Thorla-McKee Well in Caldwell, Ohio

In the early 19th century, Silas Thorla and Robert McKee, two individuals from the Ohio River Valley, were on a quest for salt. Salt, essential for preserving food in an era without refrigeration, was a highly coveted natural commodity. To obtain it, they dug into the ground, extracting salty briny water which, when evaporated, left behind the sought-after salt. During this process, however, they inadvertently discovered a viscous black substance floating on the surface of the water: petroleum.

At first, this discovery was more of a nuisance than a boon, as the oil interfered with their primary goal of harvesting the briny water they needed. The duo, however, didn't discard the oil; instead, they found a way to use it. They soaked up the oil with wool blankets and began experimenting with its properties. Aware of its combustibility but deterred by the unpleasant, smoky smoke it produced, they bottled it and marketed it as "Seneca Oil." They claimed this miraculous substance could cure ailments such as rheumatism and measles.

Despite the oil's combustibility, the production was inconsistent, and the well sometimes shot up brine water and oil 40 feet into the air once a week. Salt wells were typically manned around the clock, and there are accounts of fires igniting from lanterns or burning coals used during nighttime shifts. The original 1814 well was later covered up, but Thorla and McKee's 1816 well still exists today, along with its sycamore casing, making it Ohio's first commercially recognized oil well, even if petroleum was merely a byproduct of their salt extraction efforts.

America's first commercial oil well, purposefully developed for crude oil production, would be the Drake Well in Pennsylvania.