Early Transportation of Oil
From Pennsylvania
Historical & Museum Commission, Drake Well Museum Collection,
Titusville, PA
Before oil was discovered along Oil Creek, there were no railroads in the immediate area. Although it was not long before the region was connected to rail lines, much of the transportation of oil in the early days was done by small flatboats such as these seen here in May, 1864. The amount of oil lost to the river due to leaky barrels and boating accidents before reaching refineries in Pittsburgh has been estimated at more than 50%.
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