Another history post: Oil

Ten years ago I wrote a post about the discovery of oil in Jasper County. (See here.) Recently I found a detailed newspaper report on the Jasper County oil field.

The oil was near the surface and in couple of years all that was economic to pump had been pumped. No one alive today remembers the oil boom.

Also from 1901, there were high expectations about the future of McCoysburg.

McCoysburg depended on the railroad. The rise of the automobile spelled its doom.

One more item that I found interesting, a report of a bike trip from Helena, Montana to Chicago in 1891.

There were no paved roads in 1891. In fact, bike riders were a early force for improving roads. I searched the Internet for how long it would take to bicycle from Helena to Chicago and Google maps said 121 hours for 1497 miles and even mapped a route.  That is an average speed just under 12 miles per hour, which is riding a lot faster than I normally ride. 

Jasper County Historical Society is selling DVDs of September's Cemetery Walk.  Its museum is open the first and third Saturdays of the month, from 10:00 until 1:00.