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History of Canadian Oil Sands

by Bruce Wells | Jun 2, 2022 | Petroleum History Almanac

Canadian author preserves history of Alberta Energy Industry.

 

In 2012, Joyce Hunt of Calgary, Canada, published her 400-page illustrated book Local Push-Global Pull: The Untold Story of the Athabaska Oil Sands, 1900-1930. “If the Oil Sands have been a curiosity to you and you want to fully understand and appreciate the events that shaped the development of the oil sands industry in Alberta, this book is a must read,” noted a February 2012 book review of her work.

“In order to have an educated opinion about the Oil sands, one must first understand the history that led to the development of this massive resource,” the reviewer added.

Joyce Hunt’s introduction to petroleum came at an early age in New Brunswick, Canada.

 

While the time period Hunt focuses on is different from the significant growth of modern oil sands projects, there are common threads. “The major issues 100 years ago were not that different from the major issues the big players face today,” Joyce Hunt proclaims. She among the sources she cites is a 1920 article in Imperial Oil Review (Canada:

“It is expected that the history of the petroleum industry will again repeat itself and that the higher crude oil prices now prevailing will stimulate production and bring into existence new sources of supply which will ultimately overtake the increasing consumption.

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The high price did indeed stimulate exploration throughout the world, and Alberta, Canada, was no exception, says Hunt, who reviews the role of technologies, economics, regulations, war and energy demand that shaped the energy resource.

Although conventional drilling methods were used in most of Alberta, she notes, experiments with extraction processes characterized development work in the Athabasca region throughout the 1920s.

“This economic environment provided the global pull that furthered the local push for ways to develop the Athabasca tar-sands. The deposits had been the subject of examination by curiosity seekers, investigation by government officials, attempted exploitation by promoters, as well as analysis by scientists,” Joyce explains.

 

“These deposits, unlike conventional petroleum sources, were visible, and well known throughout the petroleum industry, although they were still misunderstood,” she adds. “While many recognized the potential value of the deposits and pushed to develop them, others struggled with suitable terms to describe them, where as some searched for an explanation of their origin.”

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Recommended Reading: Local Push-Global Pull: The Untold Story of the Athabaska Oil Sands, 1900-1930 (2012). Your Amazon purchase benefits the American Oil & Gas Historical Society. As an Amazon Associate, AOGHS earns a commission from qualifying purchases.

_______________________

The American Oil & Gas Historical Society preserves U.S. petroleum history. Please bcome an AOGHS supporter and help maintain this energy education website and expand historical research. For more information, contact bawells@aoghs.org. © 2024 Bruce A. Wells.

Citation Information – Article Title: “History of Alberta, Canadan Tar Sands.” Authors: B.A. Wells and K.L. Wells. Website Name: American Oil & Gas Historical Society. URL: https://aoghs.org/oil-almanac/history-of-canadian-oil-sands. Last Updated: May 3, 2021. Original Published Date: September 1, 2012.

A 1941 Letter to Consolidated Edison of N.Y.

by Bruce Wells | Feb 1, 2022 | Petroleum History Almanac

Preserving a father’s letter about efficient light bulb use – and Con Ed’s prompt reply.

 

The evolution of efficient lighting and the search for safe and inexpensive illumination has been part of U.S. energy history since kerosene became a popular lamp fuel in the mid-19th century. Even earlier, illuminating gaslight manufactured from coal provided street lighting in Baltimore (1817), Philadelphia (1836), and other cities.

In September 1882, Thomas A. Edison began operating the first commercial U.S. power station in New York City. The coal-fired plant on Pearl Street powered six dynamos to provide electricity to homes in lower Manhattan. Four years later, six gas New York City companies merged into a giant utility, the Consolidated Gas Company.

 Consolidated Edison Pearl Street Station in 1882.

Coal fueled Manhattan’s Pearl Street Station in 1882, the first U.S. electric power plant.

By 1920, Edison’s electric company had become a subsidiary of Consolidated Gas. With electric sales outpacing gas sales, Consolidated Gas changed its name to Consolidated Edison Company of New York in 1936 (see History of Con Edison). Five years later, John Weingart’s father Robert wrote the company seeking the best strategy for turning out lights to lower utility bills.

“I have a wonderful short 1941 correspondence from my father Robert asking the Consolidated Edison Company of New York whether you use more energy turning out lights when you leave a room if you know you’ll be back soon,” explained John Weingart in a November 2019 email to the American Oil & Gas Historical Society.

“I’d like to share it with others who might enjoy it,” Weingart added.

Incandescent light bulb Question

15 West 106 Street
New York, N.Y.
October 21, 1941

Consolidated Edison Company
4 Irving Place
New York, N.Y.

Gentlemen

As a consumer of electricity for many years, I would appreciate an answer to the following questions:

Is there any truth to the report that more electricity is consumed by turning lights on and off frequently than by leaving them burning?

If so, what is the minimum time required for a light to be out before being relit, in order to effect a saving to the consumer? If this varies according to the size of the bulb, please give figures for 10, 25, 40, 50, 60 and 100 watts respectively.

Would you mind giving a brief technical explanation.

Very truly yours

Robert A. Weingart

New Yorker Robert Weingart 1941 letter to the Con Edison.

New Yorker Robert Weingart’s 1941 letter to the Con Edison.

Con Edison Customer Service in 1941

Weingart received a reply from the world’s largest electric utility the next day in a letter from Con Ed’s “Manager of the Sales Technical Bureau.”

CONSOLIDATED EDISON COMPANY OF NEW YORK, Inc.

4 IRVING PLACE

NEW YORK, N.Y.

October 22-1941

Mr. Robert A Weingart
15 West 106 Street
New York, N Y

Dear Sir

The belief that more electricity is consumed by turning electric lights on and off frequently than by leaving them burning has, from a practical point of view, no basis in fact.

An incandescent electric light consists essentially of a resistance, usually called a filament, surrounded by a glass bulb. The passage of an electric current through the filament causes it to heat to incandescence at which point it emits light. The function of the glass bulb is to prevent oxygen in the air from coming into contact with the filament in order to prevent the destruction of the filament by oxidation. The interior of the bulb is, in modern lamps, filled with an inert gas, such as nitrogen or argon. For a very small fraction of a second after an electric current is turned on to such a bulb, and until the filament is heated, more than normal current will pass through the filament. This is probably the basis for the belief expressed in your letter, but the increase in the amount of electricity consumed is so small that it could not be measured by ordinary metering apparatus and even the cumulative effect of a great many on and off operations could not be measured with ordinary metering equipment.

The operation of a fluorescent lamp is different in principle from that of an incandescent lamp but the same conclusion holds, that is, that there is no increase in electricity because of frequent turning on and off of the amp which could be measured with ordinary metering equipment. However, in the case of the fluorescent lamp the frequent turning on and off of the lamp is apt to shorten its life considerably through dissipation of the coating on the heating element and the lamp should be applied, therefore, to situations which require frequent starting and stopping, such as in flasher signs.

I trust that this is a satisfactory answer to your question.

Very truly yours,

J C Murtha, Manager
Sales Technical Bureau

JCM/hb

1941 letter to Robert Weingart from Consolidated Edison.

John Weingart rightly believes his father’s 1941 letter and the response should be remembered as part of U.S. energy history.

“One of the most striking thing about this correspondence remains, I think, that the question is still unresolved to many (maybe most ) lay people,” he concluded. “When I’ve mentioned this letter or shown it to friends, the first comment often is, ‘Yeah, I’ve wondered about that too.’ And, then the apparent detailed, informative response dated only one day after the initial letter of inquiry remains remarkable.”

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Recommended Reading:  Greater Gotham: A History of New York City from 1898 to 1919 (2017);. Your Amazon purchase benefits the American Oil & Gas Historical Society. As an Amazon Associate, AOGHS earns a commission from qualifying purchases.

_______________________

The American Oil & Gas Historical Society preserves U.S. petroleum history. Join today as an annual AOGHS supporting member. Help maintain this energy education website and expand historical research. For more information, contact bawells@aoghs.org. Copyright © 2022 Bruce A. Wells. All rights reserved.

Citation Information – Article Title: “OA 1941 Letter to Consolidated Edison of N.Y.” Authors: B.A. Wells and K.L. Wells. Website Name: American Oil & Gas Historical Society. URL: https://aoghs.org/oil-almanac/a-1941-letter-to-con-ed-of-n-y. Last Updated: March 22, 2022. Original Published Date: January 18, 2019.

Horse-Drawn Oil Wagon seeks Museum

by Bruce Wells | Dec 9, 2021 | Petroleum History Almanac

A potential exhibit about early 20th century petroleum infrastructure and transportation.

 

An Epping, New Hampshire, family business oil wagon is available to educate museum visitors about early petroleum transportation technologies.

Buxton Oil Company was started in 1960 by Kenneth B. Buxton. When he passed away in 2011, his daughter Donna took the reigns and grew the business into one of the most recognized energy companies in New England. She also kept a horse-drawn oil wagon he had acquired.

Donna Buxton, who sold Buxton Oil in 2018, currently owns and operates Buxton Water Company, wants to find a home for her family’s “beautifully restored antique oil delivery wagon and a massive book that includes history awards and accolades.”

Antique Buxton Fuel Oil Wagon parade

Seeking a museum home or permanent display for her former Epping, N.H., company’s oil wagon, she asked the American Oil & Historical Society’s help in contacting museums (see other examples at AOGHS Oil & Gas Families).

Except when rolled out for fuel and energy shows, the Buxton Oil wagon has been carefully stored in a climate controlled garage in Exeter.

Contact the Owner

“Beside being in local parades, the wagon has been displayed at the New England Fuel institute in Boston and recently at the National Energy Expo in Providence, Rhode Island,” Baxter explains. “This piece is a show stopper and certainly an important part of history and how the transportation and the industry has changed,”

The Buxton Oil wagon would be a great addition to any energy or transportation collection, and “it certainly would be wonderful for our family if a museum would display it.”

If an appropriate museum or historical site can be found, she would be pleased to donate her family’s oil wagon and assist with its transportation and display. To learn more, email bawells@aoghs.org or call Donna Baxter directly at (603) 365-7116.

Buxton Oil Wagon in Christmas Parade

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Oil and Kerosene Wagons

Bulk horse drawn tankers were seen, “in both town and country, mainly from the late 1890s to the early 1920s,” according to historian D.J. Smith in his 1977 book, Discovering Horse-Drawn Commercial Vehicles. “A number were used, during the 1900s, by large oil and petrol companies. They could be adapted, however, for any type of bulk liquid, from water to paraffin.”

Consumer demand for kerosene lamp fuel led to many commercial, horse-drawn vehicles. Many designs included a riveted tank with three compartments. The tank’s supporting wagon measured about 11 feet long and 5 feet wide. A typical wagon was pulled by two horses with the driver sitting on a padded seat, often built into the tank.

Standard Oil kerosene wagon circa 1900.

A typical Standard Oil Company of New Jersey kerosene delivery wagon, circa 1900. Photo courtesy Michigan State University.

Usually, oil tanks included three separate compartments (filled from top) designed to carry kerosene, heating oil, and other fluids that could flow out the rear of the tank via separate pipes and valves. Some early tankers rolled on iron (later steel) frames with 40-inch wheels on the front and 48-inch wheels on the rear and equipped with a manual lever hand brake.

Horse-drawn oil tank wagon of Continental Oil Company.

A late 1880s Continental Oil Company oil tank wagon has welcomed visitors to the Conoco Museum in Ponca City, Oklahoma, since 2007. Phillips Petroleum Company, once headquartered 70 miles east in Bartlesville, merged with Conoco in 2002. Photo by Bruce Wells.

In May 2007, ConocoPhillips opened two oil museums on the same day as part of the 2007 Oklahoma statehood centennial celebrations. Exhibits at the Conoco Museum In Ponca City educate visitors about that company’s start in 1875 in Utah as a small distributor of coal, grease, and kerosene.

In addition to making deliveries with horse-drawn tank wagons, the Ogden-based Continental Oil and Transportation Company purchased railroad oil tank cars – the first to be used west of the Missouri River.

Shirley Patterson of Phillips Petroleum Museum in Front of horse-drawn oil wagon.

Docent Shirley Patterson and a Phillips 66 wagon welcomed visitors to the Phillips Petroleum Company Museum in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, in 2012. Brothers Frank and L.E.  Phillips founded their oil exploration company in 1903. Photo by Bruce Wells.

Museum docent Shirley Patterson in 2012 welcomed visitors to the Phillips Petroleum Company Museum, offering rare insights about the company she joined in 1952 as a secretary for top executives. During her career, Patterson worked for every Phillips Petroleum president except for the first, founder Frank Phillips.

Learn more in ConocoPhillips Petroleum Museums.

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Recommended Reading: Discovering Horse-Drawn Commercial Vehicles (1977). Your Amazon purchase benefits the American Oil & Gas Historical Society. As an Amazon Associate, AOGHS earns a commission from qualifying purchases.

_______________________

The American Oil & Gas Historical Society preserves U.S. petroleum history. Become an AOGHS supporting member and help maintain this energy education website and expand historical research. For more information, contact bawells@aoghs.org. Copyright © 2021 Bruce A. Wells.

 

Oil & Gas History News, August 2021

by Bruce Wells | Aug 18, 2021 | Petroleum History Almanac

AOGHS logo Newsletter

August 18, 2021  –  Oil & Gas History News, Vol. 2, No. 8

 

Oil & Gas History News

 

Welcome to our August newsletter, the latest summertime chronology of notable petroleum history events. This month includes an 1861 Pennsylvania oil well that is still producing; an Oklahoma geophysicist’s 1921 seismic technology breakthrough; the 1956 beginning of America’s interstate highways; and the launch of a concrete oil tanker in 1918. Thank you again for subscribing — and for sharing this newsletter and AOGHS website articles!

 

This Week in Petroleum History Monthly Update

 

Links to summaries from four weeks of U.S. oil and natural gas history, including new technologies, oilfield discoveries, petroleum products, and pioneers.

 

August 16, 1861 – Oldest Producing Oil Well drilled in Pennsylvania

 

What would become the world’s oldest continuously producing oil well was completed on Oil Creek near Oil City, Pennsylvania. The McClintock No. 1 well, reaching 620 feet deep into the Venango Third Sand, initially produced 50 barrels of oil a day. The well was drilled 14 miles from Titusville…MORE

 

August 9, 1921 – Reflection Seismography reveals Geological Structure

 

A team led by University of Oklahoma geophysicist John C. Karcher conducted the world’s first reflection seismograph measurement of a geologic formation, pioneering the use of reflection seismic technology in petroleum exploration. Seismography would lead to discovery of many of the world’s largest oil and natural gas fields…MORE

 

August 2, 1956 – Missouri builds First U.S. Interstate Highway

 

Missouri became the first state to award a contract with interstate construction funding authorized two months earlier by the Federal-Aid Highway Act. The Missouri highway commission began work on part of Route 66 – now Interstate 44. “There is no question that the creation of the interstate highway system has been the most significant development in the history of transportation in the United States”…MORE

 

July 27, 1918 – Standard Oil of New York launches Concrete Oil Tanker

 

America’s first concrete vessel designed to carry oil, the Socony, left its shipyard at Flushing Bay, New York. Built for the Standard Oil Company of New York, the barge was 98-feet long with a 32-foot beam and carried oil in six center and two wing compartments, “oil-proofed by a special process,” according to Cement and Engineering News…MORE

 

August-3-Big-Inch-AOGHS

Construction began in August 1942 on two petroleum pipelines that would prove vital during World War II. The “Big Inch” and the “Little Big Inch” lines were part of “the most amazing government-industry cooperation ever achieved.” Map courtesy Texas Eastern Transmission Corp.

 

World War II brings “Big Inch” and “Little Big Inch” Pipelines


Conceived to supply wartime fuel demand and in response to U-boat attacks on oil tankers along the eastern seaboard and Gulf of Mexico, War Emergency Pipelines Inc. began construction on the “Big Inch” pipeline on August 3, 1942. The $95 million project laid a 1,254-mile, 24-inch pipeline (Big Inch) from East Texas oilfields to Illinois. An accompanying 20-inch-wide line (Little Big Inch) carried gasoline, heating oil, diesel oil, and kerosene as far as New Jersey. The final weld on the Big Inch was made in July 1943, just 350 days after construction began. Learn more in Big Inch Pipelines of WW II.

 

Energy Education

 

Bertha Benz makes World’s First Auto Road Trip

 

Thirty-nine-year-old Bertha Benz made history when she became the first person to make a long-distance trip by automobile. Her August 12, 1888, excursion also included, “the first road repairs, the first automotive marketing stunt, the first case of a wife borrowing her husband’s car without asking, and the first violation of intercity highway laws in a motor vehicle,” proclaimed Wired magazine in 2012. Learn more in First Car, First Road Trip. 

 

Discovery of Oklahoma’s “Poor Man’s Field”

 

The Crystal Oil Company on August 4, 1913, completed its Wirt Franklin No. 1 well 20 miles northwest of Ardmore, Oklahoma. The well revealed the giant Healdton oilfield, which became known as the “poor man’s field,” because of its shallow depth and low cost of drilling. The area attracted independent producers with limited financial backing. Erle P. Halliburton perfected his method of cementing oil wells in the Healdton field. Learn more in Halliburton and the Healdton Oilfield.

 

Permian Basin inspires “Alley Oop” Comic Strip

 

The comic strip “Alley Oop” first appeared on August 7, 1933, but the cartoon caveman began earlier in the imagination of a young cartographer working for a West Texas oil company. The town of Iraan would later proclaim its oilfield as the inspiration for cartoonist Victor Hamlin’s popular prehistoric character. Learn more in Alley Oop’s Oil Roots.

 

 

Thanks again for subscribing to the American Oil & Gas Historical Society’s monthly email newsletter. And special thanks to our new and renewing supporting members, who understand lessons of the past are relevant to modern energy challenges. With your continued support of AOGHS, there is much to look forward to.

 

— Bruce Wells

 
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“Any survey of the natural resources used as sources of energy must include a discussion about the importance of oil, the lifeblood of all industrialized nations.” — Daniel Yergin, bestselling author and winner of the Pulitzer Prize

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A Chronology of U.S. Petroleum History

by Bruce Wells | May 31, 2021 | Petroleum History Almanac

Milestones of American Petroleum History (in progress)

 

Although early pioneers who drilled brine wells sometimes found oil instead, the U.S. petroleum industry began with an 1859 Pennsylvania well drilled specifically for oil for refining into kerosene lamp fuel. This oil and natural gas history chronology is a limited sample of the industry’s milestones — exploration, production, technologies, products, transportation, etc.

The petroleum industry history timeline is part of an on-going project of the American Oil & Gas historical Society (you are invited to join the research effort). Importantly, America’s fossil fuel history provides a context for understanding modern energy challenges. Comments, suggestions — and additions — are welcomed.

Pump jack art for AOGHS oil history website

The U.S. petroleum industry began on August 27, 1859, with a Pennsylvania well drilled specifically for oil.

“Any survey of the natural resources used as sources of energy must include a discussion about the importance of oil, the lifeblood of all industrialized nations.” — Daniel Yergin, bestselling author and winner of the Pulitzer Prize.

_______________________

1817     America’s first public street lamp (fueled by manufactured gas) lit in Baltimore, Maryland. Illuminating gaslight brought dazzling “gems of light” to Rembrandt Peale’s art museum.

1821     First U.S. natural gas well dug near Fredonia, New York.

1829     A spring-poled well seeking brine found oil instead (bottled for medicine) from Kentucky’s Great American Oil Well.

1836     Manufactured “coal gas” street lighted Philadelphia streets.

1846     Canadian Abraham Gesner refined illuminating fuel from coal and named it kerosene (trademarked in 1855).

1850     Samuel Kier distilled oil into “carbon oil” for medicine in Pittsburgh.

1855     George Bissell studied oil seeps, organized Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company.

1859     Edwin L. Drake completed first U.S. oil well on August 27, at Titusville, Pennsylvania, launching the U.S. petroleum industry.

1859     On August 30, John Grandin drills first “dry hole” exploring for oil.

1863     Confederates raided oilfield in western Virginia, burning derricks and storage tanks.

1863     First oilfield pipeline (2.5 miles, 2-inch cast iron) operated in Pennsylvania.

1864     Union Col. E.A.L. Roberts uses down-hole explosives to fracture oil-bearing sands, “shooting” the well.

1866     First Texas oil well drilled in Nacogdoches County by Lyne Taliaferro Barret.

1876     First major California oil well competed in Pico Canyon after limited production in 1850s.

1878     Haymaker brothers well discovered massive natural gas field, making headlines, “Natural Gas is King in Pittsburgh.”

1882     John D. Rockefeller established Standard Oil Trust.

1885     Lima Oilfield discovered in Ohio.

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1886     Indiana’s Trenton natural gas field proved to be 5,000 square miles (13,000 km).

1886     “Great Karg Well” natural gas discovery made in Findlay, Ohio.

1892     First Kansas oil well drilled at Neodesha.

1894    New rotary method used for drilling discovered first major Texas oilfield at Corsicana, Texas.

1896     Piers used for offshore drilling on California beaches.

1897      First Oklahoma oil well drilled at Bartlesville, Indian Territory.

1900     New York City hosted first U.S. auto show.

1901     Giant Spindletop oilfield revealed by “Lucas Gusher.”

1901     First Louisiana oil well revealed giant Jennings oilfield. 

1902     First Alaska oil well drilled in rugged territory known for oil seeps. 

1903     Drilled for natural gas near Dexter, Kansas, a well produced “the gas the wouldn’t burn” — helium.

1905     Glenn Pool oilfield discovered in Oklahoma, helping Tulsa to become “Oil Capital of the World.”

1908     First Model T “Tin Lizzy” produced by Ford Motor Company in Detroit.

1909     Sharp-Hughes dual-cone drill bit patented, soon nicknamed the “rock eater.”

1911     Supreme Court ordered Standard Oil broken up into 34 companies.

1911     Lakewood oil gusher in California (uncapped for 18 months).

1911     667,000 automobiles registered in United States (8.5 million by 1920).

1912     USS Texas launched, last American battleship built with coal-fired boilers.

1913     First gas station opened by Gulf Oil in Pittsburgh.

1913     Carl Baker organized the Baker Casing Shoe Company in California.

1917     “Roaring Ranger” oil discovery in North Texas.

1917     American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) founded; 38,000 members in 2018.

1920     Permian Basin oilfield discovered in West Texas.

1920     Huntington Beach oilfield discovered in California.

1921     El Dorado, Arkansas, oilfield discovered, boosting career of H.L. Hunt.

1921     First seismograph geologic experiments made near Oklahoma City.

1922     First New Mexico oil well brought more discoveries.

1923     Permian Basin Big Lake oilfield revealed by Santa Rita No. 1.

1923     Anti-knock leaded gasoline patented.

1923     First Tulsa International Petroleum Exposition (last in 1979).

1923     Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey first used Esso trademark.

1926      Armais Arutunoff patented electric submersible pump; soon founded Reda service company.

1926     Greater Seminole oilfield discovered in Oklahoma.

1927     Schlumberger brothers invent down-hole electronic “logging tool” in France.

1927     Phillips Petroleum high-octane aviation powers Woolaroc, winner of air race from California to Hawaii.

1929     Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) founded in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

1929     First recorded true horizontal oil well, drilled near Texon, Texas.

1930     Headline-making “Wild Mary Suddik” oil well erupted in Oklahoma City oilfield.

1930     East Texas oilfield discovered, proved to be 43 miles long and 12.5 miles wide.

1930     George E. Failing invented first portable rotary rig (used at Conroe, Texas).

1930     Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) founded; 14,000 members in 2018.

1931     Ram-type blow-out preventer patent by James Abercrombie.

1933     Sinclair Oil’s popular “Dino” debuted at the Chicago Century of Progress Fair.

1933     Hughes Tool Company patents tri-cone bit patent.

1937     Tragic New London school explosion in East Texas.

1938     DuPont Corp. introduces “Nylon.”

1939     Young geologist helps discover first Mississippi oil well.

1940     First Nebraska oil well completed after 57 years of dry holes.

1941     Frank Christensen and George Christensen developed diamond bit.

1943     First Florida oil well completed after state offers $50,000 bounty.

1943     World War II top-secret mission sent Oklahoma roughnecks to drill in Sherwood Forest.

1944     First Alabama oil well completed by wildcatter H.L. Hunt.

1947     Gulf of Mexico offshore oil industry began.

1949     First commercial hydraulic fracturing of oil well (Oklahoma).

1951     The first North Dakota oil well endured blizzards on Cliff Iverson’s farm northeast of Williston.

1951     Association of Desk & Derrick Clubs (ADDC) of North America organized.

1953     Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act became law.

1954     Shell Oil Company completed the first Nevada oil well.

1954     “Mr. Charlie” launched, world’s first practical mobile offshore drilling unit.

1955     American Association of Petroleum Landmen (AAPL) founded in Fort Worth, Texas.

1956     Federal-Aid Highway Act created “system of interstate and defense highways.”

1957     Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) founded (164,000 members in 2018).

1958     First down-hole drilling motors used.

1960     Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) founded in Baghdad, Iraq.

1960     Shell Oil and Hughes Aircraft modified a Manipulator Operated Robot (MOBOT) for offshore.

1967     Hall of Petroleum opened at the Smithsonian Museum of History and Technology.

1967     U.S. government tests nuclear “fracking” of natural gas wells.

1968     Prudhoe Bay oilfield discovered.

1969     Massive oil spill occurred six miles off Santa Barbara, California.

1970     Environmental Protection Agency established.

1974     Construction began on 800-mile Alaska pipeline system.

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1975     Petroleum Museum opened in Midland, Texas.

1977     Improved diamond-tungsten carbide drilling bits.

1979     Exxon experimental subsea structure led to “Rigs to Reefs” program.

1980     Hydraulic fracturing used in horizontal wells in the Barnett Shale, Ft. Worth, Texas.

1988     Deadly fire at Piper Alpha platform in North Sea; 167 workers died.

1989     Exxon Valdez super tanker ran aground, creating massive oil spill.

1999     Exxon and Mobil corporations merged.

2010     Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster began 41 miles off the Louisiana coast.

2013     Average time to drill 21,000-foot-deep well falls to 18 days or less.

2016     Energy companies agreed to reduce methane emissions from natural gas operations.

2018     Shale oil and natural gas production made U.S. energy independent.

2019     United States became top petroleum producer in world.

_______________________

The American Oil & Gas Historical Society preserves U.S. petroleum history. Become an AOGHS supporting member and help maintain this energy education website and expand historical research. For more information, contact bawells@aoghs.org. Copyright © 2023 Bruce A. Wells. All rights reserved.

Citation Information – Article Title: “Milestones of American Petroleum History.” Authors: B.A. Wells and K.L. Wells. Website Name: American Oil & Gas Historical Society. URL: https://aoghs.org/oil-almanac/oil-riches-of-merriman-baptist-church. Last Updated: June 6, 2021. Original Published Date: October 15, 2019.

 

Tree Stumps used as Oilfield Equipment

by Bruce Wells | Jan 1, 2021 | Petroleum History Almanac

A research post for helpful comments

 

The American Oil & Gas Historical Society (AOGHS) website is designed to help researchers, journalists, teachers, and students learn more about U.S. petroleum history. When contacted about oilfield family heirlooms, AOGHS also has located suitable museum collections for preserving the histories (see Adding Family Petroleum Heritage to Museum Collections).

There are many more stories and research requests meeting to be shared. AOGHS now adds posts to create simple, comment-forums for site visitors to exchange information. If your have ideas or suggestions for this post, please comment below.

Using Cypress Swamp Tree Stumps…

January 2020

I am a graduate student at the Architectural Association in London working on a project that looks at the potential use of tree stumps as structural foundations. While researching I found the following extract from an article on The Petroleum Industry of the Gulf Coast Salt Dome Area in the early 20th century:

“In the dense tangle of the cypress swamp, the crew have to carry their equipment and cut a trail as they go. Often they use a tree stump as solid support on which they set up their instruments”

I have been struggling to find any photos or drawings of how this system would have worked (ie how the instruments were supported by the stump) I was wondering if you might know where I could find any more information? I would greatly appreciate your help!

Kind regards, Andrew

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The American Oil & Gas Historical Society preserves U.S. petroleum history. Join today as an annual AOGHS supporting member. Help maintain this energy education website and expand historical research. For more information, contact bawells@aoghs.org. Copyright © 2021 Bruce A. Wells. All rights reserved.

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