During World War II it was nearly impossible to find a well driller who didn't have a waiting list. Delbert "Casey" Jones needed a well drilled so he purchased an old home-made drill with a one cylinder Wisconsin engine for power. After drilling his well, the neighbors wanted wells. After assessing the inadequacy of his equipment and seeing an opening for the birth of a new business, he purchased a new Bucyrus-Erie cable tool drilling machine. Within a few years the company owned 5 cable tool rigs. With the introduction of the rotary drilling machine, wells in hard rock formations, which were impossible for cable tools to complete, could now be drilled and completed, usually in one day. There were eight children raised around the drilling equipment, among which were three sons who owned and operated drilling businesses throughout Oregon and Idaho.
Casey Jones Jr. drilled his first well at the age of 12 and has been actively involved in Oregon's groundwater ever since. Casey Jones Well Drilling has drilled over 10,000 wells in Oregon since 1947.