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Bradford Oil Field History

• 1837 - Lumbering settlement, population 61. Established at present site of City
               of Bradford. Village named "Littletown" after Col. L. C. Little, founder.

• 1854 - Name Littletown changed to Bradford, Post Office established.

• 1859 - Oil discovered in America, Drake Well, Titusville, Pennsylvania.
                (Not in Bradford Field).

• 1863 - Land near Bradford selling for 6 cents per acre. First railroad
                connection in Bradford.

• 1871 - Bradford Field discovered - first successful Oil Well, 1,110 feet, drilled
                in November. Production ten barrels per day (42 gallons per barrel).

• 1875 - Oil Boom in Bradford!! New wells producing 75 to 200 barrels
                per day. Land prices increased to $1,000 per acre.

• 1876 - Boom still on!! Population of Bradford increased to 9,000.
                More oil discovered east of Bradford.

• 1880 - Pennsylvania Geologists suggest that water pressure on oil sand
                may be used to increase production of oil.

• 1881 - Peak year for Bradford Field-Produced 22,945,069 barrels out of
                total in the United States of 27,661,000 barrels-83% of the country's
                entire output and 77% of all the oil produced in the world for the year.

• 1885 - Older wells in Bradford Field now being pumped. Production
                falls to 10,564,298 barrels.

• 1890 - Operators discovering that water finding its way into the oil sand
                from abandoned wells increased production of adjacent oil wells.

• 1906 - Low point in Bradford Oil Field production. Only 2,022,000 barrels
                produced.

• 1910 - Production slowly increasing. Illegal water flooding practice increasing.

• 1920 - Bradford Crude averages $5.97 per barrel, highest price in history.

• 1921 - Water flooding of Bradford Sand legalized by Pennsylvania State
                Legislature.

• 1924 - Bradford Field produced 15% of total "Pennsylvania" Crude,
                85% being total of 269 other Pennsylvania grades of lesser value.

• 1928 - "Five Spot" method of water flooding successfully developed.
                Bradford Field produces 30% of total Pennsylvania production.

• 1937 - Bradford Field output is 16,738,688 barrels or 57% of total Pennsylvania
                production. Fourth highest production year in history of the Field.

• 1941 - Production of Bradford Field for year is 13,997,750.

• 1942 - Bradford Field produced 15,532,473 barrels of crude in an effort
                to meet tremendous military demands.

• 1946 - Bradford Field production I 1,756,513 barrels - decrease due
                primarily to the inability to obtain pipe and other supplies.

• 1947 - U.S. Government price subsidy of 75 cents per barrel removed.
                Bradford Crude Oil commands price of $5.00 a barrel in free market.