"Big Moses" Well / Polecat Oil Well

"Big Moses" Well / Polecat Oil Well (HM1IS3)

Location: Sistersville, WV 26175 Tyler County
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Country: United States of America
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N 39° 33.878', W 80° 59.913'

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Inscription
Side A
"Big Moses" Well
Drilled on Joshua Russell farm 2 mi. North on Polecat Run. Almost abandoned because of presence of salt water, the well was made producer by Ludwig and Weeter's introduction of technology to siphon off water. Drilled to Big Injun sand, it proved the Sistersville anticline, led to Sistersville's boom and to recognition of field as greatest producing area at the turn of the century.

Side B
Polecat Oil Well
Drilled on Moses Spencer farm on Indian Creek 2 mi. east of Sistersville and attributed greatest in W. Va. Brought in on 6 Sept. 1894, with estimated daily capacity of 100 million cu. ft., Big Moses blew until 28 Nov. Controlled for 3 months, pressure burst casing and well blew until 27 Aug. 1895. Twice fired, reductions in pressure by waste and excessive drilling, led to abandonment.
Details
HM NumberHM1IS3
Tags
Year Placed1980
Placed ByWest Virginia Department of Culture and History
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, January 11th, 2015 at 9:02pm PST -08:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17S E 500124 N 4379437
Decimal Degrees39.56463333, -80.99855000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 33.878', W 80° 59.913'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 33' 52.68" N, 80° 59' 54.78" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)304
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling South
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 801-803 Riverside Dr, Sistersville WV 26175, US
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