Florence High School - Husky La Bran Yearbook (Florence, CO)

Page 21 text:

 v?5)N($V v e)«(5Vv ) Few people realize that ) Colorado is not only fam-f ous for its yellow colored i gold, but for the black gold J it produces, too. The second oldest (which } is also the oldest still-producing) oil well is plant-[ ed about one mile south of Florence, Colorado. Not far from it stands the' second r oldest still-producing well. In 1862 Gabriel Bowen discovered black liquid gold seeping through his soil, which later became known as Oil Springs. Today, when people pull into a gasoline station they stare wide eyed at the price, usually between 50 and 55 cents. Oil sold from $1.25 to $2.85 a gallon in 1862. During the Civil War (1864-65), oil supplies were cut off from the East which resulted in paying $5 per gallon for it. Florence wells were pro ducing 12,000 gallons of crude oil daily by 1905 and the town became known as the queen city of oil. However, the field has never been a quantity producer, but instead it yields some of the highest quality oil. The same steam engine that was used to drill the well over a century ago is still in the pump shed, but the old belt and shaft are hooked to an electric motor now. World wide people depend on the black gold to perform countless duties a day, unlike a hundred years ago when there were not many uses for it except for kerosene. Now the realization that petroleum will soon be a thing of the past faces everyone. «HS »K2P» This miniature oil well stands in front of the Florence City Hall. cSOMOpd !©«(§ $g)H|Qpa

Page 20 text:

Florence Boasts Second Well The oldest operating U.S. oil well produces four to five barrels a day.

Page 22 text:

tvf HGV t S 3X= v e » 3V 2 After visiting the Centen- a » nial State constant remind- ffl ers spring up resembling a © 3 specific scene, sport or Z 1 entertainment. Maybe that £ © is why Colorado has so % a many state symbols, each ® y representing some un- Z 2 forgettable characteristic of f g the state. ® 1 Colorado adopted the 2 lark bunting (claamospiza y “ melanocorys stejneger) as £ 2 the state bird in 1931. The gj S lark is a native of western i © U.S., east of the Rockies. © 3 During mating season the Z 2 male has oil black plumage, 4 © afterwards his color 9? changes to gray, streaked with brown like that of the Z female. £ @ The bird measures about ® seven inches long and sings 1 S several delightful tunes y while in flight. » 2 The Rocky Mountain Big » 2 Horn Sheep has been the © state animal since 1961. It © j is usually found above Z 1 timberline in rocky crags V © and high valleys. The 2 J sheep is particularly known © x for its bravery and tremen- Z 2 dous endurance. t © The flower, adopted in ® 1889 by the state, is the g x Rocky Mountain Columbine Z n (aquilegia caerules). Colum- c § bine in latin means dove ® f and when the flower is in- 2 verted it resembles a group y 2 of five doves. The flower “ 2 was chosen for its colors; V 2 blue representing Colorado j © skies, white for snow and © j yellow for gold. 2 The columbine is protect- 4 © ed by law in Colorado on 2 all public lands. St The state tree is the Colo- f « rado Blue Spruce (Picea c (5 pungens) adopted in 1939. s It is easily identified by the » (S three inch long cones, and y « the bark of a mature tree is „ 2 furrowed. It grows most » s often at elevation of 5,000 © to 9,000 feet, as tall as 100 © 3 feet, and sometimes two Z 2 feet in diameter. The stiff, 4 © sharp, four - sided needles 2 range from green to blue to St true silver in color Z chs 2 'S© ® Nature Symbolizes Brave, Colorful Characteristics