In the early 1920s the drilling rights to the wild Teapot Dome Reserve in Wyoming were secretly granted to the Mammoth Oil Company by the then-secretary of the interior, Albert Bacon Fall. But when it was revealed that Fall had received a bribe of $200,000 after the signing of the lease, it was promptly canceled.

When this photo was taken in 1925 the area should have been bristling with oil rigs, but instead the sheep were left to graze the prairie grasses in peace.

Liked this? Click the Like button above. And click the Follow button above for more great stories from loveEXPLORING

Now read on to see even earlier photos of the USA

Fascinating photos of life in every US state in 1925