The Petroleum Age
The Official Newsletter of the American Oil & Gas Historical Society

Section Contents:

March 2008 Petroleum Age 5/6/2008 Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 2.94 MB) Hollywood Goes Roughneck 5/6/2008 Among the screen credits of “There Will Be Blood” are petroleum museums -- where filmmakers researched their fictional account of the circa 1920s California oil industry.  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 204 KB) December 2007 Petroleum Age 12/18/2007 Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 2.17 MB) September 2007 Petroleum Age 12/17/2007 Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 3.04 MB) June 2007 Petroleum Age 12/16/2007 Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 2.28 MB) March 2007 Petroleum Age 12/15/2007 Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 2.12 MB) December 2006 Petroleum Age 9/12/2007 Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 1.52 MB) September 2006 Petroleum Age 9/11/2007 Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 4.11 MB) June 2006 Petroleum Age 9/10/2007 Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 3.36 MB) March 2006 Petroleum Age 9/9/2007 Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 2.83 MB) December 2005 Petroleum Age 9/8/2007 Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 4.04 MB) September 2005 Petroleum Age 9/7/2007 Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 5.10 MB) June 2005 Petroleum Age 9/6/2007 Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 3.02 MB) March 2005 Petroleum Age 9/5/2007 Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 3.30 MB) December 2004 Petroleum Age 9/4/2007 Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 4.50 MB) September 2004 Petroleum Age 9/3/2007 Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 2.09 MB) June 2004 Petroleum Age 9/3/2007 Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 3.78 MB) Asphalt Paves the Way 7/6/2007 Ninety-four percent of U.S. roads and streets are asphalt...variously known as blacktop, tarmac, macadam, plant mix, asphalt concrete, bituminous concrete, and Hot Mix Asphalt. Read about the history of asphalt in the June 2007 "Petroleum Age" newsletter.  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 278 KB) Unlocking the Energy of Oil 3/15/2007 From our March 2007 newsletter: The new, 2,000-square-foot permanent exhibit opened Feb. 1 at the Texas Energy Museum in Beaumont. The exhibit tells the story of the chemistry of hydrocarbon transformation from oil to consumer products.   more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 235 KB) Flight of the Woolaroc 3/14/2007 It was a foggy Tuesday morning, Aug. 16, 1927, as eight airplanes prepared for takeoff before a crowd of more than 50,000 at the Oakland Airport. Aviation history was about to be made with a race to Honolulu -- and Phillips Nu-Aviation Gasoline. Read this 430k PDF file from our quarterly newsletter.  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 427 KB) The Conroe Crater 7/4/2006 In 1932 wildcatter George W. Strake discovered the prolific Conroe, Texas, oilfield. In January 1933, it erupted in flame. To the rescue came George E. Failing's portable drilling trucks. Then came H. John Eastman, "the father of directional drilling." From the June 2005 issue of the "Petroleum Age."  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 1.01 MB) Hot & Cool Engines of Coolspring, Pa. 6/22/2006 From the September 2005 newsletter: In western Pennsylvania, the Coolspring Power Museum collection of internal combustion engines, including many used in early 20th century oilfields, is the among the most historically significant in the country, according to museum director Paul E. Harvey, a member of the historical society.   more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 1.07 MB) Last of the Gushers 6/21/2006 From the March 2006 newsletter: In 1922, it took Texas wildcatter experience and ingenuity to create a workable device to prevent oil well blowouts and bring an end to the days of gushers. Like wooden derricks and steam boilers, gushers have long receded into the pages of oilfield history. Drilling technology continues to evolve in its quest to recover petroleum.  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 293 KB) Oklahoma Floats & Tulsa's Oil Giant 6/21/2006 From the March 2006 newsletter: Anticipating the parade to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Sooner State, artists have been working with the Oklahoma Centennial Commission to bring in this wildcat well in 2007. Also, at 76-feet tall, who is the Golden Driller?  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 236 KB) Indiana's Gas Boom 6/21/2006 From the March 2006 newsletter: A brief history of a natural gas boom. Discoveries in the late 1880s led to the Indiana gas boom, which would dramatically change the state. The Trenton Field as it became known, spread over 5,120 square miles. It was the largest natural gas field known in the world. More than 200 companies drilled and sold natural gas. Then the gas ran out.  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 1.07 MB) Accessible Geo Artifacts 6/21/2006 From the March 2006 newsletter: The Geophysical Society of Houston (GSH), a section of the Society of Exploration Geophysics (SEG), Tulsa, first formed a museum committee in 1960 and started collecting geophysical artifacts used to locate petroleum. The SEG Geosceince Center in Tulsa has many instruments on display and also exhibits them online.   more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 290 KB) Pioneer Oil Museum 3/23/2006 The Pioneer Oil Museum and community of Bolivar, N.Y., preserve the area’s petroleum exploration and production heritage, which began in 1881. From the December 2005 Petroleum Age.   more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 557 KB) Louisiana State Oil Museum 2/22/2006 From the Petroleum Age newsletter, Vol. 2, No. 3, September 2005: The Louisiana State Oil & Gas Museum in Oil City describes the great 1911 Caddo Parish oil find -- and the rise and fall of a North Louisiana oil town. Director Coe Haygood tells the story.  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 1.29 MB) Wyoming Oil Pioneers 2/15/2006 As the great gold rushes of the West lost momentum, another highly prized resource brought a new wave of explorers – especially Pennsylvania oilmen. By the time Wyoming became the 44th state in 1890, Casper already had a refinery, oil speculators, land controversies and lawsuits. In August 1890, Philip Shannon brought in his first well. By the 1920s, about one-fifth of all oil produced in the United States came from one field – the Salt Creek Oil Field north of Casper. (Article from Vol. 2, No. 4, December Petroleum Age newsletter).   more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 1.34 MB) The 2005 Oil History Symposium 2/15/2006 Our news coverage of the April 2005 International Oil History Symposium: A fieldtrip to Burning Springs, site of an 1860 oil well in West Virginia, highlighted the April 6-9 gathering in Morgantown. Hosted by the Petroleum History Institute (PHI), the 2005 symposium included tours of Appalachian geology and oil exploration history, including a stop at an historic 1892 discovery well in Sistersville, an event annually celebrated in September. West Virgina Oil & Gas Museum director and author David L. McKain hosted a tour of his Parkersburg museum -- and the Rathbone discovery well along the Little Kanawaha River. (From the Petroleum Age, Vol. 2, No. 2)  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 1.40 MB) Oil on the Brain 2/13/2006 One of the articles from our December 2005 Petroleum Age newsletter, Vol. 2, No. 4: Seven 19th century oilfield airs have been given new life in a recording by the Franklin High School Band of Franklin, Pa. The CD is the brain-child of band director Steve Johnston. The songs include Oil Fever Galop, Oil on the Brain, and American Petroleum Polka.  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 785 KB) America's First Dry Hole 2/13/2006 Also from Vol. 2, No. 4, December Petroleum Age newsletter: Just four days after the famous Drake well discovery of Aug. 27, 1859 in Titusville, Pa., John Grandin began a well of his own. It achieved many firsts that today are only footnotes in oil history.  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 1.30 MB) Oklahoma History Center & Devon Energy Oil and Gas Park 2/13/2006 The Oklahoma History Center opened Nov. 19 in Oklahoma City, concluding five years of construction. Curators moved thousands of artifacts into the 40,000 square-foot facility. It includes five main exhibit galleries. Next door is the Devon Energy Oil and Gas Park, which has three types of derricks used in Oklahoma oilfields -- and an extensive collection of other equipment. (from Vol. 2, No. 4, the Petroleum Age newsletter)  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 869 KB) California Oils 12/30/2004 Oilfield paintings by JoAnn Cowans, an AOGHS volunteer and advocate of two museums in the City of Brea...  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 220 KB) Do You know What this Is? 9/17/2004 A covered oilfield wagon has Pioneer Oil Museum volunteers stumped...for now.  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 1.14 MB) Kentucky Oil in a Bottle 9/5/2004 Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 230 KB) The Penn-Brad Oil Museum 3/20/2004 Museum news -- and 2004 AOGHS Benefactors & Patrons  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 220 KB) Oil in Mt. Carmel, IL, Smackover, AR 3/18/2004 The Wabash County Museum, Illinois, and the Arkansas Museum of Natural History...  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 299 KB) Drake Well Museum Shoots a Well 3/17/2004 Museum's new "nitro show" demonstrates the first way of fracturing underground sandstones...  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 332 KB) Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum 3/16/2004 Museum's Petroleum Wing and Research Center have many stories to tell...  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 215 KB) Oklahoma's First Discovery 3/15/2004 The story behind the Oklahoma's first oil well and the city of Bartlesville. Many discoveries would follow this first "commercial" well...  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 1.32 MB) Preserving the Heritage of Ranger 3/14/2004 The derrick-raising efforts of the Ranger Historical Preservation Society; Cisco, Texas, and the first Hilton Hotel...  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 176 KB) Museum News 3/12/2004 The Petroleum Museum, Greater Seminole, Wyoming, Illinois & California...  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 312 KB) Museum News 3/11/2004 Oil City's Louisiana State Oil and Gas Museum grand opening & more...  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 186 KB) Museum News 3/7/2004 New York's Pioneer Oil Museum, the Central Texas Oil Oatch Museum in Luling & more...  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 312 KB) A Crude Story of Mabel's Eyelashes 4/10/1995 From the March 2005 Petroleum Age newsletter, this is the story of how a patented method for turning a waxy goop from 1870s Pennsylvania oil wells led to a black mixture that today adorns the eyelashes of women aorund the world.  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 1.34 MB) Oilfield Artillery 11/11/1994 From page 12 of the latest Petroleum Age newsletter: Lightning strikes were frequent and disastrous occurrences in early oilfields. An 1884 magazine article, A Thunder-Storm in the Oil Country, describes how oilmen went about putting out the fires.  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 438 KB) Picture Michigan Oil History 11/10/1994 A Clarke Historical Library at Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, exhibits decades of Michigan exploration and production history. Here is the story from our September Petroleum Age Newsletter.  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 750 KB) America Exports Oil 11/9/1994 The Society is indebted to maritime author Dr. William Flayhart III for his research on the Port of Philadelphia and its contributions to the growth of the American petroleum industry.  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 830 KB) From the June 2006 Petroleum Age 9/20/1994 Special thanks to all who attended, participated and sponsored the April 20-23 Oil History Symposium in Wichita, Kansas. AOGHS features the energy education events in the June issue of the "Petroleum Age." Here is a small sample of the issue's many stories. (1.4 M PDF file)  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 1.44 MB) Evolution of an Oilfield Technology 3/9/1994 "All Pumped Up" is an article from our September 2006 Petroleum Age newsletter. It describes the history of an American oil patch icon: the pump jack, whose history is one of invention and innovation by industry pioneers. (903k PDF file)  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 903 KB) A Brief History of Drilling 3/8/1994 "A cable tool driller knows more knots and splices than any six sailors you can find." The technologies used to drill a modern oil or natural gas well evolved from the simple and ancient spring pole to rotary rigs capable of drilling miles into the earth. But it was the advent of cable tool drilling that introduced the wooden derrick into a changing American landscape. "Making Hole" is from our September 2006 "Petroleum Age." (580k PDF file)  more... Adobe Acrobat document, (size: 598 KB)

For Energy Educators Complete Issues of the Petroleum Age! The official publication of the American Oil & Gas Historical Society is the Petroleum Age (ISSN 1930-5915), a quarterly 16-page newsletter. Articles are designed to assist educators in providing historical context for teaching today's complex petroleum industry. Below are PDFs of archived issues. Because each is complete with photographs and illustrations, file sizes are large and require time for downloading.  Please send a tax-deductible contribution to support this unique energy education resource. Petroleum Age 2008 Vol. 5, No. 1, March 2008 Petroleum Age 2007 Vol. 4, No. 4, December 2007 Vol. 4, No. 3, September 2007 Vol. 4, No. 2, June 2007 Vol. 4, No. 1, March 2007  Petroleum Age 2006 Vol. 3, No. 4, December 2006 Vol. 3, No. 3, September 2006 Vol. 3, No. 2, June 2006 Vol. 3, No. 1, March 2006 Petroleum Age 2005 Vol. 2, No. 4, December 2005 Vol. 2, No. 3, September 2005 Vol. 2, No. 2, June 2005 Vol. 2, No. 1, March 2005   Petroleum Age 2004 Vol. 1, No. 3, December 2004 Vol. 1, No. 2, September 2004 First Issue, June 2004

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