Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-01-27
PITHoLE,s RISE AND FALL.
Farm Lands Now Where Stood the Third
City of Pennsylvania.

4Wrm A6nUS NOW Wnerc stood the Third
City of Pennsylvania.
Who has not heard of. Pithole?
Every oil man of the country pricks
up his ears at the sound At an in
slant later shade Of recollection Of
blighted hopes, fearful strainings
for wealth, immense fortunes ac-
cumulated, grand possessions sud
denly swept away, sweeps over his
face. Every oil man has heard Of
Pithole.
Pithole's rise, birth or origin was
Jan. z, 1864. Upon.a farm in Venan-
go county some enterprising wild
CATERS struck oil. Twas the ia
nous well No. 4, U. S., and it was a
gusher. Within two months Pithole
was borough Of 5000 souls, and
by the middle of the summer it was
a city of fully 10000.
When the trees commenced to
shed their golden and yellow leaves,
the great city, then the, third in
population probably in Pennsyl-
vania, had reached the zenith of its
growth. There were dozen good
hotels, three churches and even two
theaters. Each one of these institu-
tions was thriving too. Two rail
roads were built to the city and sew
eral others had been projected. All
Of the accessories to big, rich city
were provided in Pithole. There
was nothing lacking which men Of
money demanded.
Landl Why, the land around Pit
hole at that time could only be
bought by heaping gold upon it and
offering the yellow dirt for the moro
ordinary and humble looking stuff
which was supposed to cover the
precious petroleum, which then how
cred around SIS per barrel in price.
Farming, of course, was given up.
The tiller of the soil gave place to
the driller into the rock. Farmers
sold their farms for fabulous prices
and were made rich beyond their
widest dreams Yet some of them,
as is the case with all men, held
back. One old man owned a farm of
over 200 acres. Copeland was his
name. He refused an offer Of $780,
coo for his place, maintaining that
if he sold out he would have no
where to go. Another agricultur-
list of that neighborhood refused
to dispose of $50 acres for $3.50, 900.
He demanded 100000 and would
not take cent less. He never got a
cent for his land, as it afterward
turned out, for his land, upon being
tested, yielded no oil, and he was
left to scratch the surface Of the
land for the poor living he could
get from his soanty crops.
Pithole was a great business place
while in its glory. 1t had its stores
and banks, and the postohice was
reckoned one of the most important
in the country. A tremendous
amount of trade was done there.
The demand for supplies upon the
rest of the country gave it great
commercial Importance. While it
had all the places of amusement
that could be desired, it was work,
aday place. The whole country for
miles around was literally honey
combed by the indefatigable drill
ers. Millions of dollars were made
in and around Pithole and millions
of dollars sunk into the earth CT
squandered in the town itself. The
life of but too many was of that
"come easy, go easy" sort.
But Pithole is Pithole no more
Itreached its top notch in one short
year and came down almost as
quickly as it sprang up. The great
fire there FASTENED its downfall.
There was nothing of the phoenix
about this place. To get into the city
now you must either climb a fence
or let down the bars. The whole
site of the place, public buildings
ana all, was out three OF tour years
since sold for taxes and bought in
by a farmer for only 81, 200. Since
then he has farned there, and most
of the place,is used to grow grain
or as a pasture for cattle.
The postoffice, where the third
largest business in the state was
done, is now the home of barn swal-
lows and other birds, while in its
shade the peaceful cattle love to re-
pose on a hot August afternoon.
Grass and dirt cover the ruins of
the great Murphy theater, the Mo-
rey hotel, the st. Cloud, the St.
Nicholas, the Patterton and the
Hubbs. Only ruined foundation
stones, scattered around in confused
heaps, tell where the famous $7O,-
600 Danforth House once stood.
Traces of the old time railroads
have not been effaced by the farm
er's pillow as yet.
The old Presbyterian church still
stands as another monument to the