Tag Archives: Maries County

A brief history of oil drilling in Missouri

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 [...]