The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-25
special to The Minneapolis Journal.

Special to The Minneapolis Journal.
Butte, Mont, Dec. 13.-Hhat there were
oil indications in Canada, just across the
line from the Kintla lake district, was
known to men in Flathead county fully
twenty years ago, but the discoveries
We're not exploited until some years later
In 1886 Fred Bowman exhibited in Mis-
soula bottle Of crude petroleum. he had
SKINNED from a spring on the Canadian
side of the line near Tobacco plains.
The sample was good enough to excite d
lively interest even then, but it was not
until six years later that oil indications
We're discovered in the extreme northern
end of what was then Missoula county.
In that year John c. Leonard and W; A.
Leonard. of Tobacco plains; Michel Their
riault and w. r. Ramsdell, of KalispeH,
j.; A.; Talbot of Columbia Falls, shipley
pected the oil fields and made the .discov-
cry that the indications on the American
side of the line were even better than
those on the Canadian side, where the
first discoveries had been made
The result was that the records Of
Nissoula county were burdened almost as
heavily, as the F'lathead county records
appropriation of oil land. Most of these
locations were held for two years with
out the usual representation work, under
the provisions Of the act of congress Of
that year eNempting miners from the
burden of representing their claims dur
Ing the panic years of 1894. The follow
ing year the land covered by these loca-
= tions was selected by the state as a part
of its federal land grant and this fact,
together with the inability to interest
the abandonment Of all the claims locat-
ed the previous years. A year or two
later the state coded the land back to
the general government and it now forms
a part of the Flathead forest reservation.
..s-. Butte Men Take Hold.
The fields began to attract attention
again about a year ago, when J. O. Rem
der and Fred Whitesde located several
claims adjoining Kintla lake, for Butte
men. The reported intentions of the
Butte company aroused anew the interest
of those who had abandoned their previ-
GUS claims and for the past nine months
the county recorders Office has been lit
orally flooded with placer locations in the
oil fields. During that period 1850 loca-
tons, representing 10000 acres, have been
tled in the county recorders office, and
ed, upon. which the location work has
not yet been perfected. The recording
fees for these claims for the year so far
have reached the sum of $500, enough
TO pay the annual stipend of the clerk
and recorder.
Practically every. foot Of the country
along the north fork of the Flathead riv-
er from the International boundary to the
railroad-a distance Of about twenty
miles-has been located. Scores of men
have gone into the North Fork country
and sold their rights to spectators, but
retaining in every instance an interest in
the claims. At first tEese claims could
be bought as low as IS each, but now
there are few to be had at those figures.
The theory is that if there is oil at
kintla lake. the field extends the full
length of the valley Of the North Fork
and tEat the theory is plausible is shown
by the fact that there are positive oil
indications in the valley of the Flat
head clear to Montford, seven miles east
Of Kalispell. Indeed, it is not at all lln-
likely that at least one Of the numerous
companies now organizing for oil pros
pectlng vii! commence operations in the
Montford district
! The Kintla oil fields have been tex
I perted' by men who have had years of
experience in the oil fields Of Pennsyl-
one verdict-tEat the indications are of
! the most promising character It is the
| quality of the Kintla oil which has ap-
pealed particularly to these experts,
gon, ). H. Clayton of the Standard Oh
company, and P. W. Francis Of Califor-
MIA, a geolcgist of recognized standing
Mr.. Francis has been in the Kintla dis
tr1ct all summer and is now in Kalispell
making arrangements to take boring ma
| chinery into the fields in the interests of
the company he represents
Analysis Of the crude product gathered
! from the natural seepage has shown that
che k I oil has the paraHne base.
els RECENTLY a the Kintla fields would
t the .asphaltum base - the product
! OF the Texas and California fields - Mon.
tana has several asphaltum oil fields
with every surface indication Of great
that would be more productive than any