First well In the Sistersville, West Virginia oil field was Russell No. 1 in Polecat Hollow ("Polecat No. 1"), in 1892. It was the beginning of a major oil boom for Sistersville. By 1900 the state's oil production exceeded 16 million barrels. By 1911, West Virginia was the nation's leading oil and gasoline producer. By 1917 its natural gas production reached 308,617,101,000 cubic feet per year.

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