Jennings replica oil derrick reconstructed

Jennings, LA (KPLC) - Another small sign of recovery popped up in Jennings this week as a local Jennings landmark was reconstructed.

Like many structures, the Jennings oil derrick at the visitor’s center just off I-10 was damaged during Hurricane Laura.

Workers say there were some portions of the old derrick that had not been damaged and were able to be used to help construct the new structure.

The local landmark was originally built and dedicated to the people of Louisiana in memory of the first oil pioneers in the area. Signs in the area tell the history of the state’s first oil strike which was made in the nearby Evangeline community. The first oil strike was made on September 21, 1901, on the farm of Jules Clement. The discovery of oil in the area led to an economic boom which marked the beginning of the oil and gas industry in the state.

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