The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1908-10-01
A Trip to the
Westhope Gas Wells
Six Verv Productive Gas Wells Within Few Miles Of
Each Other-New Gasers Struck Every Few
Days-Win Boom Minot

that thousands of acres on land III
the beautiful farming district ten
miles south Of Westhope, over ~
pottineau count were undertake
v;th the finest gas in the Un'teu
st.tes Won would have told the per
.on giving you such information tnas
he was filed with an over dose o.
+h.t Auid himself, and chances are
:, ha continued to explain to you
that he was right and that you "elo
too skeptical, you would have turneu
on your heel and walked away ~
oct mt OF hearing of the crazy 1e1'
low. =,
Yet today, you will have 10 oe
feve that there are six very pro-
ductiye gas wells within FEW m''''
~ zach other, and it is not an un-
common thing for new gaser to De
struck every few days. Inc gas
trend simply has been struck. f'no
ing gas wells is no longer an ca
ner;ment The we'll drillers, among
tho hest experts in the United States
fresh from the oil and gas dlstrlcOs
Of Southern Kansas and Nor'hein
o1,7a boma know what they are 40
ing. They won't give you much ~
formation but they keep on saw
ing wood" and find new discoveries
-;ob+ along each well as good as
tho rest, and the supply apparently
never failing.
II there ever was a skeptical man
concerning the new discovery II
vaS the editor of this. paper. we
wero unite confident when we hrst
heard that gas had been discovereo
over in Bottineau county, that anoth'
er gold mine had been found. a
trim to the wells last Sunday July
convinced US that there is gas ana
in great quantities, SO much OF ~
in fact that if the supply does not
decrease, there is enough already TO
light and heat the whole OF Mlnot'
besides furnish cheap power Tor our
industries.
Water is mighty scarce in the
Westhope country and a year aSo
last summer, Mr. Parker who owns
a lot Of land in that vicinity declo'
Cd to 90 down into the bowels OF
the earth if needs be in order 10
get a good supply of it. Wnen ne
got down no feet, he struck some
thing that didn't resemble water IN
tho least, It was nothing more
ar less than a tremendous lot : OF
gas, so much that practically all VI
the mud that was in the we'll Was
shot up to great height, along Win
quantities of the dark blue sano'
and the drillers fled for their lives
Parker's beautiful red barn was
ruined in appearance from the dirt
and slush that was dashed all over
the west side of it, and the roof
looked like a Vesuvius had broken
loose. The drillers did not know
how to handle gas, and for several
weeks the we'll continued to give
forth of the gas, which for countless
ages must have been cooped up IN
natures laboratories and waited only
for an opportunity to present itself
to a welcoming people. Ten years
ago the discovery of gas in the West
hope district would not have meant
a great deal, because there were not
enough people in this portion of the
state to appreciate it's full worth
The all wise Creator who doeth al
things well, provided that one OF
the greatest of our natural products
should be found where it is needed
the most-in country void of trees
and its discovery was made in
time when most needed and best ap
preciated.
After the Parker we'll had funnel
and Kissed and roared for weeks, j
was placed under control and tested
OF course it was gas. 1t couldn'
be anything else, and how it burned
Why, it was the discovery OF pei
haps the finest quality Of gas in tn
United States. Almost void of an
odor, and perfectly dry, it burn
With rich blush red fame.
For weeks no horses were kept !
the Parker barn at night. Eve the
that the gas might catch on fire. On
the barn be burned" young snare
son Of the manager Of the barn e.
planned to an Independent represel
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