The original mandate of the Texas Railroad Commission was to regulate the railroads. Eventually, the role of the commission evolved to include pipelines, because it served as a "common carrier" for oil transport, and then it would have oversight of the oil, gas, and mineral producers themselves. The organization serves a model for the founding of OPEC (The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) which controls the global supply and price of oil.
Standard Oil was founded by John D. Rockefeller which was eventually broken up due to anti-trust concerns, and what remained became Exxon (or Esso as known overseas).
Spindletop refers to a rich oil discovery found in East Texas. It was declared a historical landmark and Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum in Beaumont, Texas was established in the area.