Rock Springs in Sweetwater County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)
Oil Derrick
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 15, 2015
1. Oil Derrick Marker
The basic oil derrick has an upright stationary section which is capable of supporting hundreds of tons of weight, combined with a movable boom which is used to raise and lower equipment. Derricks of various designs have been in use for centuries to extract valuable resources from under the Earth. Early derricks consisted of a framework which was designed to hold a large pole used for percussive drilling, which is accomplished by repeatedly beating the earth to make a hole. A modern oil derrick typically uses a drill bit which is capable of biting through the substrate, and cooled with a constant slurry of mud to prevent it from getting too hot.Erected by Rock Springs Chamber of Commerce and Yates Petroleum Corporation, Rocky Mountain Division.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce.
Location. 41° 34.508′ N, 109° 14.908′ W. Marker is in Rock Springs, Wyoming, in Sweetwater County. Marker is on Dewar Drive (Business Interstate 80) just west of Winston Drive, on the right
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Rock Springs Coal Welcome Sign (approx. 1.6 miles away); Beneath This Monument (approx. 1.6 miles away); A Tragedy Remembered (approx. 1.6 miles away); "Charlie Smith" (approx. 1.7 miles away); Rock Springs Coal (approx. 1.7 miles away); Rock Spring Stage Station Site (approx. 2.2 miles away); Tipples and the Reliance Coal Mines (approx. 7 miles away); The Reliance Tipple (approx. 7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rock Springs.
Also see . . . Drilling Rig (Wikipedia). The technique of oil drilling through percussion or rotary drilling has its origins dating back to the ancient Chinese Han Dynasty in 100 BC, where percussion drilling was used to extract natural gas in the Sichuan province. A modernized variant of the ancient Chinese drilling technique was used by American businessman Edwin Drake to drill Pennsylvania's first oil well in 1859. (Submitted on September 23, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 15, 2015
2. Oil Derrick Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on September 23, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 21, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 183 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 23, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
