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 1825 the first natural gas well in America along Canadaway Creek in Fredonia, New York. The well was approximately 27 ft deep; by contrast, modern wells are over 7500 ft 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.