Once upon a time there was a roadside marker here. I had thought
about placing a cache here to draw some attention to it. One day I
drove by and noticed it was gone! I know I stopped once or twice to
read the sign, but I couldn't remember what it was for!
Well, I decided the place needed a cache! The cache is a decon
with the original label removed and all the scary words on the lid
scraped off (see how it's done, BlackJeep?). There are a few
trinkets and a logbook. Please hide it back as best you can.
Several cachers have attempted to get info on what the memorial
had been for.
Stunod finally turned up the following information which
seems most likely. Thanks, Ken!
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Illinois Search for
Petroleum
Discovery of oil in
Pennsylvania in 1859 created nationwide interest. Signs of
petroleum had been observed in Illinois long before 1865 when one
of the first wells was drilled about three miles south and 1/4 mile
west of here. This well was unsuccessful but the drillers believed
oil was present and formed the Clark County Petroleum and Mining
Company in 1866. Later a nearby town was named Oilfield. The
company lost interest because poor drilling methods kept most of
the oil trapped underground. Improved technology led to a
successful well being drilled near here in
1905. |
