History of the petroleum industry in the United States
The history of the petroleum industry in the United States goes back to the early 19th century, although the indigenous peoples, like many ancient societies, have used petroleum seeps since prehistoric times; where found, these seeps signaled the growth of the industry from the earliest discoveries to the more recent.
Natural oil seeps such as this in the McKittrick area of California were used by the Native Americans and later mined by settlers.
1879 retail brochure for various petroleum products
Los Angeles City oil field, 1905
The Shell Martinez Refinery, in Martinez, California, has operated continuously since its construction in 1915.
The oil rush in America started in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in the Oil Creek Valley when Edwin L. Drake struck "rock oil" there in 1859. Titusville and other towns on the shores of Oil Creek expanded rapidly as oil wells and refineries shot up across the region. Oil quickly became one of the most valuable commodities in the United States and railroads expanded into Western Pennsylvania to ship petroleum to the rest of the country.
A Pennsylvania oil field in 1862
Welcome sign to Titusville, PA