Oil, a Chaotic Affair

America's chaotic affair with oil began 150 years ago. On August 27, 1859, among the wooded, rolling hills and serene farms of northwestern Pennsylvania, the first successful oil well was completed. The meager oil gush, about 20 barrels a day, has formed and shaped history ever since. The national and international search for additional oil roared across the planet following Colonel Edwin Drake's success.

Almost instantly, the quiet village of Titusville, Pennsylvania was transformed; oil companies were formed, derricks dotted the hillsides, new towns and settlements were hastily built, and steam locomotives rumbled through what was to become known as Oil Valley. Titusville's fame was soon to be eclipsed.

The oil frenzy erupted with even greater intensity and excitement when a new oil well was drilled along Pithole Creek, about 15 miles away from Drake's Well. Overnight, the fabled and notorious city of Pithole was born on a grassy meadow. It was destined to become America's first oil boomtown despite it's short life.

Oil was not discovered in the Oil Valley Region. It was found in other places, bottled and used for it's possible medicinal purposes. But in the Valley, there were widespread and numerous holes and crevices which seeped the black substance. Some thought the crevices reached into hell itself and other swore the could hear the screams of the damned. Others saw a financial opportunity.

In January, 1865 an enormous deposit of oil, by the standards of the day, was tapped on the farm of Thomas Holmden, near one large crevice near the creek. The well produced an unheard of amount of oil, 250 barrels daily. Quickly, other wells were drilled and the output reached an amazing 2,500 barrels of oil every day. Pithole City grew to a population of 15,000 within the year.

The delirious frenzy was spurred by the rising price for a barrel of oil. When Drake's Well proved successful, the price was a mere ten cents a barrel; with the Pithole, strike the price moved to $20 per barrel and soon rose to $30.

Oil was in demand. Following the American Civil War there was a surging demand for oil for machinery, and new refining techniques made kerosene lamps a must have commodity. For the first time, large sections of the population were able to read after darkness fell. It was a huge educational and entertainment advantage for many in rural farm and urban communities.

Boomtown Pithole stood at the center of the oil craze and opportunity. Opera House and luxury hotels, like the Bonata House and Danforth were hastily constructed, as were many others, churches were built and a newspaper was established. Brothels and saloons flourished. The post office at Pithole ranked the third busiest in Pennsylvania. The Pithole Railroad was constructed along with a water reservoir system for the isolated community. Investors made millions and on one day alone 20 oil corporations were formed as the real estate market soared.

For Pithole City, however, the end came quick. The once bountiful oil soon disappeared; people began to leave. The city also suffered numerous destructive fires which destroyed blocks of flimsy constructed buildings. Within a few years, the population dwindled to 2,500 people and the city soon reverted back to a grassy hillside.

The once elegant Bonata House, which cost $60,000 to build was sold for a mere $600 by Franklin Tarbell; it was torn down and re-built in nearby Titusville for the family home. His daughter, who grew up in the home, was Ida Tarbell who later in life wrote the respected autobiography of Abraham Lincoln and who later wrote the History of the Standard Oil Company. A publication which earned her the name “muckracker” and help to forge legislation regarding monopolies. The luxury hotel, the Danforth, which cost over $30,000 to build, was sold for firewood for $16.

Today, a Pennsylvania Historical Museum stands just above the sloping site of the once upon a time boomtown and documents much of the bygone oil era. The streets are now neatly mowed by volunteers; a few remnants of old foundations and pieces of rusted machinery are still visible. Twice a year events are held at the former city; Boomtown Days in early June and a Lantern Tour in early October. Pithole Creek still flows and is free of the pollution once created by the gush of oil.

The entire region with Titusville and Drake's Well as the central focus is preparing to commemorate the 150^th anniversary of a story which fueled a change in human history.