Two industries played important parts in the history of Allegany County beyond the most common (farming) - - Lumber & Oil. Lumber will be presented at another time and place on the website.
To settle issues of Oil in Allegany County, surrounding counties and New York State is a difficult if not impossible feat given the fact that so many of the area veteran “oilmen” are long gone and stories abound. A few remain who have experiences to tell and questions loom on the horizon about whether some of what they have to tell are fact or fiction. It is not my desire to settle issues, rather to present stories, facts, quotes and pictures to share with others the glorious past in “Allegany Crude”.
I have long respected John P. Herrick, Olean, NY, who published “Empire Oil” in 1949, and who perhaps achieved as close to a “Bible” on the subject of oil in our neighborhood as anyone will ever write. His literary talent as well as his research ability may be unequaled on the subject of Oil.
If you are interested in reading stories or articles about the history of Oil in Allegany County, you can find some in our Stories and Folklore section!
To research more information, type a keyword of interest into the search feature.