American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-05-10
Coal and Oil Fields Of Butler
County. Penn'a.


County, Penn'a.
The fact that Butler county, Pa, and
the adjoining counties, contain immense
bodies of minerals, is long known; and
yet no systematic development has, up to
this time, taken place.
The inhabitants can all show where the
coal crops out on the different streams.
and in many locations some little mining
is done for ncighborhood use, so that the
traveller, unless very unobserving, cannot
fail to be duly notified, that fuel, in the
form of bituminous coal, is in great abund-
ance in this section of Pennsylvania
Still little, or indeed nothing, has been
yet done to bring this immense body of
wealth into any practical shape.
Besides coal, strong evidence of oil ex-
lists in many parts of the highly favored
county and for this commodity, efforts
to develop have assumed more business
like form. Good sites for boring are Sc
lected, and derricks are being put up by
parties full of hope in consequence of dis
covcries, in the shape of good yielding
wells, in Lawrence county, adjoining the
Butler county line.
Very considerable excitement is felt in
this locality at present, which promises,
with the opening of spring. and when the
roads are better, to become very general
and extensive. On Muddycreek, some
what central in Butler county, on the Al
len farm, is hole now being sunk for oil,
which is down some FIVE hundred feet, and
according to the opinion of the oil-wiso,
show some excellent symptoms; so that
Preparations are making to receive the OLE
agenous fluid, the coming of which is full
ly expected by the enterprising owners.
That oil exists in these valleys is ira
ditional early settlers were aware of its,
at that time, disagreeable presence Tin
terfered with their salt manufactures, and
several salt works were abandoned on ac-
count of oily admixture with the water.
Some of these old salt wells are about to
be opened up with view to oil instead of
saline products.
Among other sources of wealth, yet to
be brought into use by the enterprising,
are iron ore, limestone and lead The two
first abound and are so general that with
the coal. it would not be surprising to
find, in few years, extensive iron works
sprink led all over this portion of Western
Pennsylvania. Indeed already surround
ing this territory in the Shenaugo Valley
on the one side, aud the Allegheny ON the
other, numerous furnaces and other iron
works are already found; and from the
specimens of lead shown by the residents,
and the traditions coming down from the
days of the Indians, large deposits of the
ore are to be expected in portions of this
county.
. Nothing but the lack of Railroad COM
munication, can prevent this highly en-
dowed country from assuming its r,ghtful
importance in the eye of the capitalist.
THIS deficiency will doubtless soon be
supplied No railroad company could re-
quire a surer basis for investment, than
the mineral wealth so patiently awaiting
the means of transportation. 1t requires
no prophetic vision to see that the mutu-
al advantages SO apparent will ultimately
if not very soon. bring the necessary cap
ital to bear, investing in railroads on the
one hand, and opening up coal mines and
oil wells on the other, each contributing
to the general welfare and success os the
other.
The North Western Railroad, now the
property of the Pa. Genital r. r. Co., is
laid out through this country, and con-
siderable portion oil the road is already far
advanced toward completion. When this
road is finished in all its connections, it
must become an important avenue for the
travel from the Atlantic seaboard through
Pennsylvania to the West, passing thro'
rich agricultural as well as the more i'm
portant mineral counties.