Massive investment in natural gas infrastructure in the 1920’s.

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What I don't get, if there was demand for natural gas in Indiana in the 1890's, why wasn't there demand for gas in southwestern Kansas in 1922? ...

Good question. First thing I'd look at is the regional population density, then if data is available the existing industrial density? Density of the railroads might be useful for comparison.

The conversion of Eastern Indiana/western Ohio from agriculture to urban/industrial was gaining traction long before the gas boom. How far along was the Dodge region of KS on that trajectory?
 
What I don't get, if there was demand for natural gas in Indiana in the 1890's, why wasn't there demand for gas in southwestern Kansas in 1922?
Gas was a bitch to transport in the early dags, at least relative to coal & oil. Hence you were dependent on your local market and even in Indiana that had to be grown artificially by luring in industrial customers with all you can eat tariffs. I believe southwest Kansas was a pretty desolate place in that time period.

Also, selling people on promoting gas-fed industrialisation a decade after the Indiana version died on its ass would have been a pretty tough sell I think. Oil was a proven multi-use commodity with good transportability and that’s where the money went.
 

Infinity

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First thing I'd look at is the regional population density, then if data is available the existing industrial density?
The population of Dodge City went from 5,000 in 1920 to 10,000 in 1930. Does that count as a boom? Yet, after having natural gas (1930-1940) they 1,600 people. I suppose the decline could be due to the great depression.

Furthermore, Seward County where natural gas was discovered in 1922 had less people than Dodge City. Lastly, Hugoton had about one eighth the population of Dodge City. Thus, the region was about as sparsely populated as would be expected. The only reason I can think of why this would be the case is a relative shortage of water. As mentioned earlier, the great depression may have occurred at the worst possible time, stunting the growth of the region.

Even still, it seems things could have went differently. Natural gas could have been utilized earlier, and more industry could have developed before the great depression. Same goes for the rest of the country.

East Texas, north Louisiana, and the border between West Virginia and Pennsylvania are of particular interest. Earlier development of their natural gas resources could have led to greater industrialization.
 
The population of Dodge City went from 5,000 in 1920 to 10,000 in 1930. Does that count as a boom? Yet, after having natural gas (1930-1940) they 1,600 people. I suppose the decline could be due to the great depression.
The boom would quite possibly be the credit-funded farming boom of the late twenties that contributed to the great crash by glutting the commodities market. That part of the country was heavily affected. As for the decline in population, consequences of the same thing, namely the dust bowl.
 
Isn't the large population boom in Liberal, KS as seen by the 1930 census in part a result of the gas field? Liberal happens to be much closer than Dodge City to the Hugoton field, and its still a major industry there. Hugoton, incidentally, recorded barely any population loss during the Dust Bowl compared to Liberal (Liberal was also hit by a tornado IIRC during the Dust Bowl years).

Still, I can't imagine natural gas in the region helping it do much better than OTL considering how natural gas/petroleum is already doing quite a bit to support the area IOTL.
 
Isn't the large population boom in Liberal, KS as seen by the 1930 census in part a result of the gas field? Liberal happens to be much closer than Dodge City to the Hugoton field, and its still a major industry there. Hugoton, incidentally, recorded barely any population loss during the Dust Bowl compared to Liberal (Liberal was also hit by a tornado IIRC during the Dust Bowl years).

Still, I can't imagine natural gas in the region helping it do much better than OTL considering how natural gas/petroleum is already doing quite a bit to support the area IOTL.
Huh? I can’t help but think you have a fixed idea and are looking for facts to support it. Liberal, KS population went up 302% in the decade to 1910, 110% to 1920, 46% to 1930. Even the actual numbers added were declining. How is that a population boom in 1930? How is a couple thousand people per decade “large”? And how is it caused by gas when the first significant producing well came in in 1927?
Trying to guess why places gained or lost people is IME a frustrating exercise. Much better to look for sources that specifically say why things happened and most of what I find skimming about KS is the twenties talks about increasing mechanisation and productivity in farming, larger and fewer farms, and in the last few years bumper crops as wheat farming pressed further westwards and rain patterns were favourable. So that makes sense with more people ending up in towns rather than on the farm. There would most definitely be major local impacts from drilling, building infrastructure, refineries etc but pretty spotty - and always with gas playing second fiddle to oil, in that time period.
 
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