wildcatter

A wildcatter is a person who drills wildcat wells, which are oil wells drilled in areas not known to be oil fields. A wildcatter notable for his success was Texan oil tycoon Glenn McCarthy.

The term dates from the early oil industry in western Pennsylvania. For instance, the Titusville Herald noted in 1880:

"The discovery of the fluid in New York State was the signal for a general exodus of wildcatters from all parts of the oil country ..."^[1]

One explanation of the term is that it derived from wildcat banking and came to be applied to risky oil ventures. Another explanation is that wildcat wells were drilled far from existing settlements, where only wildcats lived.

References

1. ^ "From Parker City," Titusville (Penn.) Herald, 1 Mar. 1880, p.3.

See also

• Texas wildcatters
• Hydrocarbon exploration

External links

• Wildcatters and oil barons of America

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