{"product_id":"oil-on-the-pigtail-rexford-g-wiggers-9781958878194","title":"Oil on the Pigtail: The Union and Titusville Railroad 1865-1928","description":"\u003cp\u003eUntil 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThen, 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.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Rexford G. Wiggers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1958878197\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781958878194\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Booklocker.com\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/10\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 306\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.33lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.81d","brand":"Rexford G. Wiggers","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44365133578495,"sku":"9781958878194","price":32.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_1a5c499f-4ae9-49a3-bb2a-688ca1bcb918.jpg?v=1697056808","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/oil-on-the-pigtail-rexford-g-wiggers-9781958878194","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}