectors, and panhandlers, alongside a less savory element of cardsharks, prostitutes, bootleggers, and drug dealers. The city quickly earned the nickname "Booger Town," reflecting its reputation as a haven for criminals and fugitives from the law.
The lawlessness in Borger became so pervasive that in the spring of 1927, Texas Governor Daniel Moody dispatched a force of Texas Rangers, led by Captains Frank Hamer and Thomas R. Hickman, to restore order. However, these shady elements didn’t scare Asa Phillip “Ace” Borger away. In fact, in 1929, he built the first brick residence in Borger. The two-story home would become a place for important visitors, as his wife, Elizabeth, lavishly entertained them. The same year that he built his house, crime had once again become so bad in the oil town, that the governor once again sent in the Texas Rangers, as well as the National Guard, and put the whole town under martial law for a month, in order to clean up the undesirable elements once and for all.
Borger’s generosity, while appreciated by many, also bred resentment among some residents, particularly Arthur Huey, the Hutchinson County treasurer. Huey’s animosity toward Borger intensified after the Borger State Bank, which Borger had established in June 1930 with himself as president and his son Phillip as vice president, failed, causing a minor panic among local businessmen and small depositors. The elder Borger was later convicted of receiving deposits in the insolvent bank and assessed a two-year prison term, a judgment that he appealed. Meanwhile, Huey was jailed for embezzlement and reportedly asked Borger to help bail him out.
When Borger refused, Huey made threats against his life. On August 31, 1934, Borger was getting his mail at the city post office when, according to witnesses, Huey walked in with a Colt.45, shouted obscenities, and shot him five times. Huey then took Borger’s own.44 and fired four more shots with it. Lloyd Duncan, farm boss for the Magnolia Petroleum Company, was severely wounded by the shots and died five days later. At his trial, which was held in Canadian, Huey claimed that he had shot in self-defense, arguing that Borger was gunning for him. The jury believed him and acquitted him. Three years later, however, he was sent to the state penitentiary for theft of county funds. Asa Phillip “Ace” Borger was buried in Llano Cemetery in Amarillo, Texas.
Borger’s sons, Phillip and Jack, left the area soon after their father’s death. However, their sister, Helen, remained and occupied her parents’ brick with her husband, Fritz Thompson. Asa Phillip “Ace” Borger’s dream house is now a Texas historical landmark and is still owned by the family.
Also See:
Borger, Texas – Rip Roaring “Booger Town”
Hutchinson County – Panhandle Frontier
Texas – The Lone Star State
Texas Photo Galleries
Sources:
City of Borger
The Handbook of Texas Online