After an investigation by the Pinkerton Detective Agency, a town resident named Jim Frey was arrested on charges of starting the blaze.

[6] The Volcano oil field was discovered in 1860, according to the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey (WVGES), "and from 1865 to 1870, drilling was very active, producing from the Salt sand at a depth of about 360 feet.

The first major strike in the Volcano oil field occurred March 6, 1865 on Buffalo Run in Ritchie County.

[4] The heavy lubricants produced led to the development of West Virginia's first oil pipeline, from Volcano to Parkersburg, in 1879."

A Sunday afternoon visitor in 1888 reported "continual fighting, drinking and other disturbance going on" and thugs, gamblers and prostitutes operating freely even though W.C. Stiles had hired "rowdies" to keep order.