Thorla-McKee Well in Caldwell, Ohio

Find someone who loves you the way America loves petroleum. As of 2023, the United States is both the largest producer and consumer of oil, each day extracting some 23 billion barrels and guzzling 20 billion. It's become a meme at this point that if black gold is discovered in even the remotest location, American fighter jets aren't far behind to ensure whatever government there is friendly to US economic interests. But the first time America met crude oil, she was rather indifferent to its existence. Before petroleum made the world go round, salt was one of the most coveted natural commodities. Without refrigeration, salt was crucial to preserving meat, fruit, vegetables, and dairy products, yet accessible deposits could be difficult to find, especially for frontiersmen moving inland from the salty sea. One popular technique across the Ohio River Valley was digging into the earth for briny water which could then be evaporated, leaving the delectable salt behind. That's exactly what Silas Thorla and Robert McKee did in 1814 on the edge of Caldwell, Ohio. They found their salt water, but also this odd, viscous black substance floating on top: petroleum. Opposite how many might feel…

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