Neodesha, Kansas is the birthplace of the great plains oil boom. The replica oil well found in this small Kansas town is a symbol of the discovery that reshaped America. The commercial petroleum industry got its start in 1859 in Pennsylvania, and eventually enterprises were set up across the Appalachian basin. By the 1890s, rumors of glowing gas springs that abounded in southeast Kansas led local citizens to encourage William Mills, a Pennsylvania oil prospector, to come to town to supply natural gas to the residents of Neodesha. After surveying…
