Mentor
Dr. Edward Andrus
Keywords
Arkansas history, Arkansas oil speculation, Eureka Springs history, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, blue sky law
Abstract
On October 4, 1921, Sure Pop Oil Company held a barbecue to celebrate the newly built oil derrick and attract new investors in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. The Eureka Springs Historical Museum has photos from the celebration. Local lore suggests that the oil company owners were "confidence men" who were out to "fleece" the citizens of Eureka Springs. A clearer picture of the Sure Pop Oil Company and its president can be attained by studying newspaper articles and census records. Start with the zeal after the discovery of oil in El Dorado, Arkansas, coupled with the lack of federal and state legislation protecting investors, and throw in a dash of human greed, and you have a recipe for disaster.
Recommended Citation
Ladwig, K. C. (2023). Pop Goes the Weasel: How Greed and a Good Barbecue Hoodwinked a Small Town. Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal, 22(2). Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/inquiry/vol22/iss2/6
