Exhibit 31.1


                                 CERTIFICATIONS


I,  Mason  McLain,  certify  that:

1.   I  have  reviewed  this  report  on  Form  10-KSB  of The Reserve Petroleum
     Company;

2.   Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of
     material  fact  or  omit  to  state  a  material fact necessary to make the
     statements  made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements
     were  made,  not  misleading  with  respect  to  the period covered by this
     report;

3.   Based  on  my  knowledge,  the  financial  statements,  and other financial
     information  included  in  this  report,  fairly  present  in  all material
     respects  the financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows of
     the  small  business  issuer  as of, and for, the periods presented in this
     report;

4.   The  small  business  issuer's  other  certifying  officer(s)  and  I  are
     responsible  for  establishing  and  maintaining  disclosure  controls  and
     procedures  (as  defined  in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) for
     the  small  business  issuer  and  have:

     a)   Designed  such  disclosure  controls  and  procedures,  or caused such
          disclosure  controls  and  procedures  to  be  designed  under  our
          supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the small
          business  issuer,  including  its  consolidated  subsidiaries, is made
          known  to  us by others within those entities, particularly during the
          period  in  which  this  report  is  being  prepared;

     b)   Evaluated  the effectiveness of the small business issuer's disclosure
          controls  and  procedures and presented in this report our conclusions
          about  the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as
          of  the  end  of  the  period  covered  by  this  report based on such
          evaluation;  and

     c)   Disclosed  in  this  report  any change in the small business issuer's
          internal  control  over  financial  reporting that occurred during the
          small business issuer's most recent fiscal quarter (the small business
          issuer's  fourth  fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that
          has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect,
          the small business issuer's internal control over financial reporting;
          and

5.   The  small  business  issuer's  other  certifying  officer(s)  and  I  have
     disclosed,  based  on  our  most recent evaluation of internal control over
     financial  reporting, to the small business issuer's auditors and the audit
     committee  of  the  small  business issuer's board of directors (or persons
     performing  the  equivalent  functions):

     a)   All  significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or
          operation  of  internal  control  over  financial  reporting which are
          reasonably  likely  to  adversely  affect  the small business issuer's
          ability  to  record,  process,  summarize  and  report  financial
          information;  and

     b)   Any  fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other
          employees  who  have a significant role in the small business issuer's
          internal  control  over  financial  reporting.




Date:  March  19,  2004                   /s/  Mason  McLain
                                          --------------------------------------
                                          Mason  McLain
                                          Principal  Executive  Officer