In February 1966, Al Smith of Newcastle successfully completed the world's only producing hand dug oil well by digging with a pick and shovel twenty-one feet into the oil-bearing Newcastle Formation, then using dynamite when he reached harder sandstone and rigging an old Maytag washing machine motor with a bucket pulley system to remove rock. The finished well was twenty-four feet deep and about four feet square, while other wells nearby drilled into the same formation usually ranged from three hundred to about one thousand feet deep. The hand dug well has consistently produced one-half to one barrel of oil per day and has continued producing without anything being done over the years to enhance output. It is unusual because it contains no natural gas, distillates, or top ends, consisting essentially of pure oil with a little water and a small amount of graphite, which makes it a good lubricating oil for gears and chains. Elsewhere in the world, other attempts to hand dig oil wells ended in failure and sometimes death because of natural gas in the formation. News of the accomplishment spread worldwide, bringing the hand dug oil well and Newcastle, Wyoming, international attention, and it was later featured in numerous publications and on television programs. Al Smith died in March 2005 at age 90, proud of his accomplishment and his contribution to the community and state.