My residence for more than a month in this place, enables me to give some idea of what persons may expect on visiting this portion of the oil regions.

If you come from Corry to Meadville, thence to Franklin, you can there seat yourself in a sled or hack, and by paying the two dollars fare, a seven mile ride up the Allegheny River, will bring you here. Or, if you prefer going from Corry, by Titusville, to the Shaffer Farm, the terminus of the Oil Creek Road, you will find conveyances to bring you down the creek, twelve miles to Oil City. Once here, you are in the New York of the oil regions.

We cannot boast much of the capacity or accommodations of our hotels. The Jones House is considered the leading one of the place; but any visitor expecting to find there a table or sleeping accommodations in proportion to the price of from three to five dollars per day — will be doomed to disappointment. As illustrative of the sleeping arrangements, it is currently reported that the guests have petitioned the proprietor to furnish a corkscrew for each bedchamber. On asking why this was done, you will be told that the sleepers need them to extract the pillows, which from their smallness are liable to get into their ears during the night. Beside the Jones House, there are several other prominent hotels, all of which are first class — in their charges.

Grog shops and billiard saloons are numerous and have their supporters in abundance. Do not suppose, however, that all are heathens here, for there are three large churches filled to overflowing on Sabbaths. One of them is familiarly known as “The Church of the Holy Derrick,” from the fact that the bell hangs in a derrick. So that man could have been answered in the affirmative, who coming along Main Street when the mud was so deep as to run through the horses’ collars, and hearing the drivers’ constant curses, asked in a voice of despair, “are there any Christians here?“

Those who have seen a map of the oil regions will remember that Oil City lies on the north side of the Allegheny River and is divided by Oil Creek into two nearly equal proportions. Cottage Hill is on the east side of the creek, and on its precipitous side are to be seen several very fancy residences. This hill would indeed be considered a mountain in Chester County, and yet street above street runs parallel along its side, and the pedestrian ascends from one to the other by a flight of stairs. At night, when this portion of Oil City is lit up, strangers standing in lower town have mistaken these cottage lights for the stars of heaven.

On the west side of Oil Creek, there is only room for one main street between the bluff and rivers bank. On this street nearly all the business is done, which you may assure yourselves is no small amount. All the hotels and stores, and offices are on Main Street. On the lower side the houses are built on stilts or piles; and on the upper side they run back into the hill; each successive story running still further back. All the buildings are put up in the most temporary manner, and while the outsides are presentable, yet very few are plastered within.

The permanent inhabitants number over four thousand, and this is greatly increased by the floating population — hundreds of anxious fortune seekers daily coming and going. There are four banking institutions in the place. The First National is perhaps doing the largest business. Single deposits amounting from fifty to five hundred thousand dollars, are not uncommon.

When the creek and river are free from ice, a vast amount of shipping is done here. At present, loaded wagons are constantly crossing the river on the ice, and for the past few days they have been driving from Oil City to Rouseville, a distance of three miles, all the way on the frozen creek. At this you need not be surprised, when I tell you, on the morning of the thirteenth, the mercury stood at twenty-three degrees below zero, and on the morning following, it was twelve degrees below.

On the opposite side of the river from Oil City lies Laytonia. This is a beautiful sight for a town and is rapidly being built up with pleasant residences. At present the two places are connected by a ferry. A bridge is expected to be built this coming summer.

Laytonia will then be a very desirable place for the businessmen of Oil City to reside. They will the then partially be enabled to escape the vast amount of black sooty smoke which is incident to this place.

Within the past month Oil City lots have increased in price nearly one hundred percent. This is partly owing to the fact that businessmen are fast flocking here from all quarters and partly because a forty barrel well has been lately struck in town which makes all the vacant lots very desirable as oil territory.

Persons who have never visited the towns of the oil regions can form but little idea of the amount of business that is transacted here and hereabouts.

More than one thousand teams pass along Main Street every day, so that from early morn, till late at night can be heard the drivers whip and oaths incessant. Occasionally, the street becomes blockaded, and then a regiment of swearwords is heaped upon some unfortunate driver who is supposed to be the cause of the stoppage in transitu [sic].

Hacks, loaded with oil seekers, are continually arriving and departing.

Horsemen go galloping by, and footmen, numberless, are passing to and fro.

All is life, and business, and everybody is either rich or hoping to be so in Oil City and thereabouts.