CHAPTER 8
Oil Drillings
The unsuccessful quest for oil:
Before the
turn of the century the presence of oil floating on marshy areas hereabouts suggested that
coal oil might be found. A group of drillers encouraged the local citizens to
form a company to subscribe funds by selling shares. Records of this venture cannot be found, and therefore our information is very
sketchy.
Four different
wells were drilled, all resulting in strong artesian water wells. In one or two of the wells
the drills became fastened, or stuck. Thus, a new location had to be found. One such
setting was on Council Road, one hundred rods east of Formosa, and another was in the Uhrig cow pasture in Stoney Creek. This well-furnished plenty of cold water to keep
fresh the milk
and cream products yielded from the individually owned cows which pastured in the lush
Stoney Creek flats.
The next
setting of the huge timbered pyramid-shaped drill rig was made on Formosa Brewery property, a
few hundred feet east of the Brewery buildings. This new location also developed into a strong water well.
The source of
funds from individual subscribers dwindled but another attempt to sink a successful oil
well, at the sight of the present Palace Gardens was undertaken. Drilling to some nine
hundred feet depth, without any apparent oil findings put an end to further search.
Fortunately for the
disappointed investors, the strong flowing artesian well, when properly capped has kept on to this
day spouting forth columns of water, resulting in one of the wonders of our area.
Formosa
Oil Works