Museum Gushes About Louisiana Oil History
Published Mar 07, 2008
Louisiana is known for crawfish and Cajuns, but for more than a century the state has been a major oil producer. And for those who want to know more about that part of the state’s history, the Louisiana State Oil and Gas Museum is a must-see destination.
The museum covers Louisiana’s oil history from its first oil well – which was begun in 1904 by the Savage Brothers and Morrical – through Oil City’s “oil rush” and continues up to modern times. The Caddo Indian exhibit showcases the area’s native residents, and a hands-on archeologist exhibit and sounds of a log jam give visitors a full sensory experience of what the area was like at the height of oil production.
Housed in a new, 12,000-square-foot facility, the museum has everything from three historic boomtown buildings and outdoor exhibits to an oil derrick donated by Texaco. Future plans include using some of the acreage around the museum for outdoor exhibits, says Coe Haygood, director.
“We want a lot of the outside equipment to be hooked up and working, so people can see how the steam engines worked, all the various machinery,” Haygood says. “Most of the kids who come through don’t know about that part of our drilling history. We want to have our own park for when they come.”
Those plans also include a cultural segment outdoors, a section that would resemble a Caddo Indian village where the area’s original residents’ lives could be recreated, she adds.
“We get people from all over, “ Haygood says. “England, Germany, all parts of the United States. And they’re always surprised that we’re still drilling here, even though we were the second oil field in Louisiana. Most of them have dried up, but we’re still going.”
Photo by Wes Aldridge
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