﻿PETROLEUM 
  AND 
  NATURAL 
  GAS 
  IN 
  WESTERN 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  33 
  

  

  OIL 
  AND 
  NATURAL 
  GAS 
  IN 
  CATTARAUGUS 
  CO. 
  

   Historical 
  

  

  The 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  petroleum 
  industry 
  in 
  Cattaraugus 
  co. 
  

   began 
  near 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Limestone 
  in 
  1864. 
  The 
  first 
  well 
  in 
  

   the 
  Tuna 
  valley 
  was 
  drilled 
  by 
  Olmstead 
  on 
  the 
  Crookes 
  farm 
  in 
  

   Pennsylvania, 
  about 
  one 
  half 
  mile 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  line. 
  The 
  

   discovery 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  amount 
  of 
  oil 
  in 
  this 
  boring 
  stimulated 
  

   exploration, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  1864 
  Dr 
  James 
  Nichols, 
  

   Henry 
  Renner 
  and 
  Daniel 
  Smith 
  sunk 
  a 
  well 
  just 
  north 
  of 
  Lime- 
  

   stone 
  village, 
  to 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  570 
  feet. 
  They 
  found 
  oil, 
  but 
  not 
  

   in 
  paying 
  quantities, 
  because 
  as 
  was 
  afterwards 
  ascertained, 
  they 
  

   did 
  not 
  go 
  deep 
  enough. 
  Soon 
  after, 
  the 
  Hall 
  farm 
  petroleum 
  

   co. 
  of 
  which 
  Job 
  Moses 
  was 
  a 
  prominent 
  member, 
  put 
  down 
  a 
  

   well 
  about 
  three 
  fourths 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  west 
  of 
  Limestone 
  on 
  the 
  

   opposite 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  valley. 
  Oil 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  third 
  sand 
  at 
  

   a 
  depth 
  of 
  1060 
  feet 
  and 
  yielded 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  hours 
  at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  

   200 
  barrels 
  a 
  day. 
  Owing 
  to 
  an 
  accident, 
  the 
  well 
  was 
  ruined 
  

   by 
  an 
  influx 
  of 
  water 
  before 
  its 
  true 
  value 
  was 
  ascertained. 
  

   Moses 
  immediately 
  purchased 
  9000 
  acres 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  origi- 
  

   nal 
  tract 
  of 
  1200 
  acres, 
  and 
  leased 
  1000 
  acres 
  more. 
  

  

  The 
  further 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  property 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  lan- 
  

   guished 
  and 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  Moses 
  were 
  unprofitable. 
  In 
  the 
  

   same 
  year 
  Dr 
  Nichols 
  and 
  others 
  sunk 
  an 
  unsuccessful 
  well 
  on 
  

   the 
  Bailliet 
  farm, 
  north 
  of 
  Limestone. 
  

  

  The 
  oil 
  excitement 
  of 
  1875-76 
  caused 
  a 
  rapid 
  development 
  of 
  

   territory 
  along 
  the 
  Tuna 
  valley. 
  The 
  first 
  productive 
  wells 
  were 
  

   drilled 
  on 
  the 
  farms 
  of 
  Hiram 
  and 
  William 
  Beardsley. 
  These 
  

   found 
  oil 
  in 
  paying 
  quantities 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  months 
  the 
  valley 
  was 
  

   dotted 
  with 
  derricks. 
  In 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  1878 
  there 
  were 
  more 
  than 
  

   250 
  wells 
  in 
  Carrollton 
  township 
  alone. 
  

  

  Explorations 
  northward 
  began 
  in 
  1876, 
  when 
  the 
  Allegany 
  oil 
  

   co. 
  put 
  down 
  a 
  well 
  on 
  the 
  premises 
  of 
  J. 
  G. 
  and 
  E. 
  M. 
  John- 
  

   son 
  in 
  Allegany 
  township. 
  Oil 
  in 
  paying 
  quantities 
  was 
  obtained, 
  

   and 
  rapid 
  development 
  followed. 
  The 
  discovery 
  of 
  oil 
  in 
  the 
  

   Woodmancy 
  well 
  near 
  Allegany 
  village 
  in 
  1878-79 
  opened 
  up 
  a 
  

  

  