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From the late 1940's to the late 1990's, the "horsehead"
pumpjack was an icon of the local oil patch. It's up and down motion drew the oil to
the surface from the depths below. An observer "in the know" could tell
from the speed of the pumpjack the heaviness of the oil being pumped. Conventional
crude would be characterized by a rapid stroke. Heavy oil would sometimes mean that
you had to actually stop and peer at the pumpjack closely for a few seconds to see whether
it was moving or not. The photograph below shows a "horsehead" from the
1950's.

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