In the early 20th century an unprecedented boom began as large deposits of oil were discovered in east Texas. This oil boom became known as the 'Gusher Age'. Pictures from that era show liquid gold under pressure shooting hundreds of feet into the air after every drilled hole struck oil. For the next forty years the supply of oil from Texas, Oklahoma and California made many people wealthy.
After decades during which millions of barrels of oil were extricated, natural pressures in oil deposits deep underground began to subside and the Gusher Age slowly came to an end. Large deposits of oil still remain to this day but new methods are required for extraction. Oil companies devised a costly system called hydraulic fracking which injects liquid under high pressure into underground rock formations. Remaining oil reserves are dislodged and forced to the surface.
After the Second World War simple extraction of oil reserves in USA was declining and new oil reserves were found in other parts of the globe which were easier and less costly to extract.
Discovery of oil and the modern locksmith era arrived at approximately the same time. The machine age provided a need for both oil and added security. Pin tumbler residential locks and locks used in the automotive arena required service and maintenance and Locksmiths rose to the occasion.
Parallel occurrences between the evolution of oil production and the evolution of locksmithing are unmistakable. During the 20th century locksmiths enjoyed a time of unmatched prosperity. We had almost a monopoly on the business of selling and servicing security products. Every locksmith expected the phone to ring and it did.
Century 21 is a different era. Just as with the change to fracking for oil, locksmiths must devise new sales methods to operate in a more competitive marketplace. The phone may not ring with the same old frequency unless we alert customers to what we can now offer. Advertising and marketing may be costly but in the world of today it is a necessity.
