Helena: Sandusky County, Ohio

Helena, Sandusky County, Ohio

This albumen print of Helena in Sandusky County, Ohio, is believed to have been taken around 1890. According to information on the reverse of the photograph, it was taken from atop one of the oil derricks built on a vacant lot. 

Helena, lies partially in the townships of Jackson and Washington in Sandusky County, Ohio. The village was established in 1871 as a result of the construction of the Toledo branch of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad. 

Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Surveying of the village was done by Joseph Garn. John Ickes, Isaac Garn, and Jonathan Wagner laid out lots.  

Thirteen oil derricks can be seen in the image. According to longtime area resident, Gene Long. who wrote Conquering the Black Swamp: A History of Jackson Township's First 170 Years, the first oil well was drilled in 1889 on the Joseph Garn farm . Shortly thereafter, wells sprang up throughout the area. However, most were close to Helena. The population increased as men came to work in the oil fields. According to Mr. Long, the "oil boom" did not last long. He writes that "by July of 1909 there were about 4200 wells operating in the county and the average production was less than one barrel per day. "

Joseph Garn Oil Well No. 9

The photographs are part of the Hayes Presidential Library and Museums Sandusky County Local History Photograph Collection.