Dewey Dewster's Believe It or Not !!!!!

Hi ta all....

Did ya think only Ripley could have a "Believe it or not?" Well, I'm here ta tell ya that Dewey Dewster thinks that Dewey Dewster can have a "believe it or not" too....

Now, ya might ask what I have that is so special that no one would "believe it" so I'm here ta tell ya what.

I'm sure that ya all know by now that I am such a well-behaved guy.....always respectful of Gram 'n Pap.....always mindin' my manners...why I'm an angel fer sure.....Mom and Toby too.

Now ya saw some of my Gram's gardens the other day....but what ya didn't see was some of the stuff they have ta do ta make sure that there is a garden around here at all.

Now, Pap is pretty resourceful when it comes ta bein' one step ahead of us....'n he's had ta adapt pretty quickly ta changin' times around here....we change....'n he steps up ta the task at hand....

Take the deck steps fer instance......

Here I am standin' at the top lookin' down.......do ya see the chicken wire on the left side there by the railing?

Do ya see those backs on the steps there?......did ya ever see any backs on deck steps before?

See that? That's more chicken wire on the right side of the steps too.

There's backs on all the steps 'n chicken wire on both sides of the railing. Can ya guess why???

Well, I 'll tell ya why......we like ta stand at the top 'o the steps 'n drop the ball down (ta see where it lands of course). Did ya know a ball won't always just go right down the steps ? Sometimes it runs off the side....sometimes it falls through the back 'o the steps......'n then it lands.......... 'n where do ya think it lands ?

Why it lands right in Gram's flower garden...that 's where..... "n guess what happens ???? Come on ya can guess.......give it a try......aren't ya all doggies like we are......well maybe some of ya aren't but most of ya are..........now what would ya do if yer ball fell in the garden, huh? We go off the side of the steps or out the back of the steps ta retrieve it fer sure....... I mean it's ours and we can't get it unless we do...........so off we go.........

Now there's a fence around the flower beds so if we get ourselves in there....we can't get out.....cause the fence was put there ta keep us out not ta keep us in.....
'n once we're stuck in there behind that fence all we do is dig........why ? ....cause we're tryin' ta get out fer sure.....

Do ya get the picture here? Cause it's not our fault at all, I tell ya.......no siree...it's all a big maze that we get stuck inta and there is just no simple way out...........

Now there's some of Gram's black-eyed Susans behind the fence....'n some of her dahlias behind the fence....

And along the other side of the yard are some more tomatoes and pepper plants behind a fence with the yard fence behind them......confusin' isn't it?

Then there's the chicken wire that's on the gate cause Toby was squeezin' right between the slats.....that fixed him but he's jumpin' pretty high now so he may just go over it soon........

"n then there's the barrier Pap had ta put up ta keep us from runnin' around in circles around the veggie garden cause all the grass got ripped out by it's roots with all the speed we can get up goin' 'round the corners....

"n now that I got that all off my chest.....I'm sure that ya will all take our side 'n say that this really was not necessary....especially fer such a group of terrific terriers as we are.


Now look inta this innocent face 'n tell me that ya think we did not deserve ta be foiled at every turn here with fences... 'n stair backs.... 'n barriers all over the place......

Well, believe it or not........the barriers 'n fences 'n stair backs are here 'n here ta stay.....but why ????

Can't ya just see my angel wings ready ta spout????

This is Dewey Dewster reportin' from our backyard fortress..... believe it or not.......

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Another Award

Yep, we almost fergot that we got another award from our dear boxer friend Chef...thank ya, thank ya Chef......fer the big puffy heart award....

We hope we can live up ta the honor....

A Garden Tour du Jour and Awards

Hi out there in blogland....

It's not wheelie Wednesday 'n we don't have any wheelies anyway but I thought ya might enjoy a tour of the gardens here in our little world. Our world is pretty small here cause we have a small yard, but we manage ta get in a lot of flowers and other plants without trrippin' all over 'em.

So let's step outside and have a look around. Gram is pretty proud of the clematis this year....it's full of the biggest white flowers right now just bustin' out all over ...'n it's workin' it's way down the other side of the lamp post. Pretty, aren't they?


Then there's Grams black eye Susans, purple coneflowers and daisies. They're just bustin' outta their boundries and takin' over the little plot where the Spring bulbs bloom. But that's OK cause Gram loves ta dig things up and replant 'em elsewhere. She also likes ta shares extra plants with the neighbors.
Had ta get in a shot of the blanket flowers complete with a honey bee dippin' in the pollen. It's sad when ya hear about all the problems with honey bees right now and the collapse of their hives but there doesn't seem to be a shortage of 'em around here....... we stay away from 'em cause they sting us good if we don't.....

Last year Gram started some dahlias from seed 'n she was surprised cause she didn't know ya could do that....'n the plants grew the tubers that ya can save over the winter so Gram dug 'em up and stored 'em til Spring. Here's some bloomin' complete with a butterfly......

Now in the backyard there are some hydrangeas. Gram doesn't have good luck with 'em cause I think the ones we have aren't really that hardy in our area....so not many blooms are on 'em... but they look pretty just the same.....
A few years back big brother Scott bought Gram this lily plant and it has some big flowers on it right now.

While we all love flowers....unless yer someone who knows which ones ta eat and how ta eat 'em...they're not the best part of summer.....

Here's the best part of summer.....tomato plants....see how big they are and bushy too. Gram has a fence around 'em cause while they need lots of water ta make 'em grow...they sure don't want the kinda water we would give 'em. There's lettuce off ta the left side which is startin' ta go ta seed in all this hot weather, but we had lots of it ta eat fer the past month or so....

There's also green pepper plants and Hungarian banana pepper plants and taday Gram picked her first ripe tomatoes along with some of the peppers....not bad fer the first batch of garden goodies......

While Gram 'n Pap love those garden veggies....we love the special stuff Gram makes us ta mix in with our dog food. Here's a new batch of liver and rice Gram made this evening so we can have some goodies in our dishes tomorrow.......... when we see this come outta the fridge, we know it dinnertime..........

Well, it's been a fun visit and a pretty long tour du jour.....'n we have some other news ta report too. So here goes.......

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AWARDS Fer the Terriers

We have been nominated fer 2 awards.

The first one is from our earthdog friend, Rudy and it's the Brillante Weblog Premio 2008 award.

That's pawsome Rudy...thank you so much fer the honor.

The rules for accepting the award are as follows:

1. Add the logo of the award to our blog

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs

4. Add links to those blogs on your blog

5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs!

So we nominate our friends Petey, Eric, Fenway, Girl Girl, Jackson, Luna and Oorvi..... "n I wanna tell ya this was a really a hard job cause there aren't many blogs without the award....least not the ones we visit anyway.....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

We have also been awarded the very prestigious Arte-y-Pico award by our friends Oorvi, Eric Square dog and Asta.

Here are the rules:

1.) You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogger community, regardless of language.

2.) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3.) Each award-winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4.) Award-winners and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of the “Arte-y-Pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.

5.) To show these rules.

Unfortunately we were unable to find 5 blogs without the award so we would like to award it to any blogger who feels worthy of displaying it.

Wow!!!!..... we are honored and humbled to display these awards on our blog......our heads are gonna be too big ta fit in our beds tonight fer sure.

Thank you all.....

Dewey Dewster here reportin on the garden tour and awards....wow that was a long one.......Gram do yer fingers still hurt ya ??????? Sorry........

A Terrier-ific Meeting

Wow….ya just won’t believe what we did this past Tuesday…….come on now….....try ta guess anyway…….put yer thinkin’ cap on ‘n give it a twirl……spin yer bully stick ‘n see where it stops…….did ya figure it out now????

Oh well….guess I’ll have ta tell ya then. We, as in me… Dewey Dewster, my Mom… Asta Marie ‘n the red headed step-child…. Toby, met the famous canine healthcare professional, Lacie….nurse extraordnaire , ‘n her big terrier brother BabyStan complete with his huge jaws. Oh yeah…. ‘n Mumsie came along fer the ride too…..well…..Ok…. she drove ‘em ta the park cause Lacie didn’t have ‘er own car…’n maybe her drivers license was revoked fer some minor infraction too.

We got ta go with Gram ‘n Pap cause we don’t have our own kar like Koobie….’n we don’t have a driver license either….’n we like ta leave the drivin’ ta them so we can watch out fer other doggies that might be out and about while we’re on the way.

We were so excited ta meet them cause while we don’t live that far away…we just never got ta make their acquaintance before. Why, Toby even got ta ride in the car fer the first time without bein’ in his crate cause he hasn’t been getting’ car sick lately…..’n that’s progress, I tell ya…..progress.

Now, Scruffy didn’t get ta come cause Mumsie woulda really had a hard time controllin’ the 3 of ‘em…….I heard he was heartbroken cause they left ‘em at home by ‘emself. But maybe we can meet 'em another time cause I was sorry he didn't get ta come.

We met in North Park. It's a county park not too far away 'n they have a place ta walk yer doggies 'n port-a-johns 'n fountains placed along the way so ya can get a drink 'n use the facilities ta get rid of it too. We walked a bit after the introductions were over....'n stopped by the funny tree along the way ta take some pictures. Except if ya get all of us in the picture....ya loose the funny stuff on the tree.

It was pretty hot that day so we stopped ta get a drink 'o water at one 'o the fountains where there was a bowl ta drink outta. My Mom was pretty hot 'n she always knows the way ta cool off quick....yep....ya guessed it....she climbed inta the bowl 'o water. That was a small bowl too.....
Then she got curled around ta get her whole body inta the water.

If ya really wanta get cool... ya gotta get yer face right in there too.....way ta go Mom.....

After ya get a bit cool... ya can come up fer air....'n drip off a bit.....

This is one of the best pictures of the group 'o us cause we are all lookin' forward at the same time. Ya ever try ta get 5 doggies ta look the correct way at the same time?????
Then there's just the 3 of us on the picnic table......Gram just took a bunch 'o hair off me 'n Mom so we look pretty well groomed fer a change......
Then there's Lacie, my love (or is she?) 'n BabyStan....now does he look like a baby ta ya at all ??? Why he's bigger than all of us put together fer sure....... Mumsie asked Gram ta bring her groomin' tools ta show 'er what they looked like....'n Gram got poor Lacie 'n took all the hair off her ears.......bet she wished she stayed at home instead of Scruffy....
Now, Gram got her video camera out 'n took a bit 'o us checkin' each other out. I call it Lovin' Lacie......cause I was really in love with 'er....til we met...that is.....see why..........

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Can ya believe my sweet Lacie acted like that fer real ???? Maybe she was just mad cause Gram took all that hair off her ears....don't know why.....cause she didn't need it.......

I almost think she doesn't like us at all.....er, well maybe it was that time 'o the month. What do ya think ?????

It was time ta go home but before we left, I had ta give Mumsie one 'o my big wet kisses. I, Dewey Dewster, am a lover fer sure..... Now can ya see why I'm known as such a sensitive guy....'n Mumsie had the softest nose I ever kissed......

Gee......we sure hope we get ta go on another walk with the terrific terriers 'n Mumsie too. Next time we hope ta meet Scruffy ......

This is Dewey Dewster reportin' on a very special meetin'.......

My Very Own Dewey Clock

A little Bit of Gratitude

It wasn’t all that long ago that I met a brand new friend.
She’s really far across the world, but not quite to it’s end.
Now here’s a dog that has a blog ‘n lives so far away.
Rescued off the streets of India…she was just another stray.

Her given name is Oorvi, and she crawled out of the earth.
I’ve heard about her rescue, but not about her birth.
There comes a time, when the sun will shine and wash your cares away.
And because of Cameo and Mercury, Oorvi lives to play another day.

Right now she has a pampered life….’n she has a new job too.
How she manages ta do it all, I haven’t got a clue.
Now Mercury must be an artist…’n a writer too… fer sure.
And if ya haven’t stopped ta see her blog…ya need ta take the tour.

Cause Mercury, with Oorvi’s help has made a bunch of clocks.
And clear across this crazy world….a great big door unlocks.
Yer welcomed in with friendly arms…’n kindly asked ta stay.
Why, help yerself…’n sit a spell…’n pass the time ‘o day.

And to this friendly stranger…. so kind, creative, ‘n super smart.
No doubt a programming wizard.. ‘n I say this from my heart.
No other doggie could imagine…seein’ a clock lookin’ just like me.
But it’ a hit…..sit ‘n stare a bit …a rat yer sure ta see.

So to Mercury 'n Oorvi….may gratitude travel ’cross those miles.
I hope ya all have looked at it and left with lots of smiles.
And if ya like this poem… now, take it cause it yours.
Ya left the key… so willingly to open all those doors.

And so I present.....drumroll please....Dewey Dewster lookalike clock complete with ratitude. Created by Mercury....mother to Oorvi, the little doggie who has a new lease on life. Pass yer cursor over the cloak 'n see the rat appear....I have no doubt he's teasin' me but I don't really care.

Thank you Mercury...you are brilliant !!!!!!

Dewey Dewster reportin' on my very own clock

The Story Behind Earthog

Hi ta all my friends,

Ya may have heard us mention and Agatha ‘n Archie talk about tryin’ ta be earthdogs….’n we've been goin’ ta earthdog practice. And ya may have seen Rudy show his earthdog skills on his blog. But ya may not know what earthdog is all about and why we even want ta be involved in it.

So Dewey Dewster has been researchin’ all about earthdog ta let ya know what we found out.

Years ago the doggie breeds of taday were bred fer a special purpose….’n small terriers and Dachshunds were bred ta help the farmers and hunters chase the vermin ta their lair and then follow them underground. These decendents of ours needed ta have the physical abilities ta fit inta the animals den and engage ‘em in their own territory but they had ta have the brains ‘n courage ta accept the challenges in goin’ underground. Cause everyone knows we doggies sure don’t live down there. It’s dark ‘n dirty ‘n sometimes pretty muddy….’n when ya invade someone else’s house…they get pretty mad ‘n testy.

So way back in 1971 (way before I was even a glimmer in my Dad’s eye....'n my Dad wasn't even a thought), groups of terrier and Dachshund lovers were tryin’ out the task of actual hunting with their dogs. But it wasn’t until 1988 that a group of “go to ground” enthusiasts assembled in California ta put together an earthdog program that the AKC could embrace.

“To ground” trials were developed with 3 different levels of hunting tests for small terriers and Dachshunds and by 1993 several clubs across the states had tested a prototype and convinced the AKC that the program would be a viable one. The title for the qualifying dogs would be “Earthdog”. And in October of 1994 the program was put into effect.

Taday, there are 3 titles that ya can strive ta compete fer….Junior Earthdog, Senior Earthdog and Master Earthdog. And today the breeds that qualify for the trials are:

AKC Recognized Breeds

• Australian Terrier
• Bedlington Terrier
• Border Terrier
• Cairn Terrier
• Dachshund
• Dandie Dinmont Terrier
• Glen of Imaal Terrier
• Lakeland Terrier (now that’s Toby)
• Manchester Terrier
• Miniature Bull Terrier
• Miniature Schnauzer
• Norfolk Terrier
• Norwich Terrier
• Parson Russell Terrier
• Scottish Terrier
• Sealyham Terrier
• Silky Terrier
• Skye Terrier
• Smooth Fox Terrier
• Welsh Terrier
• West Highland White Terrier
• Wire Fox Terrier (hey that’s us)

Foundation Stock Service Breeds

• Cesky Terrier
• Rat Terrier
• Russell Terrier

Since I, Dewey Dewster, have been researchin’ this, I thought that ya had ta pass the Junior Earthdog test under 2 different clubs and 2 different judges. But we found out taday that ya just need 2 different judges. So, since the club here is havin' 2 days of tests in August....me 'n Mom may be able ta get our Junior earthdog title this year.

I wanna tell ya my Mom goes ballistic when she gets ta the rats in that tunnel....ya can hear her barkin' way back in the line of doggies waitin' their turn...'n that just riles up the ones that are waitin' all the more. And ta think she didn't want ta go in the tunnel the first time we were there.....she started shakin' when we got close ta the practice site cause she remembered it from the last time 'n couldn't wait ta get to 'em.....That's my MOM !!!!!!

So what’s the test all about?
The Junior Earthdog Test consists of two parts;

1. Approach to the quarry
2. Working the quarry

To qualify ya have ta pass both parts of the test.

The junior earthdog tunnel is 9 by 9 inches and has an entrance at one end and the quarry (the rats) at the other end. It has ta be 30 feet long with three 90 degree turns and no additional entrances, exits or dead ends.

There is a release point that yer handler takes ya up to and at the judges command ya are released ta the ground. The handler does not pass the release point but may give a command at the release. Gram says “get the mouse” even though we are chasin’ rats cause we think everything in the vermin department is a mouse, except a snake…but I digress…...

Once yer released, ya have 30 seconds ta enter the tunnel and reach the quarry (again, the rats). If ya do that... ya pass that portion of the test….. Approach to the Quarry.

Ya then have 30 seconds ta start workin’ the quarry by diggin’ , barkin’ or growlin’ ta signal that ya really want ta get ‘em. Ya have ta do that fer 60 seconds. Then ya pass that part of the test…..Workin’ the Quarry. Ya then have ta be removed from the tunnel without destroyin’ it…there is an escape lid at the end that lifts up ta remove us wildly workin’ the quarry doggies. The judge will tell ya before ya leave if ya passed the test.

So now that ya have a bit of background on Earthdog, what do ya think? This is a really swell way fer doggie owners ta bond with their dogs ‘n a good way fer dogs ta feel that they can do somethin’ other than rippin’ up toys. Cause in the old days dogs were workers ‘n contributed ta the family just the same as their owners did. Now if yer worryin' about those rats....don't....cause they're in cages and there is a wooden dowel barrier at the end of the tunnel between where we are and where the rats are.

So, if it’s Sunday mornin’ ‘n yer reading this, we are at earthdog practice tryin’ ta hone our skills so we can pass the earthdog test that will be this August.

And the club that we have found ta teach us all this is the Western Pa. Earthdog Club or W.P.E.C. and their motto is Earthdogs do it with ratitude. Now their havin’ a fund raiser in the next month..... ‘n they were askin’ fer donations from everyone ta use fer a silent auction. They said ta go through yer attics ‘n basements ‘n ta bring flea market items fer them ta use fer the auction.

But Gram had an idea ta make some of her polymer clay doggies cause she figured that the members would really like ta see their dogs in an earthdog setting.... ‘n would buy ‘em ta get that money fer the club.

Gram usually makes wire fox terriers…can ya guess why ? But she tried ta make some of the breeds that we saw at the earthdog club practice ‘n meetings. They are ready ta box up fer the trip but she took a few pictures of what she made so ya could see ‘em. Can ya guess what breeds the little doggies are? There are 2 photo of each of the 4 creations.

They are not her best creations 'n the rats were a peck o trouble cause they needed ta be so small but all in all she is happy with 'em....'n it was good practice fer makin' different breeds in the future. Hope ya enjoy lookin' at 'em and we hope the club members like 'em too.

And we hope ya all are enjoyin' a restful Sunday.....

This is Dewey Dewster reportin' on the History of earthdog......

Family Slide Shows

Hi Folks....

We have been havin' brain drain around here and can't think of somethin' ta post lately. But big brother Scott 'n Heather had some studio photos taken 'n they are really swell. So we thought ya might like ta see 'em while we're thinkin' of somethin' else ta report....

Meet Parker Scott Johanson 'n family ....

Make a Smilebox photobook

Hope ya like 'em...cause Parker is really a cutie pie....'n so are his parents.

Dewey Dewster reportin' on Parker 'n family.......

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Baby Dewey Dewster

Thinkin' of baby Parker makes me remember a time not so long ago when I was a baby too....but a different kind of baby....a puppy.....since Gram was in the mood ta make slide shows maybe ya would like ta see what Dewey Dewster looked like when he was a baby too.

I sometimes try ta think about the meaning behind names....as in the case of Oorvi, our rescued street dog blog friend from India. It seems the name belongs to a female and is a Hindu name but no meaning was shown when I searched for it.

Oh, in case yer wonderin' about my name, Dewey....it means beloved....cause Gram thought I was pretty beloved when I was just a puppy and growin' up right before her eyes. So that means Dewey Dewster must mean Beloved Belovedster, right?

My Story.....The baby Dewey Dewster......

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Dewey Dewster signin' off after reportin' on Baby Dewey Dewster......

A little Bit of History

Gee Hello Ta Everyone,

Gram has been hoggin' the puter lately and so we haven't posted fer awhile. We really haven't had much to report lately either. But we have spent the past week at our cottage in the hills of Northwestern Pa. about 9 miles outside of Titusville. We love it here cause there is peace 'n quiet and lots of nature.

But Titusville is important for somethin' else....know what?


Well, I'm here ta tell ya what since we been readin' 'n studyin' this stuff fer awhile now.


In 1859 Colonel Edwin Drake drilled the first oil well in Titusville, Pa. Bet ya didn't know that, did ya? There is a park in Titusville where a replica of the first oil well is preserved and ya can take a trip down memory lane 'n see some of the stuff they used way back then ta get the oil outta the ground. Here is a replica of Colonel Drake's first oil well.

Inside there is a motor and pump that is working 'n ya can have a look see at how things were done so long ago. This pump is really only recirculating oil but it's fun ta look at.

Here's the oil goin' in the barrel from Colonel Drake's oil well. And the rest is a bit of history.......

The most important oil well ever drilled was in the middle of quiet farm country in northwestern Pennsylvania in 1859. For this was one of the first successful oil wells that was drilled for the sole purpose of finding oil. Known as the Drake Well, after "Colonel" Edwin Drake, the man responsible for the well, it began an international search for petroleum, and in many ways eventually changed the way we live.

The first oilmen
For hundreds of years, people had known about these seeps in western Pennsylvania. In fact, there is strong evidence that Native Americans, at least as far back as 1410 AD, had been harvesting the oil for medicinal purposes by digging small pits around active seeps and lining them with wood. European settlers had for years been skimming the oil from the seeps and using the petroleum as a source of lamp fuel and machinery lubrication.


Is there money in this?
In the early 1850's, George Bissell, a New York lawyer, conceived a plan to try and produce this oil commercially. Benjamin Silliman Jr, a chemist at Yale University, and one of America's leading chemists, was hired to analyze the properties of the "Seneca Oil" as an illuminant. He determined that the oil could be distilled into several fractions, one of which was a very high quality illuminant. With this positive information, Bissell was able to get together some financial backers, including James Townsend, president of a bank in New Haven, Connecticut, and formed the "Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company".

The idea to drill

They hoped that "rock oil" could be recovered from the ground in large enough quantities to be used commercially as a fuel for lamps. Oil had already been used and refined and sold commercially for one of its byproducts: kerosene. What made Bissell something of a visionary was that he would try to extract the rock oil from the ground by drilling, using the same techniques as had been used in salt wells. Bissell was simply looking for a better, more reliable and plentiful source.

Why Titusville?

Why did Drake choose this spot to drill for oil? Well, the number one beacon was the many active oil seeps in the region. As it turns out, there had already been wells drilled that had struck oil in the region. The only problem was, they weren't drilling for oil. Instead, they were looking for salt water or just plain drinking water. When they struck oil, they considered it a nuisance and abandoned the well. At the time, no one really knew what to do with the stuff if they found it...

Who was "Colonel" Drake?

The truth was, Edwin Drake was not a "Colonel" of anything. He and his financiers simply invented the title to impress the locals, many of whom laughed at what was, for a time, known as "Drake's Folly". With the financial backing of the newly formed Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company (soon to be renamed Seneca Oil Company), Drake set off to Titusville, Pennsylvania in 1857 to survey the situation. Drilling began in the summer of 1859. There were many problems with this well, and progress was slow and financially costly. The initial money the investors had fronted Drake ran out, and he had to borrow more to keep drilling.

"The Yankee's Struck Oil!"

On August 27, 1859, Drake and Smith drilled to a depth of 21.18 m (69 1/2 feet). It was not until the next morning, on August 28, when the driller, "Uncle Billy" Smith, noticed oil floating in the hole they had pulled the drilling tools from the night before. By today's standards, it was a pretty unremarkable hole, probably producing 20 barrels or less of oil per day.

.....and just in time

The timing could not have been better. Most of the financial backers had given up on the project, and James Townsend, after having financed the operation out of his own pocket, had sent Drake the order to pay the remaining bills and close up shop. Drake received this order on the very day that he struck oil.

The oil boom

Almost overnight, the quiet farming region changed in much the same manner as the gold rush towns of the Wild West. The flats in the narrow valley of Oil Creek, averaging only around 330 m (~1000 feet) wide were quickly leased, and hastily constructed derricks erected. Towns sprang up out of nowhere with people coming from all over looking to make their fortunes. This once quiet area suddenly became louder than anyone could have imagined, with steam engines and other types of machinery necessary to run the hundreds of wells that sprang up in the valley in the first couple of years. And the mud was fast becoming legendary. Horses were the main means of transporting machines and oil in these early days. As soon as a trail became too muddy to travel, the trail was simply widened. Soon, the width of the trails stretched from the stream to the foot of the hills, with the entire area having been transformed into mud. Horses, which were worked to beyond exhaustion, would often sink up to their bellies in the stuff.

The dangers of early oil

Due to the lack of geological knowledge of the rocks beneath which were actually producing the oil, wells were drilled almost at random in those first few years. Photographs show that derricks were built at extremely close proximity to one another in an attempt to get as much oil out of the ground as fast as one could. Frequent fires often raged out of control. In fact Drake's initial well only last a few months before it burned to the ground. A second well was erected shortly thereafter.

The birth of an industry

Still not convinced that the Oil Regions in Pennsylvania were important in the early days of oil? Consider this - Pennsylvania was responsible for 1/2 of the WORLD'S production of oil until the East Texas oil boom of 1901.

Now, me 'n Toby don't much care about the oil boom that started here....neither does my Mom. We just plain love it here cause we have room ta run and play.

But ya have ta wonder if what was started here so many years ago was a blessing or a curse considerin' what is goin' on taday, don't ya ????

Either way, we are in a place that is an important part of history......'n we love it...........

This is Dewey Dewster signin' off after reportin' on OIL.........