Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1902-09-01
OIL INDICATIONS
IN COLFAX COUNTY
They Are Identical With Those of the Oil
Producing Areas of Colorado and Deep
Well is Being Drilled Near the
City of Ration.
A GEOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE RATION
AND CHICOR|COMESAS NEAR THE GATE CITY

On the south side of the Ration and
or rolling country abounding in coal
| seams, which have long been worked
in the vicinity of Ration, the geological
associations of which are most favora-
BILE for the discovery of oil. This To-
| calty is now exploited through the en-
| terprse of DR.. J. j. Shuler and other
citizens and capitalists Of Ration and
| Colorado Springs. After thorough
examination of the locality, Professor
Lakes of Denver, an authority on oil
development, made such an encourag-
| ing report that Immediately an oil
| land company and an operating COM
pany We're organized, some 10000 acres
of land acquired and $4,000 raised for
driving a well. This work is now in
progress about two miles from Ration,
and the we'll has reached a depth of
$500 feet it having been pushed with
much 'vigor and dispatch. The table
land consists of sandstone and shales
of the base of the Laramie cretacious
and upper portion of the Montana Gre
tacious formations. Long. wall-like
ridges are formed of volcanic lava
dykes, having usually northeast and
southwest direction and which more or
less exist in the whole region. The en-
tire plain country constituting the oil
field is underlaid with drab colored
shales of the Montana and Colorado
cretacious groups. The sandstone stra-
ia, constituting the seat of the OIL the
coil sand" Professor Lakes approxi-
mated to be 5000 to 1900 feet below the
surface and he says the various signs
scattered over a wide area are more
favorable for the whole width Of the
strata than the presence of a single
permanent prominent ell spring.
Among the several surface indications
referred to great stress is laid upon
certain geological and physical condi-
tions.
First, basaltic dykes thoroughly i'm
pregnated with oil and having their
cavities and stream holes filled with a
dark green oil; second, oil seepages
and oil springs occurring at numerous
points throughout the table land where
the oil is sufficiently abundant to be
taken for sample; third, the existence
at many points of sandstone and shale
charged with oil or biturrinous matter
so they will burn; fourth, evidence in
both shallow and deep wells of natural
gas. These have been observed for
years at different points in that locali-
ty, more notably on the McCowen
ranch where a man digging for water
ignited the gas in a we'll and was Sc
verely burned. Surface indications
similar to these proved the first incen-
tive for exploiting the oil fields Of Ar
chuleta county, Colorado. The Canon
City and other areas in Colorado yield |
ing oil in merchantable quantities and |
the formation here about Ration and |
the Chicorico are deemed to be identi- |
cal, except, perhaps, the oil sand lies
somewhat deeper. At Barela, near the |
extreme northeastern line of Colfax /
county, two oil drilling outfits are at
work, backed by Ration and Trinidad |
parties. This is called the Truchera |
district and here the rock is in places |
so saturated with petroleum that when l
broken, the oil drips from it like wa
ter from a spring. Good indications of
oil are also found about six miles
southeast from Springer. The rocks at
that place when broken are found to
be full of oil cells from which the oil
drops This is natural oil basin and
will doubtlessly be thoroughly opened
at no distant day.