# Oil on the Pigtail: The Union and Titusville Railroad 1865-1928 - Hardcover

by **Rexford G. Wiggers** (Author)

Until the fall season of 1859, naturally occurring seeps of crude oil in rural Northwestern Pennsylvania were considered a local oddity. The locals who lived near the seeps would often skim off the oil that collected on the surface of ponds and streams. The skimmed oil was used as a cure-all medicine, as a fuel for torches, or as a crude lubricant for neighborhood sawmill and gristmill machinery. Crude oil in Pennsylvania was seemingly destined to remain a local oddity that added a few supplemental dollars to the income of the region's farmers.

Then, on August 27, 1859, a single well bored to a depth of 69 1/2 feet fostered a new American industry in the sleepy backwoods region of northwestern Pennsylvania. By the end of 1860, thousands of barrels of the suddenly valuable "local oddity" had been extracted from a creek valley south of a hamlet called Titusville. Thus began Pennsylvania's first oil boom that many called, "Oildorado."

From the riches of Oildorado sprang an unlikely transport route: a 25-mile shortline railroad called the Union and Titusville-nicknamed "the Pigtail" for its many twists and turns. Started in 1865 and completed in 1871 at a cost of $700,000 ($15,350,578 in today's money), it took a host of investors, a Civil War hero, and an infamous Robber Baron to build the rail line to export Pennsylvania's petroleum and related products from Northwestern Pennsylvania's "Oil Regions" to mainline railways.

**Number of Pages:** 306

**Dimensions:** 0.81 x 9 x 6 IN

**Publication Date:** January 10, 2023

## Details

- **Price:** 47.45 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 47.45 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Oil on the Pigtail: The Union and Titusville Railroad 1865-1928 - Hardcover

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