24 University Geological Survey of Kansas. 
Soon after the close of the civil war public-spirited citizens of 
Paola took up the matter again, principally through the efforts 
of Hon. W. P. Wagstaff, W. T. Shively, and others, and em- 
ployed Prof. G. C. Swallow, then state geologist for Kansas, 
to make a geological survey of Miami county, with special ref- 
erence to the probability of finding oil. A short extract is here 
included: 
““PETROLEUM.* 
“The existence of ‘tar springs’ in Missouri and Kansas has 
long been known to the settlers and hunters of those regions, 
but they attracted no particular attention, as the ‘rock tay’ 
had been applied to no useful purposes, except as a lubricator 
of the freighter’s wagon and a limited application as a domestic 
medical remedy. 
“The late extensive application in the arts has caused care- 
ful explorations of these localities to be made, which have 
resulted in discovering a vast number of places where petro- 
leum comes to the surface through the rocks and soils in 
greater or less abundance. Such, in fact, is the abundance 
of petroleum flowing from the springs in this county that no 
one can doubt that it comes from some abundant source. 
“In our examination of Miami county, more than twenty 
places were observed where petroleum flowed from the rocks 
and soils in considerable abundance. The larger number of 
these spring's are, aS shown on the accompanying map, on the 
Wea, Middle creek, Marais des Cygnes and Sugar creek. 
There are numerous places in all parts of the county where 
the rocks are saturated with petroleum, or contain it in their 
cavities in the solid state, called asphaltum. There are also 
numerous wells in which petroleum was found in some of its 
varieties. In some it was so abundant as to entirely ruin the 
water, and the wells were filled up and abandoned. 
“The most noted springs in the county are the Wea tar 
spring, the Beaver tar spring, the Won-zop-peah tar spring, 
Dale’s oil spring, and Honeywell’s oil spring. 
“The Wea tar spring is on the Wea, in section 2, township 
17, range 24, and flows from the partings and crevices of the 
sandstone No. 17 of our section above,* about fifteen feet be- 
low the overlying limestone. This spring doubtless discharges 
more petroleum than any other in the county, and has been 
known to the settlers and freighters for more than thirty 
years, and to the Indians from time immemorial. 
“The Beaver creek tar spring is in section 8 of the same 
township, and springs from the same sandstone a few feet 
lower down, or thirty feet below the limestone No. 16. 
“Dale’s oil spring is in section 30, township 17, range 25, and 
* Swallow, Prof. G. C., Kansas Geological Survey Report, 1866, pp. 85-89. 
