LETTER 3: And now for the last part of the letter from oil man S.A. Whipple, who wrote to The Era from Kentucky in November 1901.

He’s shared his surprise at some strong reactions to politics, and his description of Hazard, Kentucky, where he was staying. This final part of his letter talks about the reason he was there to begin with — oil.

“The Bradford Oil and Gas Co.’s well, which is drilling on Second South Creek, about three miles east of here, is down about 500 feet, at which point a big vein of salt water was encountered and the men are now reaming down. They expect to get the casing in by Monday and will probably get the sand the latter part of this, or first of next week. Guffey & Gailey have leased a large amount of land in this vicinity, and have paid a bonus of 10 cents an acre. I am informed that they expect to get a well or two under way as soon as they can get their machinery in, which is a very difficult thing to accomplish. I am very favorably impressed with the outlook for oil here, but if it is found, it will be a hard country to operate in, worse than West Virginia, but I have never seen any place where the oil man couldn’t get in and do business.

“At Jackson I met the manager of the Lexington & Jackson railroad, who was very much interested in our undertaking in this section, and he assured me if we got oil, the road would be extended to Hazard, which would do more than anything else to open up this fertile section.”