The party used the oil on the surface to lubricate wagon wheel hubs, as polish, and as a poultice.

After the party reached Great Salt Lake, a group returned and dug a well at the seep for other pioneers.

The well served until 1869 when the Union Pacific Railroad brought petroleum to Salt Lake City.

[3] It is believed that the trappers who built Fort Bridger were aware of the well; however, its first published description appeared in an 1848 guidebook written by a W. Clayton, who accompanied the initial Mormon expedition that had settled the Salt Lake Valley in the previous year.

Although secondary to the larger Absaroka Fault, it is substantial enough to permit the ascension of petroleum from oil shale.