On 27 August 1859 Edwin Drake struck oil at 69.5 feet near Titusville, Pennsylvania, the first well drilled specifically for petroleum to find it in commercial quantity. The strike set off the first oil boom and is the conventional birthdate of the industry that came to dominate world energy.
Facts
Milestone Year Milestone Date LocationTitusville, Pennsylvania, United States 1 Connections
Associated With
Source Handbook of Texas Online
Credited To
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Bissell founded the Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company and organized the well that Edwin Drake drilled, launching the American oil industry, 1859.
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Sources
1. Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.Britannica, 'Edwin Laurentine Drake' biography article
He solved the problem by driving sections of pipe into the ground until bedrock was struck, and from there the drilling continued until the top of an oil deposit was reached at a depth of 69 feet (21 metres) on August 27, 1859.
- Credited To: Edwin Drake
View the Source Wikipedia: Drake Well
Drake Well, drilling completion depth and date
The drill reached its maximum depth of 69.5 feet (21.2 m) on August 27, 1859.
In Group: Foundations of Steam, Oil and Electricity, Lead
Drilled by Edwin Drake in 1859, along the banks of Oil Creek, it is the first commercial oil well in the United States.
View the SourceHandbook of Texas Online
Texas State Historical AssociationAssociated With: Spindletop Gusher, Handbook of Texas, Spindletop OilfieldQuote, Associated With: Spindletop Gusher, Handbook of Texas, Spindletop Oilfield
marked the birth of the modern petroleum industry
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