100 years ago in rural Bluffton
Here is a colorized post card from the Ada Public Library collection. On the back side it reads: "Oil wells were in the vicinity of County Road 20 and Tonwship Road 25. One was on the Stober farm in the 1920s."
Oil wells were also drilled in Orange Township and other rural sections around Bluffton. At the height of the oil boom there were 500 oil wells in rural Bluffton and Ada.
When driving on State Route 103 between Bluffton and Arlington, each time you see a brick farmhouse that is a sign that an oil well was drilled on that property.
Stories Posted This Week
Monday, October 19, 2026
- Jess Express Travel is the Icon's newest advertiser
- Gatchel 7th in girls, Pirates 4th at NWC cross country meet
- Veterans invited to Pandora-Gilboa banquet, November 10
- October 19 Bluffton Schools athletics lineup, streaming
- Wearable sculptures featured in exhibit On Soft Ground
- Historic depot rentals offered for meetings and parties
Sunday, October 18, 2026
Saturday, October 17, 2026
Friday, October 16, 2026
- Production offers a modern take on the story of St. Clare of Assisi
- Bluffton volleyball edged in 5 by Van Buren
- Pirate girls soccer tie O-G
- Bluffton Council recap: Officers honored for 25 years of service
- Bluffton Clean Up teams up with Troop 3256 Cub Scouts
- Ada FFA: Feeding the Farmers
- Nov. 7 Fall Community Day at Bluffton University
- Quarry Farm Nature Preserve news for Fall 2026
Thursday, October 15, 2026
- DeWine announces $200M Rural Health Transformation program award
- Herb program with Marge Lafollette, Oct. 15
- Prairie seeding activity at Bluffton University, October 24
- Food for thought: Choline for the brain
- Results for 5K on October 2, Bluffton University Homecoming event
- 15 minutes with Sherry Miller, senior center activities coordinator