Fredonia Gas Light Company

The Fredonia Gas Light Company, founded in 1858, was the first natural gas company in the United States. It was founded by a group of entrepreneurs after William Hart, considered the "father of natural gas" in the U.S., drilled in 1821 the first natural gas well in America along a creek in Fredonia, New York. The well was approximately 27 feet (8.2 m) deep; by contrast, modern wells are over 30,000 feet (9,100 m) deep. The well was actually a big hole dug with shovels. The pipeline to transport the gas was made from hollowed out logs connected together with tar and rags.