Description
On a December day in 1915, on a rise just north of El Dorado, drillers gathered around a well. They were using a cable tool rig, one that lifts and drops a sharpened iron tool into the ground, pounding a hole into the earth, really, rather than drilling. Back in September and October, they’d seen shows of oil on their way down, at 550 feet and 650 feet. But on this day, at about 2,500 feet, they found more. Much more.
Recommended Citation
Buchanan, Rex (2014). "Oil in the Flint Hills," Symphony in the Flint Hills Field Journal. https://newprairiepress.org/sfh/2014/flinthills/4
Oil in the Flint Hills
On a December day in 1915, on a rise just north of El Dorado, drillers gathered around a well. They were using a cable tool rig, one that lifts and drops a sharpened iron tool into the ground, pounding a hole into the earth, really, rather than drilling. Back in September and October, they’d seen shows of oil on their way down, at 550 feet and 650 feet. But on this day, at about 2,500 feet, they found more. Much more.
