Kansas has always been rich with oil. Some legends even back up this story, with tales of Native Americans conducting council around burning springs. History also tells more about the fact, with stories of immigrants skimming ?rock tar? from oil seeps and used it to grease their wagons.

The Norman No. 1 Oil Well is a further proof to this unique quality of the state of Kansas. It was built in 1892 and signaled the start of the production of oil from the Mid-Continent field. By 1919, this area provided supply for almost half the United States. It continued to do so until the 1930s.

The Norman No. 1 Oil Well is a declared National Historic Landmark as of 1977.