From Pennsylvania to Texas

1907-1921

The first Petroliana (Clay County, Pennsylvania) gas well was brought in on May 5, 1907, from a depth of 1,410 feet. E.R. Brown began pumping gas to nearby cities and by 1913 was serving Dallas, Fort Worth, and twenty-one other towns. To manage his growing business, Brown formed the Lone Star Gas Company in 1909. The gas Brown pumped to nearby towns contained .1 percent helium. In 1915 the United States Army built the first helium extraction plant in the country at Petrolia, and for several years the field was the sole source of helium for the country. Helium gas production decreased after WW1, and the field ceased operations completely in 1921, when a better source was discovered north of Amarillo.

In 1917 the US began producing Helium, making it the first nation to do so.  A helium plant was constructed in Fort Worth, Texas.

1921, a gas field was discovered in Amarillo, Texas. It was called the Cliffside Gas Field. It is currently located north of Amarillo on Brick Plant Rd.