This spring when I called John Wynn, he listened to my pitch about a mandolin art history project and invited me out to his shop. When I arrived in a big red Chevy, Mr. Wynn said, “a girl who drives a truck—there’s a girl I can trust.” He laughed, and I laughed, and we were [...]
It began in 1882. “OIL IN MISSOURI,” the headline announced. “AN ALLEGED DISCOVERY OF PETROLEUM IN VERNON COUNTY.” The prospectors salivated. But if Daniel Plainview was out for milkshakes, he probably knew to stick his straw elsewhere. Missouri’s crude runs thick and shallow — more like a plate of hot fudge than a glass of [...]