Oil in this part of the Allegheny foothills had been known to white men since 1627, when a French missionary reported that Indians used “a good kind of oil” from nearby Seneca Oil Spring for medicinal purposes. Production began in 1879 and reached a peak of more than five million barrels a year by 1885, then declined until only 750 thousand were marketed in 1913. After the introduction of the flooding technique, which forced oil up and out of wells by water pressure, production rose steadily. Although the oil produced here has made up only a small share of the total national petroleum product, its superior lubricant quality has consistently brought top prices. Oil and natural gas are still produced here, but dairying and livestock raising have become the major economic activities.