150 ANNUAL REPORT 
most primitive sort, the tools being raised by a hand lever. Necessarily 
the labor was arduous and progress slow. Fortunately it was not neces- 
sary to drill deep; at a depth of 59 feet oil was found in moderate quan- 
tity. It hada gravity of 28 deg. B., and because of this did not find a ready 
market, since it was too heavy to be used for illuminating purposes. How- 
ever, its value as a lubricant was soon discovered, and thereafter the pro- 
duct was easily disposed of, commanding a price as high as $28 per barrel. 
The oil was hauled in wagons to Lowell, on the Muskingum, ten miles 
distant, and from there shipped by boat. The success of the Dutton well at 
once attracted the attention of operators elsewhere, and soon the adja- 
cent territory was being tested. A little later it was decided to drill 
deeper, and at 140 feet below the valley of Duck Creek a second sand was 
found which produced quite largely. This is the equivalent of the sand 
found on Cow Run—to be discussed later—and now widely known in 
southeastern Ohio as the First Cow Run sand. It is known at Macksburg, 
at the present day, as the 140-foot sand. A year or two later a well was 
drilled on the Smithson farm, in the valley below Macksburg. At a 
depth of approximately 300 feet a small amount of oil was found, and this 
rock has been known as the Macksburg 300-foot sand. In 1865 a well 
_was drilled on the Atkinson farm, just below Macksburg. At a depth of 
500 feet a flow of oil, reported at 50 barrels per day, was found, and this 
stratum has since been known as the 500-foot sand. The same year a 
well was drilled to a depth of 800 feet on the Dutton farm, below Macks- 
burg. It produced gas and some oil, and the oil rock has since been 
known as the Macksburg 800-foot sand. 
The greatest excitement in the field was perhaps in 1864, when land 
was bought and sold at fabulous prices. Thus the Jacob Dearth farm, 
consisting of 200 acres, and adjoining the Dutton tract, just below Macks- 
burg, was sold for $300,000. At that time there was one well on the tract 
which produced about ten barrels per day. The company never secured 
another producer. About the same time the James Dutton farm sold 
for $100,000. A small part only of the farm which exchanged hands was 
regarded as productive, since not more than a fraction of the territory lay 
in the valley, and this part alone was regarded as productive. Not 
until t881 (Minshall) was the hill land adjacent to the valley tested. 
The period of great excitement just alluded to was of short duration. 
The deeper sands did not meet expectations and the expense of hauling the 
oil to market was heavy. Besides the price of oil had decreased, and as a 
result of these conditions the principal operators withdrew from the field, 
and the valley resumed much of its old-time quietude. . 
Discovery of Oil at Cow Run.—The following interesting paragraph 
is taken from Mr. Minshall’s report, to which reference already has been 
made :1 
1Geol. Sur. of Ohio, Vol. VI, p. 414. 
