Description

Pennsylvania has been home to many world-changing events over the years, from the Declaration of Independence to the discovery of the polio vaccine, to the creation of the Big Mac. However, you could argue that few, if any, of these had as large an impact as what occurred in northwestern Pennsylvania in late August of 1859.
Oil was known to exist in northwestern Pennsylvania for hundreds of years. Over that time, Native Americans had been collecting oil from seeps in the ground along Oil Creek and passed that knowledge onto settlers to the area.
This book profiles the history of Pennsylvania oil from its discovery and development to its impact on the culture, economy, and environment of the oil region. These vintage postcards provide a glimpse into the wide-ranging history of western Pennsylvania's oil region, from the cradle of the industry at Oil Creek to the immensely productive Bradford oil field, and on to cities and towns like Oil City, built largely by the black gold.