The Drake Well was the first oil well. Edwin Drake and Billy Smith struck oil at this spot in August, 1859. Drake suspected oil might be fairly close to the surface after learning that native people had used the oil that oozed out of rock along Oyl Creek. Oil was used for lamps and medicinal purposes in those days–the internal combustion engine had not been invented yet. The building and steam engine are precise reproductions of the originals. Many thanks to Bill, of the Drake Well Museum staff, for his assistance with this picture.
