The Phillips and Woodford Wells on Tarr Farm, north of Oil City, Pennsylvania, in 1873.

Boomtown Legacy

Ryan Hilton, Engineer

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    Record Oil Gusher at the Economite Well: Dec. 31, 1860

    Record Oil Gusher at the Economite Well: Dec. 31, 1860

    Dec 31, 2024

    by

    Ryan Hilton

    —

    in This Day in Oil History

    On Dec. 31, 1860, the Economite Well in Tidioute, PA, set records with an extraordinary flow, producing 232 barrels of oil in just days.

    Read more

  • This Day in Oil History
    On Dec. 28, 1859: News of Col. Drake’s Startling Oil Discovery

    On Dec. 28, 1859: News of Col. Drake’s Startling Oil Discovery

    Dec 28, 2024

    by

    Ryan Hilton

    —

    in This Day in Oil History

    On Dec. 28, 1859, the Boston Journal highlighted Drake’s well in Titusville, PA, igniting the oil boom and transforming the energy industry forever.

    Read more

  • This Day in Oil History
    This Day in Oil History: Dec. 27, 1879 – Pithole’s Rise and Ruin

    This Day in Oil History: Dec. 27, 1879 – Pithole’s Rise and Ruin

    Dec 27, 2024

    by

    Ryan Hilton

    —

    in This Day in Oil History

    Explore the dramatic rise and fall of Pithole, Pennsylvania—a city born of the oil boom, thriving in 1865, and abandoned by 1867.

    Read more

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Boomtown Legacy

Blogging about 19th-century oil fever in Pennsylvania.


Headshot of Chevron engineer Ryan Hilton.

About the author

I’m Ryan Hilton, a petroleum engineer with Chevron.

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  • Boom, Bust, & Bounce Back: The Oil Region’s Resilience in 1866
  • The Oil Town Cure: Pithole, a Summer Health Oasis? (1866)
  • The Stench of Neglect in Petroleum Centre (1869)
  • Clarion County Wells Strike Oil in May 1865
  • Titusville Citizen Responds to Judge’s Defense of Oil Monopolies

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