PHOTO CREDIT: A gas well in Delaware County around 1890. Image courtesy of Ball State University's Bracken Archive and Special Collections.
In 1876, George Carter was drilling for coal near Eaton and inadvertently stumbled upon natural gas, but he initially dismissed the discovery. A similar event occurred ten years later in Findlay, Ohio, but gas was now understood to be a source of energy. As a result, locals began drilling for natural gas in east-central Indiana. Altogether, these miners discovered a vast reserve of oil and gas, known today as the Trenton Oil and Gas Field, which was estimated to contain approximately one trillion cubic feet of natural gas and one billion barrels of oil. The Trenton Field was one of the largest such discoveries in the nation at that time.
East-central Indiana transformed into a booming industrial region within a few years. Muncie, along with Anderson, Marion, and Kokomo, became industrial powerhouses seemingly overnight. Boosters labeled Muncie “the Magic City” and sought out large manufacturers, such as Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Company, to establish factories in the growing city. However, most of the gas was wasted in poor drilling practices and in extreme 24-hour displays of light called flambeaux. Production of gas peaked in 1901 and declined rapidly thereafter. By 1910, the gas and oil boom was over, but Muncie had decidedly transformed into a major manufacturing center.
The Ball Brothers
From left to right: William, Frank, Lucius (seated), Edmund, and George Ball. (Photo is in the public domain, sourced from Wikicommons.
1897 Gas Well and Pipeline Map
Image courtesy of Ball State University's Bracken Archive and Special Collections.