I don’t really know why I thought about this, but I feel that at some moment in our lives something that could happen to you that would make things great almost happened. It can be something in many different ways, sizes and shapes. When this comes into your mind, your imagination can go way too wild. At least for some folks and I might have been one of those.
Somewhere in the early to mid-’60s, two men in suits and carrying briefcases came one evening and knocked on our front door. This was in mid-summer when the evening light is at its longest. I have always felt that the men used the long evenings to their advantage. As it was after supper and they knew my dad would be at the house, they felt this was the best of time to talk to my dad. Of course, when the door was knocked on I ran to answer it and I then went to get dad, as they wanted him.
They introduced themselves to dad and handed him their business cards that read that they represented a petroleum company out of Texas and they wanted to have a little of dad’s time. He took them to the dining room table, which was the place for only the higher matter topics. They opened their briefcases, pulled out an aerial map and legal looking papers, and began talking about the type soil and that the maps indicated and that our area was a very good site. (“A good site for what?” I thought to myself.) Now dad got his serious face on and he was listening more than he was talking until they had finished their presentation.
Dad thought for a few minutes and then ask mom to step into the room as she didn’t much care for the talks, but sure as the world wanted to be in on the deciding… Dad said to mom these men want to lease the two farms I think for maybe five years and they think there might be some oil or natural gas that they would then buy from us at a fair price. Mom just stood there and looked at dad like why aren’t we signing? He went on then to explain to mom that to seal the deal on the lease they would pay one dollar for each farm or until they drilled and hit oil. So with that, the men had my folks sign and they gave dad two new dollar bills. When this was completed they said good-bye and ask dad where Ed Maus might live, as he and his brother Chris were next on their list to speak to.
Over the next few days, these men visited every farm owner in our area and I think up to Felicity and south toward the Ohio River. This lit the party line up for quite a few days as the words lease, natural gas and oil were in all the conversations (those who were talking and of course those who were listening in). Now it was along about here that my imagination kicked in and the facts didn’t always need to be included in my thinking. (Again, remember I was about 12-years-old.)
At about this same time and maybe a year or two sooner a new comedy show had hit the airwaves, “The Beverly Hillbillies!” The show was based on a hillbilly discovering oil on his land and becoming so rich he and his family all moved to Beverly Hills. Now, I as just about everyone else watched this show, and I would watch it now if it were on. The thing was that, as funny and ridiculous as the whole show was, is where I had learned all of what I knew about oil and drilling and how rich a person could end up. I mean it was possible. Even those men had said so. So the more I thought about it the more real it just might be.
By late summer, the men had picked a site just a few miles outside of Felicity and set up what we all called a test site. Please understand I never ever saw that drilling rig but we could hear it as it ran day and night and was loud enough to think they were drilling the entire area. If nothing was to come of this venture, the talk of it was on the top of every farmer’s hangout. For a good while, the day would open at the Farm Bureau with a question. Is there any news about the drilling? This question came up at Armacosts’ Restaurant, Swopes’ Drug Store and I am guessing both of the bars in Felicity. (Please remember I was twelve, so I wasn’t in the bars, but I bet the talk was there also.)
For a good part of the year the conversation thoughts about oil was almost always the topic of the day. Down on Fruit Ridge, my mind was causing my imagination to be working overtime. I just knew it was time for us to have them come and drill and hit a big gusher of oil and dad would get paid what Jed Clampett had said he was getting paid in new money. It was called million dollars! My dad began looking more and more like Jed Clampett to me and we would kid him and called him that and he would just grin. He took that better than when I told mom if dad was Jed then she was Granny. I only told her that once as she disagreed very much. My brother Ben said I was Jethro and thought it would make me mad but hey, if dad was getting that kind of money, he could call me whatever he wanted.
By late fall the test drill had completed and showed there was nothing worth their while to move forward. This came as a hard thing to except. All of my dreams and planning had disappeared. I did learn at the Farm Bureau that some adults were just as disappointed as me. When you make your plans before the facts are collected, you will almost always be let down and boy, I was. But I kept on watching, “The Beverly Hillbillies,” just the same.
That fall on a Saturday afternoon and we were all in the house, dad went to the file cabinet and pulled out those two one-dollar bills and said it was time to use our profits. He asked who wanted to go with him to Swopes’ and get a couple half gallons of Seal Test Ice Cream? So dad and I went and got a half-gallon of vanilla and a half gallon of peach (it was dad’s favorite). We came home and we all dipped up a big bowl each and heated up a can of Hershey’s chocolate syrup and poured it over the ice cream. Dad commented that that was as close to an oil gusher as we were going to see, but ours was gonna taste good for sure.
I don’t really know why I thought about this, but I feel that at some moment in our lives something that could happen to you that would make things great almost happened. It can be something in many different ways, sizes and shapes. When this comes into your mind, your imagination can go way too wild. At least for some folks and I might have been one of those.
Somewhere in the early to mid-’60s, two men in suits and carrying briefcases came one evening and knocked on our front door. This was in mid-summer when the evening light is at its longest. I have always felt that the men used the long evenings to their advantage. As it was after supper and they knew my dad would be at the house, they felt this was the best of time to talk to my dad. Of course, when the door was knocked on I ran to answer it and I then went to get dad, as they wanted him.
They introduced themselves to dad and handed him their business cards that read that they represented a petroleum company out of Texas and they wanted to have a little of dad’s time. He took them to the dining room table, which was the place for only the higher matter topics. They opened their briefcases, pulled out an aerial map and legal looking papers, and began talking about the type soil and that the maps indicated and that our area was a very good site. (“A good site for what?” I thought to myself.) Now dad got his serious face on and he was listening more than he was talking until they had finished their presentation.
Dad thought for a few minutes and then ask mom to step into the room as she didn’t much care for the talks, but sure as the world wanted to be in on the deciding… Dad said to mom these men want to lease the two farms I think for maybe five years and they think there might be some oil or natural gas that they would then buy from us at a fair price. Mom just stood there and looked at dad like why aren’t we signing? He went on then to explain to mom that to seal the deal on the lease they would pay one dollar for each farm or until they drilled and hit oil. So with that, the men had my folks sign and they gave dad two new dollar bills. When this was completed they said good-bye and ask dad where Ed Maus might live, as he and his brother Chris were next on their list to speak to.
Over the next few days, these men visited every farm owner in our area and I think up to Felicity and south toward the Ohio River. This lit the party line up for quite a few days as the words lease, natural gas and oil were in all the conversations (those who were talking and of course those who were listening in). Now it was along about here that my imagination kicked in and the facts didn’t always need to be included in my thinking. (Again, remember I was about 12-years-old.)
At about this same time and maybe a year or two sooner a new comedy show had hit the airwaves, “The Beverly Hillbillies!” The show was based on a hillbilly discovering oil on his land and becoming so rich he and his family all moved to Beverly Hills. Now, I as just about everyone else watched this show, and I would watch it now if it were on. The thing was that, as funny and ridiculous as the whole show was, is where I had learned all of what I knew about oil and drilling and how rich a person could end up. I mean it was possible. Even those men had said so. So the more I thought about it the more real it just might be.
By late summer, the men had picked a site just a few miles outside of Felicity and set up what we all called a test site. Please understand I never ever saw that drilling rig but we could hear it as it ran day and night and was loud enough to think they were drilling the entire area. If nothing was to come of this venture, the talk of it was on the top of every farmer’s hangout. For a good while, the day would open at the Farm Bureau with a question. Is there any news about the drilling? This question came up at Armacosts’ Restaurant, Swopes’ Drug Store and I am guessing both of the bars in Felicity. (Please remember I was twelve, so I wasn’t in the bars, but I bet the talk was there also.)
For a good part of the year the conversation thoughts about oil was almost always the topic of the day. Down on Fruit Ridge, my mind was causing my imagination to be working overtime. I just knew it was time for us to have them come and drill and hit a big gusher of oil and dad would get paid what Jed Clampett had said he was getting paid in new money. It was called million dollars! My dad began looking more and more like Jed Clampett to me and we would kid him and called him that and he would just grin. He took that better than when I told mom if dad was Jed then she was Granny. I only told her that once as she disagreed very much. My brother Ben said I was Jethro and thought it would make me mad but hey, if dad was getting that kind of money, he could call me whatever he wanted.
By late fall the test drill had completed and showed there was nothing worth their while to move forward. This came as a hard thing to except. All of my dreams and planning had disappeared. I did learn at the Farm Bureau that some adults were just as disappointed as me. When you make your plans before the facts are collected, you will almost always be let down and boy, I was. But I kept on watching, “The Beverly Hillbillies,” just the same.
That fall on a Saturday afternoon and we were all in the house, dad went to the file cabinet and pulled out those two one-dollar bills and said it was time to use our profits. He asked who wanted to go with him to Swopes’ and get a couple half gallons of Seal Test Ice Cream? So dad and I went and got a half-gallon of vanilla and a half gallon of peach (it was dad’s favorite). We came home and we all dipped up a big bowl each and heated up a can of Hershey’s chocolate syrup and poured it over the ice cream. Dad commented that that was as close to an oil gusher as we were going to see, but ours was gonna taste good for sure.
Rick Houser grew up on a farm near Moscow in Clermont County and loves to share stories about his youth and other topics. If you are interested in reading more of his stories they can be found in his books ‘There are Places to Remember” and’ Memories ARE from the Heart.” He may be reached at houser734@yahoo.com or mail to P.O. Box 213 Bethel, Ohio 45106.