Oil From Shale
Elko, Elko County, Nevada
Marker Inscription
Oil From Shale. Directly south of this point and across the valley floor are the remains of a short-lived extraction plant, which reached the peak of its productive capacity in the early twenties. Driving of the main shaft began in 1916. Of several tries at extracting oil from shale, this was the only successful operation in Nevada.Robert M. Catlin, Sr. spent many years experimenting on the extraction of crude oil from these beds before beginning the commercial production of oil. After a production period of less than two years, the plant was closed in the fall of 1924. Hi-Power Catlin Oil was too expensive to complete with the fossil oils of that day.Easily 50 years ahead of his time, Catlin gave Elkoans and Nevadans a dream and the community an oil boom in the Roaring Twenties.
Erected by Division Of Historic Preservation And Archaeologynortheastern Nevada Historical Society
The Story
Across the valley south of this point lie the ruins of an oil-shale extraction plant that Robert M. Catlin, Sr. spent years developing before sinking its main shaft in 1916. Reaching peak output in the early 1920s, it was the only successful shale-oil operation in Nevada, but its "Hi-Power Catlin" oil could not compete on price with cheap conventional petroleum, and the plant closed in the fall of 1924. Catlin's dream, decades ahead of its time, gave Elko a brief oil boom in the Roaring Twenties.
Why it matters
A century before shale energy reshaped American oil, this short-lived venture shows a Western inventor chasing unconventional fuel — and being beaten by the economics of the day.
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Related people
- · Robert M. Catlin, Sr.
Themes & tags
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