Ritchie County was formed in 1843 from Lewis, Harrison and Wood counties and was named for Virginia journalist Thomas Ritchie. In 1772, Elias and Jesse Hughes and Colonel William Lowther explored this region to the Ohio, and Hughes River was named by them. Wirt County was formed in 1848 from Wood and Jackson counties and was named for William Wirt, who was prominent in the prosecution of Aaron Burr. Development of the Burning Springs oil fields began in 1859, the year of the Titusville, Pennsylvania oil boom.