Archival Anecdotes: Fuel for the fire

The discovery kerosene dates back to 1846 when British physician Abraham Gesner devised a method for distilling coal. The clear fluid that resulted became known as kerosene and proved to be an indispensable fuel source in the century ahead.

Kerosene lamps had yet to make an appearance until 1853 when Polish inventor Ignacy Łukasiewicz and American Robert Edwin Dietz each designed a suitable lantern at the same time, and independently of each other.

The Dietz Lantern offered a flat wick made of cotton and quickly became a mainstay in American households, proving its worth through portability and strong light.  

Pictured above are some of the kerosene-related paraphernalia on site at the Eddy County Museum. At the bottom is a steel barrel used to store kerosene. It dates back to 1915, and was donated by Blanche and Grant Bjertness from Home Oil Co. Front and center is a gallon-sized kerosene can, with no lid. Left, as well as back center are two of the Dietz No. 2 kerosene lanterns. One was purchased by Carl J. Aaland in 1953, who lived outside of town without electricity for sometime. The other belonged to Sylvester Wallace. The tall lamp on the right, the Dietz Blizzard model belonged to Grandma Mattson, Sr., who used it from early days to 1922.