The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1901-10-19
Company OF Helena Men
To Be Formed.
THEY DISCUSS PLANS.
P, W. Francis Outlines Formation Of Flat
head District. Oil Found There
Excels Any In The United
States.

There is very good prospect OF the |
early formation of a strong company |
in Helena for the development OF a
large section of oil land in Flathead
county, says the Helena Herald. A
meeting of a number Of Interested
men was held Monday afternoon in
the Office of Assistant State Examin-
er Frederick H. Ray, one of the most
vitally interested of ALL AS a result
of this informal meeting most Of the
state offices on the upper floor of the
Baiy block were for a time deserted,
while their accustomed occupants lis
tened to an interestuing description
of the Flatheai oil country, given by
p. w. Francis, an oil expert, who has
recently come to Helena from the To-
cality of such great interest.
Mr.. Francis has called California
his home previous to the past year,
most Of which he has spent in Flat
head county. He has made the ex-
animation of oil wells his business
for many years, and has located
many valuable properties in the west.
Speaking of the Flathead country,
Mr.. Francis said to those present:
The oil district lies in a valley on
the north fork of Flathead river, in
the northern part of the county and
on the west side of the main divide
of the Rockies. 1t begins in the Flat
head forest reserve and runs about
1S miles south of the International
boundary line to that line and over
into Canadian territory.
Il have been in that locality since
early in May. I was one of the first
to enter there, and it was then prac-
tically wilderness. There was only
the old Indian trail, along which they
used to smuggle Cinnamon, opium
and horse thieves. Now there is a
good wagon road running through
there.
"On Lake Kintla the Butte Oil COM
rany has located it's boring machin
cry. This company means business.
'The Flathead oil field proper lies
between the main range and the
Whiteface mountains. The mountains
there constitute an up-thrust. The
character of the rock is green schist
states and amygdaloids.
THE rock underlying the valley
consists of tilted beds of shale and
sandstone, dipping slightly to the
north and east. It is evident that
the general trend of the oil bearing
rock has been interrupted by the up
thrust, and along the line of the
cleavage appears seepages of oil.
"This oil is the finest crude oil eve1
found nthe United States. Jast a!
it comes out of the earth it is wortl
eight to 10 times as much as tina
produced in California and Texas. 1
has paraffine base, and the field
producing this kind of oil hav'
been gradually giving out. Their
fore the price of this oil has advarc
ed. There will be no ql, ;tiol Q
marketing the oil.
MANY people of Butte, Helena
Kalispell, Oregon, California az
Pennsylvania have made locations
and the value of the land is fast al
preciating. In fact, all locatabl
lands have been taken, and the onl
way any one can now become intel
ested is by purchasing claims or tai
ing stock in some of the companie
that are being formed for develop
ment work"
No definite steps in the way of o
ganizing the company were take
yesterday. Those already intereste
in Helena are H. NJ. Parchen, R.
Wallace, G. W. Bailey, Henry Fishe
H. G. McIntire, Fred Kessler, L. Y
Heath, Emil Starr, Edward Horsk
F. II. Ray and many others.
The comnanv vii probably take