Photo by: Meiring Borcherds

History of Oil and Gas in Ohio

Many are surprised to find out that oil and gas production in Ohio dates back to the birth of the industry. In 1860, the first oil well was put into production in Washington County, within a year of the famous Colonel Drake well in Pennsylvania. The first natural gas well went into production in 1884. The wells in Ohio range from a depth of 100 to over 11,500 feet deep. Since then, oil and natural gas has been discovered in 76 of the 88 counties in Ohio and over 272,000 wells have been drilled.

Once considered the ‘Middle East’ of oil production, Ohio produced 24 million barrels of oil in 1896. Ohio now ranks 19th for crude oil production and 17th for natural gas production in the United States.   Ohio producers help supply the natural gas energy needs of approximately 15% of Ohio’s population. Advances in technology have allowed producers to explore new areas and operate more efficiently than ever.

In 2006, Ohio producers drilled an estimated 952 oil and gas wells in 42 counties; two thirds of those wells were drilled to the Clinton Sandstone formation. They also produced approximately 5.4 million barrels of oil and 86.3 million MCF (metric cubic feet) of natural gas. By expanding drilling in urban areas, the residents of Ohio have saved $91 million on natural gas transportation costs alone. Ohio oil and gas production has been around since the beginning of the industry and shows no sign of leaving anytime soon.

Please review the links on the right for information...