Oil wells, 1861. Drawing of the oil wells at Tarr Farm, Oil Creek Valley in Pennsylvania, USA. Drilling for oil at Tarr Farm began in 1859 and Oil Creek as a whole was responsible for half of the world's oil production until 1901. Two oil wells operated at Tarr Farm, the Philips well (left, with wooden collecting tank) and the Woodford well (right). The Philips well is one of the most productive wells ever drilled, yielding 4,000 barrels of oil per day in October 1861. The Woodford yielded 1,500 barrels per day in July 1862.