Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1924-04-03

for $4,000.
During the summer of 1851 at
least twenty-five wells. were put
down in this part of the field and at
| one time it was estimated by an op-
orator that there were at least fifty
men working on the Boileau and
100 on the Joy farm.
Valley Dotted With Wells
The valley was completely dotted
with wells, most of which have been
abandoned years ago and the very
location of many of them has been
obliterated The Bishop farm con-
sisted of 325 acres and in the early
sixties sold for 100000. A few of
4 these wells drilled on this farm dur
ing the Civil war are still producing
today. o. G. Dunn, manager of the
+ Joy Oil Company, of which this farm
is part, says that while the produc-
ton is small from the wells they are
producing regularly today.
! One well located in the northwest
corner of the farm which is believed
to have been drilled in 1861 has been
producing oil for over sixty years,
Mr. Dunn said The well was drill
ed to a depth of between 70 and 80
/ feet and was never shot until 1897.
Wells Still Produce
Another of these pioneers stands
/ few hundred feet south of the last
well on the north bank of Federal
Creek. 1t was drilled in 1852 at
depth of 72 feet and it is reported to
have started off at between 80 and
40 barrels per day. This well had
not produced long until there was a
sharp decline in the price of oil.
This was in about 1880 and the well
was shut in for period of twelve
years. The well had it's first shot in
1898
Other wells in the valley date
back to the Civil war but the ones
on the higher lands were drilled in
later years. Reason for this was
the operators belief at that time
that all of the productive territory
| lay in the valleys and not on the
hills. Many of the wells in this val
ley came in with good gas pressure
and in many instances they flowed,
sometimes over the tops of the der
ricks.
| Today most of these wells are be-
ing operated by the Joy Farm Oil
Company, composed of Dawes Bros,
and o. C. Dunn, FL. E. Smith, |. l..
Dunn, and w. w. Mills,
Joy Farm Sells For S375.OOO
The original Joy farm, which is
now owned by the Joy Farm Oil
Company, composed of Marietta and
Chicago men, sold in 1850 during
the first year of it's development for
| 1915, 900. The company that pur-
| oh a cod IL mt on Hri11int ga M no Or
and few years later had a number
of fine producing wells on the lease.
Well No 4, one of the first in the
valley, was drilled to the bottom Of
the Cow Run sand at IS feet and
the Cambridge lime was reached at
90 feet This well started off with
big production and in 1900 it was
still producing four barrels every
| IL hours but to secure this oil it
was necessary to pump off some 400
barrels of salt water.
No. on the same lease was drill
ed between 1861 and 1868 and came
in perfectly dry. Two years later
| the lease changed hands and the
new company cleaned out the aban-
doned we'll, put it to pumping and it
started off making ten barrels per
day. In 1870 the Mansfield Petro-
! leum Company secured the lease and
| putting in quart Of nitroglycerine
into the well brought the production
up to 80 barrels per day The well
then produced continually although
the production receded gradually.
It was estimated that up to 1897
the well had yielded $4,000
worth of oil.
Sold Number Times
The Joy farm changed hands a
number of times since 1860. The
| first company although paying a
large sum of money for the lease
came out financially on their invest
ment. Out of the $1,000,000 capi-
tai stock it is said that 100000
was sold in New York at par and the
remaining half advanced SO percent
in price and then one-half of it was
sold to New York parties.
The Mansfield Petroleum Com
pany sold out to man by the name
of Dale at the time they had but
two producing wells on the farm.
Dale paid $4,000 for the lease but
becoming discouraged with it he
made complaint to the Mansfield
company who reduced the price of
the sale $4,000.
Dale operated the property under
the name of the Midland Oil Com
pany and started drilling a number
of new wells as soon as 1t came into
his possession but he did not secure
much of a production until 1893-94.
Shortly after this Dale leased to
Haskell and Liken but later pur-
chased the lease from them and
leased it to Reusen, Shedd and Com
pany, receiving $4,000. This COM
pany took possession March %,
1900.
1t was twelve years later that
this lease was purchased by the
Marietta men comprising the Joy
Farm Oil Company. At that time
they purchased other neighboring
properties and combined them with
the Joy farm. In 1915 they also
purchased the Hanover Run strip.
Hauled The Oil
When the Chesterhill field was
first opened much of the oil was
hauled to McConnelsville and Stock
port in barrels but the greater part
of it was taken to Big Run and from
there shipped by rail to Marietta.
Several years before Dale sold out
his holdings he laid a pipe line to
Sharpsburg from which point all oil
from the field was transported in