"Coal Oil Johnny" Homestead & Gerard Trail in Oil Creek State Park

John Steele, or “Coal Oil Johnny,” was a famous party boy of the 19th century. He actually was a national celebrity during the days of the Pennsylvania oil boom, just after the Civil War, because he was opulently rich, extravagant, and unspeakably wasteful. The whole schtick about lighting cigars with $100 bills was attributed to him. In early life, Steele had been adopted by the McClintock Family, wealthy farmers who settled in the valley of Oil Creek, in Venango County, in 1796. This is not the first McClintock house; this one was built on their property in 1850, then restored in the 1990s and relocated within the bounds of Oil Creek State Park, very close to their original homestead.

The interior of the McClintock home, which I snapped through a window, would have been small but well-appointed for that time and place. When oil was discovered in the region, the McClintocks struck it rich, and John Steele, the adopted son of the family, inherited enormous wealth. Steele fled to Philadelphia to spend his riches in grand style, and the newspapers of the day loved to report on his wanton material excesses. He earned the nickname "Coal Oil Johnny," and he was known for his flashy clothes, lavish parties, ostentatious jewelry, and expensive tastes. After rapidly wasting all his money, Coal Oil Johnny fell into disgrace and began working with a traveling show, hiding his identity. Every time someone figured out who he was, he moved on to another place, finally dying penniless in Nebraska at the age of 77.

For all my recent fascination with Oil Creek State Park, I'd never explored the southern portion of it, which is much like the northern segments that I've already hiked. The park encompasses the scenic hollow of Oil Creek, and the Gerard Trail runs a 30-some mile loop around the entire park, hugging sheer bluffs above the stream far below. 

I did a quick 5-mile trek on Saturday before heading back to the city. 

The sluggish waters of Oil Creek flow languidly along, depleted by a hot, dry summer. The woods are crawling with ticks right now. Even taking precautions, I had to remove four over the course of two days of hiking.