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1819, Mar 291880, Nov 9
the first American to successfully drill for oil. Edwin Drake was hired by the Seneca Oil Company to investigate suspected oil deposits in Titusville, Pennsylvania. James Townsend, President of the Seneca Oil Company, sent Drake to the site in the spring of 1858. The oil company chose the retired railway man partly because he had free use of the rail. Drake decided to drill in the manner of salt well drillers. He purchased a steam engine in Erie, Pennsylvania, to power the drill.
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08/27/1859-First successful oil well drilled, near Titusville, Pennsylvania by Edwin Drake
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