The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1892-03-12
A. aoMANce or aichEs.


WnA worth ~, 0O0. 900.
This Is the oldest town In tbs Pennsylyan
oil regions. having been the first town IN
spring Into life under the wonderful stimulus
Of the oil excitement Il Is located ON Oil
creek, two and q halt miles above OIL City,
and 1t was bere that the third well sas drilled
Tor oil. and on the McElbsnny farm, snort
distance above Housewife the first real
..spouter" WAS struck This was the famous
Fountain we'll" which flowed stream Of
oil over the topof the derrick, high above the
tailsst trees Ia the neighborhood, and started
the great rush Of people into this wonderful
region This was once great oil metropolis,
with banking Offices. scores Of hof4,ls and sii
the commercial facilities Of city. Being 10
near 10 Oil City and Petroleum Center, its
population never got above 10000, II 1t
reached that figure. bat IL WAS ono Of tho
most active cities In the belt OF oil. II WAS
surrounded by some OF the wonderful flow
ing wells Of early oil days. The Widow Nc
Chntock farm. which fell into the possession
Of Johnny Steele. Afterwards known 70 the
world ms Goal Oil Johnny" Is within sight
Of this town. f.ike all other oil towns, Rouss-
vile has hs-n swept by fire number of times
and there il but little Of the old town left.
What Is left OF il Is u eurious old relic, IN
which there is but little To suggest the hustle
and excitement and the fortunes lost and
won in former days Goal Oh Johnny 10
by no means the only man who found q easy
fortune within sight Of this queer old town
The first great oil fire was here when the
Rouse well WAS burned, and Henry Rouse,
after whom the town was named, was burned
To death, along with sixteen other men. The
story Of this tragedy has been told Ia these
columns and need not lie Repeated. IL was
the most appalling tragedy Ia fhs history Of
oil fires and. being the first. II created a won
derfui sensation. There has be%a talk Of
erecting d monument Oh the site of the 6rs
10 honor ths nesnnry Of the sixteen men who
were the first 10 perish ia the development Of
iiae oil region. Col Drake. Who drilled the
first oil well, has DO monument yet. and the
eittx~as u Housewife do not believe that
either monument viii ever lie erected
Ii oil w-ie found 10 = li;s.s! lake instead
Of la q porous rock, Housewife. like Petro-
ielim Center, soiiid have been situated over
. lake of oil A number Of big wells were
struck within the limits d the town, aud
great ''gasilersH surrounded the town on
every sade. Not only were the Oh cresk
nats here soni-rfal!y prolific, but Cherry
rub, which osnptl-s lnto OH cn-ek al this
paint, produced some wells oni, second in
rschaess to ihe Dil cr.ek s-lls Some af the
largest II thes~s ~ss- near Boases lille, and IL
L@ said that the seiis Ia the vicinity
have produced enough oil TO have sub
merged the tosn This money vaue of the
OH taken fron ttl- ground near Rouserliie is
at,osr So UU 90 TIE Story farm alone has
psssiunt-i about si1.00,0 worth Of t-rtro
i-un. and sill ha, siasii pt'sdactIon-per.
hat.s 100 tarrcis per mouth Tue first seil
dFlIloi al Esssis~liii-. the third the creek
~ stated, sss pa; daaa b, the primitive
Intihoi q spring ls,i- -ngine This Mss
40 eugiis- al ali sut a sioa, safaing, or
sfsing t.ss~ Ia shlch the D,ois acre attached.
Thrye four n,ea sosild pail the spring pola
dos "a a4.si lie slrin.s sisald Afi the ioois for
The next siroAe This sas called ''traInpiRg
q ssii tvsn.@ aud Ne many 81 them were
tramJ.si down io the depth 81 80 and tUd
fevs tbs operation rfs sios and teiissus.
No hess than 10 selis were pui down ga oil
crse. In ikls crude NAY lsc.orc s,sam sas ap.
Ials.i 10 the WORK. Where lhrc~r monihs were
ofs-n reisinai ,o drsli ~Sil then. one /,
dfaIioi sao~ Ia ten days ami .yeas lessL
Tho history td susn- 81 the tas selis near
ftonsrsiiiS Ia the history Il niany. and ~il
ssrr t. ,llus,sa,. tlsc amazing iicAisess Of ;hs
oai irli la this s-sctsosA. TIE its~sl seil CT
c.~rry run. ~as struck ju!t Il, 1864 Il
sas ioaatsa on an acre II isSSed ground Tbs
is,sd Interest sn f~riNe ui4e-Quarts-r ID
the al znd tilv aaEcs's u the ell the t.alauor
oa- peli put Aoan. and Ia nitsc,y da \,
from STARTING ;he aftil s'Ss os1 had b<~a rrDal
lAei from IS 10y the wOrkghg luteresi alone
Tho Mihga uH eusntAny. ui l'liiisdellshia
bouSb, uut oue-JaaTtar nf ;lst land in;rte~i it
tho well tof s2su os,1. alter the owner had a.
rrsas s4d So un worth - oal from H. Mr.
Rr~.i. sIief ssiians $1,000 aottb 81 al fron
Ais soruaani. sasi Ia Rtslsap. BlsAeli q 90
half Il hls la;~fesi fnr slsp1 40 A nsn nana.s
r.asaet assi an ini-f~ss in tho well that nciiss
him tlnJ 90 iH Oh and he afterwards snl,i hi
ini-tvss f,< slua 0s1 cash Mo-, Il ;isesr sale
~ero ,,ssss a. hand The Mango ol co'npsn,
Paid es~p ."r fyE tBesr interest In onc psy
nscsli Thrco o,ser wcllA urro drilled on TIN
ono acre q gfN.usli. an! from tho tour we'll
o. onp.1p raansrt Thts h perhaps ia
riches, acre 81 grosnd ever deTcloF-ed IN Tia
,.sI ccsa,sy Tbc original o~neas we're mes
q small means AMI ali be,snc ~csiihy .r,m
,Ai, single TRANSACTION Even the philsdel
pbia ani Neu Yors cssnj,ania- Who bpush
,hcsn out al .ssrh rxuaNAEApi figures real
lse.i handsomely from their inNcsimesi,
There IL ne sisn 81 the Rrssi ucli 90 any :,
TIA rich nrighls.ss nov Tilo places shetc Ia
tiesricls AMI tanks stood arr grown high " iil
weeds apd bsIsl,es and from the mine a
wealth tn. sI,ss has rrturu-d 20 IL primitiv
! wiidnesa ard wurthirrsssesN -- Rouevtlle ia
/ sJ--cial
niii, cm-r,.e'. Tezm.