Rockefeller was Ready to Retire
With production decreasing in Pennsylvania, the region where Rockefeller founded wells for a massive amount of his oil fortune, he started to purchase what he thought would be profitable oil fields to the west, in Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, and Illinois. He was also getting sick and tired of having to constantly protect his reputation, company, and fortune from the press and politicians.
John D. Rockefeller Sr. after his retirement circa 1910. Photo by Everett Collection / Shutterstock
As the nineteenth century was coming to an end, Rockefeller chose to spend his time doing more relaxing activities, like becoming an avid golfer. That wasn’t the only sport he took on; he started bicycling, which was popular at the turn of the century. He left the hectic pace of New York City for the Hudson Valley, where he bought a new estate.