The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-09-14
WYOMING STRIKES OIL
DISCOVERIES OF SEVENTY
YEARS AGO NOW WORKED
Petroleum Found in Quantities All
Over State at Varying Depths
Many Companies Start Derricks and
Expect to Get Rich-Abandoned
Wells Often Found, Making Sites of
Disappointments.

EVANSTON, Wyo., Sept 10.-It may
be of interest to those who are watch
ing the development of the Wyoming
oil fields to know just how, when and
where the petroleum was irst discoV-
cred in the state.
1t is claimed the trace was discov-
cred near the central part of the state
about 1882 by Capt. Bonneville and
was described by him and in the works
of Washington Irving as Tar
Springs
In 1868 petroleum was collected from
a spring near the Poison Spider creek
and was sold along the Mormon trail
as axle grease, also to the Uintah
county coal mines as a lubricant, but,
being taken from near the surface, it
was found to contain more or less grit
and it's use was soon discontinued by
the mines. who claimed it was injuring
the bearings.
Occur All Over State.
: Few persons have any idea of the
large number of oil springs in Wyom-
ing or the vast area over which they
are found. There are hundreds Of
them scattered over the state, al
though they are most common in
Uintah county, where the most notable
is the famous Carter oil spring, located
about ten miles east of Evanston.
This spring was discovered in 1866
by Judge Carter, from whom it derives
it's name.
Judge Carter was a post trader at
old Fort Bridger, who, upon making
the discovery, reported it to Gen. Con-
nor, commander of the federal garri-
son at Fort Douglas, Utah. who sent
John G. Ficre, an experienced we'll
digger, to Fort Bridger, who dug a
fifty-foot well, from which was OBJ
tanned in the neighborhood OF lad bar
relS of petroleum., which was sold to
the Union Pacific railway and the
Black Buttes Coal company for SIS per
barrel, it being used as lubricant in
the crude state as taken from the well.
However, it had to be carried some
distance by team and was not found to
be paying proposition. The old pole
derrick and log house used by the,oper-
ators remained for years, together with
the modern rig, which was placed there
by Judge Carriers heirs shortly after
his demise. They sank a new shaft
about 100 feet. at which point oil sand
was encountered which produced an
excellent grade of oil, which was sold
exclusively to the Union Pacific rail-
way.
Well Is Abandoned.
This well was in operation several
years, but was finally closed down on
account of the railway company pur-
chasing refined lubricant at lower
price from Eastern concerns. The Car
ter company, not knowing the real
value of their oil, made no further
attempt to dispose of it. The derricks
were removed and the buildings final
ly destroyed by the fire, and the WE'LL
being uncased, caved in, and today
IN owl t1nn I~11t
a steady oozing of oil from a slight
depression in the ground.
The oil sands are found at greatly
varying depths. The Wyoming Oil
company recently reported finding oil
sands at depth of only three feet,
and again at seventeen, showing a
fiattering trace of oil. It is, however,
the third sands from which the best
results are obtained, and this forma-
ton seems to be generally 600 to 1900
feet below the surface. and is invari-i
ably just below great strata of coal.
There are at present dozens of drill
ling rigs on the ground, and more are
arriving at the rate of from two to
six week. By the time winter sets
in the American Consolidated will
have a dozen rigs in operation, and
the Wyoming Oil company will place
five rigs, already ordered, on their
possessions. The jaeger Oil company
already has one we'll producing oil in
paying quantities and will have other
rigs in operation at once. Dozens Of
other companies have one to three
rigs each on the ground.
1t will take considerable time and
large amount of money to develop the
Uintah county fields, but their wealth
has already been demonstrated by the
few wells that have been sunk to a
sufficient depth to reach the oil-pro-
ducing strata.