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Upper Big Sandy Valley |
At the time of this writing (May 24, 2015), Eastern Kentucky is yet again experiencing a drilling boom, reminiscent of the swarms of speculators from the East who descended upon the area in 1865 and bought thousands of acres of land from the farmers, leased mineral rights, built derricks and began boring - all in search of precious oil. In this day and age, the speculators and their companies hail from the Gulf of Mexico, from states such as Louisiana and explore gas and oil. Our first oil boom was rather short-lived and had fizzled out by 1867. How long it will be around this time, and at what cost to our area and its people, remains to be seen.
As described in a previous
article, the end of the Civil War marked the start of frenzied oil exploration in Eastern Kentucky. A great number of stock companies were formed to explore the natural resources of Eastern Kentucky, with a number of the leading local men jumping onto the band wagon. Between January and June 1865, no less than 49 oil, coal and minerals companies were chartered in Eastern Kentucky alone. The list does not include out-of-state companies who held mining interests in the Big Sandy Valley and other areas in Eastern Kentucky.
Oil and Mining Companies in Eastern Kentucky 1865
(Names of officers and date of incorporation)
Beaver Creek
Oil Company
Edwin S.
Graham, H. C. Caruth, Pack Thomas, and Thomas Sheerer
February 24,
1865
Big Blaine
Creek Petroleum Company
John M. Rice,
Jake Rice, and John B. Hatcher
May 31, 1865
Big Paint Creek
Oil Company
Martin Preston,
U. B. Evarts, Ross Forward, Roland Whitney, B. M. Anderson, J. T. Boyle, Collis
Ormsby, and E. D. Tyler
January 31,
1865
Big Sandy and
Great Oil Spring Petroleum Company
Len. A. Harris,
A. G. McCook, Ben. Robinson, J. A. Fisher, J. F. Horr, C. Rule, and J. B.
Auxier
March 1, 1865
Big Sandy Coal,
Oil and Mining Company
Captain A. J.
Allen, Col. George W. Gallup, S. J. Henderson, D. M. Johnson, G. W. Dixon
Bef. January
19, 1865
Big Sandy Oil
and Mineral Company
George
Carpenter, F. Gray, W. L. Scott, J. Hearn, Thomas B. Vincent, R. H. Henry, J.
P. Vincent, A. H. Gray, and Orange Noble
March 2, 1865
Big Sandy
Petroleum Company
Zephaniah Meek,
H. L. Swetnam, J. T. Boyle, Roland Whitney, U. B. Evarts, E. D. Tyler, Collis
Ormsby, B. M. Anderson, and J. S. Phelps
January 27,
1865
Boston &
Big Sandy Oil Company
Incorporated in
Massachusetts. Office in Boston 1865. Property in West Virginia and Kentucky.
Buffalo Mining
Company
George T.
Steadman, A. C. Vandyke
Principal
office in Greenup Co. KY
March 1, 1865
Carter Coal,
Iron, and Oil Company
William Wurts,
Green H. McAtee, Marinus King
March 4, 1865
Crystal Mining
and Oil Company
E. L. Chandler
and Robert A. Bradshaw
March 4, 1865
Cliff Springs
Mining Company of Kentucky
Wm Reson,
Michael West, Thomas Sherlock, George H. Hill, Hamilton Lyon, Henry E. Harper,
Thomas S. Brown, R. R. Whitman, David Harper Jr., R. R. Pullam, A. M. Searls,
Henry H. Seems, Ref. Butler, Jacob Resart, Matthew H. Coats.
February 4,
1865
Eastern
Kentucky Oil Company
B. B. Groom,
John M. Riffe, Hugh L. Ray, Allen N. Bush, J. N. B. Hardwick, James Flanigan,
Green B. Farney, all of Clarke County
February 22,
1865
Eastern
Kentucky Oil and Mineral Company
H. C. Lilly, R.
B. Jamison, A. D. Powell, Isaac N. Cardwell,
J. H. Gardner, Joseph Blackwell, Robert Riddell, jr., H. C. Dickerson, Thomas
H. Barnes, Jas. K. Barnes, of Estill County, Kentucky
K. F. Hargis,
Jas. F. Blount, David Price, J. G. McGuire, of Owsley County, Kentucky
Thos. P.
Cardwell, W. D. Cardwell, of Breathitt County, Kentucky
Elijah Patrick
and Reuben Patrick, of Magoffin County, Kentucky
March 3, 1865
Eastern
Kentucky Oil, Coal, Mining and Iron Manufacturing Company
E. H. Taylor, Jr.,
James J. Miller, W. A. Gaines, E. H. Watson, and S. F. J. Trabue.
February 23,
1865
Eastern
Kentucky Oil Creek Mining Company
F. Gray, R. W.
Emerson, R. H. Henry, J. P. Vincent, F. F. Farrar, Geo. Carpenter, John
Richards, A. T. Marsh, and W. L. Scott
March 2, 1865
Eastern
Kentucky Petroleum Company
John Mason
Brown, George W. Gallup, John Henderson, Harman Conley, Winsten Conley, and
Laban T. Moore
January 23,
1865
Eastern
Kentucky Petroleum and Mineral Company
John P.
Winston, W. C. Culbertson, John E. Hamilton, John G. Carlisle
February 22,
1865
Frankfort and
Big Sandy Oil, Coal, Mining, and Iron Manufacturing Company
Jacob Swigert,
E. H.Taylor, jr., W. A. Gaines, James J. Miller, and R. P. Pepper
February 23,
1865
Greenup and
Boyd Coal, Oil, Mining and Manufacturing Company
Benjamin
Butterworth, A. M. White and Wm. Stewart
June 3, 1865
Greenup Coal
and Oil Company
Labin J.
Bradford, George Wurts, W. T. Finch, J. Taylor Bradford, and B. C. Larew
Chartered February 15, 1860
Michael Ryan,
George Wurts
Amended
February 27, 1865
Greenup County
and Little Sandy Mining and Petroleum Company
Wm. P.
Anderson, A. G. Burt, Wm. Dodd, John Bogher, and James C. Moores
March 4, 1865
Greenup County
Mining, Petroleum, and Manufacturing Company
Geo. Wents,
Samuel G. Wents, Alfred Spaulding, E. F. Dulin, and Wm. C. Ireland
January 26,
1865
Greenupsburg
and Cincinnati Petroleum and Oil Company
John E. Winn,
William C. Ireland
February 1,
1865
Amended
February 25, 1865
Highland
Petroleum and Mining Company
E. G. Phelps,
T. M. Conditt, and Wm. Berry
May 31, 1865
Kentucky &
West Virginia Oil & Coal Company
Office in New
York 1866. Extinct.
Lawrence Coal,
Iron, and Oil Company
George W.
Coons, James A. Johnson, William Wurts
March 4, 1865
Lawrence Oil,
Coal, Mining and Iron Manufacturing Company
James J.
Miller, E. H. Taylor, Jr., and W. A. Gaines
February 23,
1865
Lick Branch
Oil, Mining and Manufacturing Company
Wm. Berry, E.
G. Phelps, and T. M. Conditt
May 31, 1865
Little Sandy
Mining and Oil Company
Robt. W. Robb,
Rich. F. Robb. and W. C. Ireland
March 4, 1865
Magoffin County
Oil, Coal, and Manufacturing Company
George
Sutherland, J. W. Harding, Parker Artis, Wm. Ecton, H. W. Calmes
March 3, 1865
Morgan County
Coal, Oil, Salt, Lumber and Mineral Manufacturing Company
George M.
Hampton, William C. Miller
June 3, 1865
Morgan Oil and
Mining Company
John Fox, John
W. Van Hook, William Fitch, J. F. Boyle, L. M. Flournoy
February 22,
1865
Mountain
Petroleum and Transportation Company
M. E. Ingram,
H. D. McHenry, Wm. Millward, L. S. Trimble, Wm. McKee Fox, John Woods, J. T.
Boyle, L. M. Flournoy, A. H. Hoger, and John R. Thomas
February 24,
1865
North Kentucky
Oil Company
Lafayette
Devenny, William H. Clement, H. H. Huston, F. B. Rust, C. G Rogers, J. W.
Stevenson, and Harvey Myers
June 3, 1865
Oil Creek Oil
Company
A. H. Gray, R.
W. Emerson, R. H. Henry, F. F. Furror, J. R. Vincent, Orange Noble, J. W.
Hammond, W. L. Cleaveland, and F. Gray
March 3, 1865
Oil Spring Fork
Oil and Mineral Company
J. W. Hammon,
W. L. Cleaveland, John Richards, Geo. Carpenter, R. W. Emerson, J. P. Vincent,
F. Gray, R. H. Henry, and A. H. Gray
March 2, 1865
Oil Spring,
Kentucky, Petroleum Company
Colonel Sidney
B. Jones, Wm. N. Thompson, and J. C. Beck, M. D.
March 4, 1865
Oil Spring and
Sand Lick Petroleum Company
Wm. Frazier,
Richard P. Rundle, Wm. Kidd
June 3, l865
Old Oil Spring
Mining and Petroleum Company
Sam. L.
Mitchell, Geo. C. Knight,and Geo. F. Chester
June 3, l865
Paint and
Barnett Creek Oil and Mining Company
Frederick W.
Jones, William Kidd, and J. Mansfield Davis
June 3, 1865
Paint Lick Oil
and Mining Company
F. F. Farror,
R. H. Henry, J. P. Vincent,
Geo. Carpenter,
F. Gray, J. Hearn, Thomas B. Vincent, Orange Noble, and A. H. Gray
March 3, 1865
Pike Mining and
Manufacturing Company
J. M.
Montmollin, E. D. Ashford, James G. Hatchitt, James Harlan, Jr.
February 25,
1865
Rush Creek
Mining and Manufacturing Company
Robertson M.
Biggs, William Biggs, Sr., Andrew Biggs, F. K. O'Farrell, and Ed. F. Dulin
February 27,
1865
Sandy Valley
Oil Company
Charles G.
Shaw, George W. Shaw, George C. Glass, George F. Sadd, and Harvey Myers
May 26, 1865
Sandy Valley
Petroleum Company
Thomas Wallace,
Lloyd B. Dennis, Jake Rice, John B. Hatcher, and John M. Rice
January 26,
1865
Star Oil, Coal
and Mining and Manufacturing Company of Carter County
W. T. Nicholls,
R. D. Callihan, Addison McCullough, William H. Lampton, L. D. Ross, R. W.
Lampton, W. L. Geiger, and James Kilgore
February 24,
1865
Tug Fork Lead,
Iron, Salt and Oil Mining and Manufacturing Company
Thomas
Wrightson, R. T. Baker, Jacob Hawthorn
February 27,
1865
West Liberty
Coal, Oil, Lumber, Mining and Manufacturing Company
George W.
Hampton, Wm. C. Miller
March 4, 1865
Article researched and written by Marlitta H. Perkins, May 2015. Images are the author's property, unless noted otherwise. Unauthorized use and/or duplication, including images, without express written notice by the author is strictly prohibited.
© 2015. All Rights Reserved.