Photograph of Norman No. 1 Oil Well — Photograph by Unknown, Public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Norman No. 1 Oil Well Site

A National Historic Landmark. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

From the record

“Norman No. 1 Oil Well Site is the site of an abandoned oil well, located at the northeast corner of Mill and First Streets in Neodesha, Kansas, USA. The well, which was drilled on November 28, 1892, was the first successful well in what is now known as the Mid-Continent oil field, kicking off a major oil boom in states from Kansas to Texas and Louisiana.”
Wikipedia article Norman No. 1 Oil Well, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 10 National Register listings published here for Wilson County · listed in 1974 · category: Site · a National Historic Landmark.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

Address. E. Mill St., Neodesha, 66757
When was it listed? August 1974
Category. site
Township. Newark township
National Register reference number. 74000846 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.

Fires near this property

30 since 2015

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 30 fires within 5 miles of Norman No. 1 Oil Well Site between 2015 and 2020, burning about 160 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Debris and open burning	12
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	9
Smoking	3
Misuse of fire by a minor	2
Other causes	1
Fireworks	1
Equipment and vehicle use	1
Recreation and ceremony	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
14 September 2017	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	1.0 acres	Wilson County	424
11 June 2020	Equipment and vehicle use	1.0 acres	Kansas Forest Service	not named
8 April 2020	Recreation and ceremony	1.0 acres	Kansas Forest Service	not named
7 April 2020	Misuse of fire by a minor	under an acre	Kansas Forest Service	not named
6 April 2018	Smoking	under an acre	Kansas Forest Service	170
16 April 2018	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	5.0 acres	Kansas Forest Service	1810046
12 April 2018	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	1.0 acres	Kansas Forest Service	177
7 March 2015	Debris and open burning	10 acres	Kansas Forest Service	2015024

Every fire recorded in Wilson County

Storms near this property

60 of 68 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Neodesha, the town this property stands in, in 68 storm reports between 1998 and 2026: 30 hail, 19 thunderstorm wind, 7 heavy rain, 6 flash flood. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
February 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Neodesha	1 hurt, $50,000	Winds estimated around 90 mph destroyed a home a few miles northeast of Neodesha. One injury (direct) was reported. The Independence Daily Reporter contributed to this report.
August 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Neodesha	$100,000	An early morning severe thunderstorm produced winds estimated at 70 mph across Wilson county. The storm downed numerous trees and caused scattered property damage in Neodesha, including the partial collapse of a storage building in downtown. Other Neodesha damage included a destroyed restaurant sign, and downed or leaning light poles at the ball field. The Chanute Tribune contributed to this report.
May 2008	Flash Flood	Neodesha	$100,000	A water rescue occurred where Highway 400 crossed over the Verdigris River. The person clung to a tree in the river until help arrived. The flood waters also washed out some railroad tracks.
April 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Neodesha	$75,000	A semi pulling double trailers was overturned on Highway 400 very close to the Montgomery/Wilson County line.
April 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Neodesha	$18,000	A few power poles were knocked down along 4th Street knocking out power to Neodesha. This power outage left 3500 people without power for most of the day.
June 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Neodesha	$15,000	A microburst caused major damage along Tank Ave. between 4th and 8th streets. Trees were uprooted and power poles were snapped off.
October 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Neodesha	$2,000	Wind damage was reported to several buildings.
October 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Neodesha	$1,000	A metal shed was knocked over on 700 road.
October 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Neodesha	$500	Thunderstorm winds knocked down six to ten inch tree limbs.
August 2019	Flash Flood	Neodesha	$100	Some roads were covered with water around Neodesha.
August 2013	Flash Flood	Neodesha	$100	Numerous rural roads were reported under water and impassible due to extremely heavy rainfall.
August 2013	Flood	Neodesha	$100	A few low water crossings were underwater.
July 2010	Flash Flood	Neodesha	$100	Significant street flooding occurred in Fredonia. A water rescue took place just southeast of Neodesha. Numerous county roads were closed across the county.
June 2009	Flash Flood	Neodesha	$100	Heavy rainfall up to 2.5 inches caused some county roads to be barricaded.
January 2026	Thunderstorm Wind	Neodesha	-	A six-inch diameter limb was reported down.
April 2024	Flash Flood	Neodesha	-	Heavy rain from training thunderstorms produced a range from 3.27 to 8.9 inches of reported rainfall which led to continued flooding with rises along rivers, creeks and streams. Street flooding was reported in Neodesha with water up to the hoods of cars during the evening of the 27th. Water was flowing over United States Highway 400 between Fredonia and Neodesha which led to the road being closed for two to three hours from the amount of rainfall over a short period of time. Two homes in Neodesha were inundated with water.
June 2024	Hail	Neodesha	-	Quarter sized hail combined with 70 mph winds.
June 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Neodesha	-	An estimated 70 mph winds occurred along with quarter sized hail. There was one report from mPing of small one inch tree limbs broken.
May 2022	Heavy Rain	Neodesha	-	A Coop observer near Neodesha, Kansas, reported a 24 hour rainfall total of 4.70 inches.
May 2022	Heavy Rain	Neodesha	-	A mesonet station in Neodesha, Kansas, reported a 24 hour rainfall total of 5.08 inches.
June 2022	Heavy Rain	Neodesha	-	A Coop observer 1 miles southwest of Neodesha reported 3.75 inches of rainfall in 24 hours.
July 2021	Heavy Rain	Neodesha	-	This was a 24 hour rain total of 4.9 inches.
July 2021	Heavy Rain	Neodesha	-	This was a 24 hour rain total of 4.2 inches.
July 2021	Heavy Rain	Neodesha	-	This was a 24 hour rain total of 7.68 inches.
December 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Neodesha	-	A damage report was relayed via mPING. The app does not allow for specifics.
May 2020	Flood	Neodesha	-	Several rural roads were flooded due to rains up to 3 inches.
May 2019	Flood	Neodesha	-	Highway 400 was still closed just west of Neodesha due to flooding from the Fall River.
May 2019	Flood	Neodesha	-	The Kansas Highway Patrol reported that the swollen Fall River had forced the closure of Highway 400 between Fredonia & Neodesha.
April 2017	Flood	Neodesha	-	There were reports of minor flooding in Neodesha.
April 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Neodesha	-	The public estimated the winds to be 50 to 60 mph.
April 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Neodesha	-	A member of the public reported the gust.
April 2015	Hail	Neodesha	-	The hail ranged in size from quarter to half dollar size.
April 2015	Tornado (EF0)	Neodesha	-	Very brief tornado touchdown over open country. Tornado width was 50 yards.
October 2014	Heavy Rain	Neodesha	-	The 24 hour rainfall amount was 3.05 inches.
August 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Neodesha	-	Reported by a trained spotter.
June 2011	Hail	Neodesha	-	Penny to quarter size hail was reported.
April 2010	Hail	Neodesha	-	Forty five mph winds were also reported.
May 2008	Hail	Neodesha	-	The hail was also driven by an estimated 50 mph wind.
April 2024	Hail	Neodesha	-	no account filed
April 2024	Hail	Neodesha	-	no account filed
April 2016	Hail	Neodesha	-	no account filed
April 2015	Hail	Neodesha	-	no account filed
April 2015	Hail	Neodesha	-	no account filed
October 2014	Hail	Neodesha	-	no account filed
October 2014	Hail	Neodesha	-	no account filed
May 2013	Hail	Neodesha	-	no account filed
July 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Neodesha	-	no account filed
June 2009	Hail	Neodesha	-	no account filed
March 2008	Hail	Neodesha	-	no account filed
June 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Neodesha	-	no account filed
May 2008	Hail	Neodesha	-	no account filed
March 2007	Hail	Neodesha	-	no account filed
October 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Neodesha	-	no account filed
March 2006	Hail	Neodesha	-	no account filed
April 2005	Hail	Neodesha	-	no account filed
September 2005	Hail	Neodesha	-	no account filed
September 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Neodesha	-	no account filed
November 2005	Hail	Neodesha	-	no account filed
April 2004	Hail	Neodesha	-	no account filed
August 2003	Hail	Neodesha	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Wilson County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

4 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
Dorothy DeLay House	2.7 miles	2023
Neodesha City Hall Building	2.8 miles	2018
Brown Hotel	2.9 miles	1995
US Post Office-Neodesha	3.0 miles	1989

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 74000846 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Wilson County	All 10 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.