About From Boom to Bust 2

     Ben Hogan, the legendary bad man of the Oil Region, was, without a doubt, the most infamous character in the early days of oil.

From 1852-1878, Hogan’s wild ride took him throughout the eastern and midwestern portions of the United States. Most notable was the western Pennsylvania oil region where crime and vice ran rampant and disreputable characters gravitated to the oil fields. Ben Hogan and his many adventures fit right in with the bawdiness of this period where law and order were the last things on the minds of the settlers in the up-and-coming oil towns. Ben Hogan’s Wild Ride ended on August 22, 1878 when he walked into a chapel and . . . .

     Ben Hogan’s Wild Ride is the story of Ben Hogan’s life.

     Reverend Julie Overman, United Church of Christ, wrote in the Foreword: “Ben Hogan’s Wild Ride” is a joy to read in that twisted way that you can’t take your eyes off a car crash. What a life he led. Horrifying how comfortable he was with atrocity. Beautifully done.”