Jim Sturgeon, at left, president of the Wells County Historical Society, was program presenter on a recent Wednesday as the Historical Museum staff hosted the last session of the Senior Snippets class with the Bluffton Park Board. The topic was the gas and oil boom in the county that lasted about 10 years beginning in the 1880’s. The oil wells that were productive in the area were pumped from the Trenton Oil Field, located underground to the south of Bluffton. Also adding to the discussion was Steve Makowski, who has done some research on the topic as a family member lives on a site where former wells were located. Sturgeon and Connie Brubaker, at right, shared maps of where oil wells and dry holes were located in the county. (Photo by Barbara Barbieri)
