The Titusville Gusher Part 1 (Ep1)
EPISODE 1, THE TITUSVILLE GUSHER, PART ONE: Titusville, Pennsylvania, was where the first oil well was drilled in 1859. Thus began a new industry, which birthed a new economic boom that created several oil boom towns. Some of them still exist today, like Titusville and Oil City, and some became ghost towns and disappeared, like Pithole and Petroleum Center. This episode focuses on that first discovery of oil by Edwin Drake, the resulting economic boom, and the rise of the Standard Oil Company, helmed by John D. Rockefeller. The episode tracks how Standard Oil became overwhelmingly dominant in oil refining, transportation and marketing. This is the first of a three-part series on the Oil Regions of Northwest Pennsylvania.
Timestamps for major events/discussions:
[08:39] – Investors prepare to drill for oil in Pennsylvania
[11:32] – Investors hire Edwin Drake
[14:00] – Day oil was discovered in Titusville
[18:23] – Introducing Frank Tarbell and Ida Tarbell
[27:45] – John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil as the enemy of the oil regions
[34:34] – South Improvement Company
[38:37] – The Cleveland Massacre
[41:48] – Tidewater Pipeline
Books to read:
• Ron Chernow, Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
• Albert J. Churella, The Pennsylvania Railroad, Volume 1: Building and Empire, 1846-1917
• Ida Tarbell, The History of the Standard Oil Company
• Ida Tarbell, All in a Day’s Work [autobiography]
• Daniel Yergin, The Prize: The Epic Quest for Money, Oil and Power
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