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Many Illinoisans may be surprised to learn that the state has a historic and illustrious history of oil production. More than four billion barrels of oil have been produced in the Land of Lincoln since commercial production began more than 110 years ago. Commercial production in Illinois began in 1905 with the discovery of oil in the shallow fields of Clark County in eastern Illinois, and the state emerged as the United States' third-largest producer over the next five years due largely to productive Clark, Cumberland, Edgar, Crawford and Lawrence county fields.
Robinson was in the middle of the Illinois oil boom in the early 1900s.
Seismic exploration technological advances led to a sharp increase in Illinois production in the late 1930s.
Salem was at the center of the Illinois oil boom of the late 1930s.
Bolstered by the discovery of new fields in Fayette, Marion, Clinton, Clay, Wayne, Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton, White, Edwards, Wabash, Gallatin, Jasper and Richland counties, the state produced a record 147.6 million barrels of oil in 1940.
The Tate #1 discovery well near Salem "set off the biggest oil boom in Illinois history" nearly 81 years ago.
That production outpaced Iran and Iraq's combined output and exceeded the total production of every other nation with the exception of Russia and Venezuela.
The surge in production couldn't have come at a more critical time for the United States, as Illinois' oil production helped the Allied Forces emerge victorious in World War II. CNBC recently reported that six out of every seven barrels used by the Allied Forces during World War II was produced in the United States. Illinois was responsible for a significant chunk of that total, producing more than 470 million barrels from 1941 to 1945. In fact, FDR is said to have once stated "Thank God for Salem, Illinois" in reference to the oil boom in that part of the state during that time. Bolstered by the Illinois oil boom of 1940, the U.S. was the source of 60 percent of global oil supply by the time WWII began.
Illinois enjoyed a second oil boom in the mid 1950s, as new technologies such as hydraulic fracturing and large-scale secondary recovery projects regularly pushed annual production over the 70 million barrel threshold. Though production has declined since that hay day, Illinois production has remained steady over the past 20-plus years at an average of more than 9 million barrels per year. Some believe that potential future development of the New Albany Shale could push production back to previous heights.
Fore more on the Illinois oil industry's rich history, be sure to visit the Illinois Oil Field Museum in Oblong. Also click the links below for more details on Illinois' oil production history.
• IOGA 50th Anniversary Booklet
• Bradford Supply Co.
• C.E. Brehm
• Clay City Oil Boom of 1937
• Crawford County
• Crossville – White County
• Dee Drilling
• Lawrenceville
• Elmer Oelze Jr.
• Podolsky Oil
• Shakespeare Oil
• Shulman Bros.
• Wayne County History
Illinois Oil Industry Statistics
$330MM
ANNUAL STATE TAX REVENUE
$3.05B
ANNUAL ECONOMIC IMPACT
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