Patrick Boyle (1846-1920)
Patrick C. Boyle
Boyle, known both as P.C. and Pat, was 39 years old when he purchased the Derrick Newspaper in 1885, making it the "organ of oil." He was referred to the world over as "The Derrick," which was regarded as an essential publication wherever oil was produced and refined.
Born in Ireland in 1846, P.C. came to the United States with his family in 1847 to settle in Butler County. At age 15 he was a soldier in the Civil War. By 20 years of age, he was living in Pithole. He learned the oil industry inside and out.
During the 1880's, Pat was known as the most spectacular oil scout ever employed. Oil Companies used scouts to spread news and rumors throughout the region; sometimes using very colorful ways to outfox their competitors. His flaming red hair and beautiful black horse, known as Daniel Webster, helped Boyle become a legend.
The Derrick Newspaper, published in Oil City, Pennsylvania, has been owned by the Boyle family for over 100 years.
Sources:
The Derrick. August 14, 1951 edition. Published in Oil City, Pennsylvania
Dolson, Hildegarde; They Struck Oil. Hammond, Hammond and Company, London, 1959
Reprinted Courtesy of the Venango Museum of Art, Science and Industry