Norman No. 1 Oil Well, Oil well in Neodesha, United States
The Norman No. 1 Oil Well stands at the northeast corner of Mill and First Streets, marking the discovery point of the Mid-Continent oil field. The site occupies a small municipal park with a commemorative marker and parking for visitors.
The well was drilled in 1892 by William Mills on T.J. Norman's land and produced twelve barrels daily. It operated continuously until 1919, then triggered development across a much larger region.
The site marks where commercial oil production began west of the Mississippi, reshaping Kansas into a major petroleum region. It remains a symbol of the industrial transformation that followed this discovery.
The location is easy to find along the main streets and sits centrally in Neodesha at a marked intersection. The park offers parking and straightforward access to the commemorative marker.
The initial drilling depth of 832 feet was relatively shallow for the era and allowed rapid field expansion. This discovery led to an oil field that eventually spread across six states in the central region.
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