The only caption on this photograph says, "Early Oil Drilling in Green River." People in the photograph are unknown. However, oil drilling began in the late 1800s on the San Rafael Swell. The first known oil company was owned by C.J. Mills and Simon Bamberger who later became governor of Utah. Utah Encyclopedia says, "In 1891 members of an enterprise called the Utah Oil Company, whose incorporators included Simon Bamberger and C.J. Mills, sank a shallow well near the town of Green River, Utah. Not finding any oil, the company abandoned its well after drilling to a depth of 1,000 feet. " The San Rafael appeared to be right for oil, but drilling never produced enough to make it marketable.
Emery County (UT) History Photographs
