The oil boom: Born to be a roughneck
CORRECTION: The original text mistated the surname of the roughneck. He is Richard Karpe. The text has been corrected.
The oil boom in North Dakota has attracted all sorts of people looking for work. Some have never seen an oil rig before. Others have spent their careers in the field. And a few — they were born to the life.
Todd Melby is reporting a yearlong project, Black Gold Boom, from Williston, N.D. Marketplace is airing a series of his vignettes of people and scenes from Williston. Today, we hear from someone who had his first roughneck job when he was 11 years old.
Black Gold Boom is an initiative of Localore and the Association of Independents in Radio.
Stories You Might Like
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
