The Winslow mail., 1912-05-18
THE SAN JUAN
OIL FIELDS
Report Issued by United States Geoloei
cal Survey on Petroleum Resour-
ces of Southeastern Utah

The search for oil fields in the United
States has been very active tn the last
few years and has extended to nearly
every part of the United States. This
search is not limited to the inhabited
regions, blt is carried on no less eager
ly in the deserts. AS far back as 1882
T.. l.. Goodridge, prospector, thought
there m mt be oil in the great desert
which lies chiefly in northern Arizona
but also extends into southern U5ah.
he concluded to go there and investi
gate. To reach the place he desired to
examine it was necessary for him to 20
lOO miles, from the nearest point Oh the
railroad, through an uninhabited and
almost unwatered country to the little
! Norman settlement at Bluff, Utah
From that place he followed San Juan
River westward. He had gone scarcely
20 miles from the little settlement when
he found springs of petroleum along the
river and folds in the strata which he
considered favorable for the accumula-
tion of oil. He therefore made a claim
location. At that time it was impossible
to take drilling apparatus into the fields
but be persistently clung to the belief
that conditions were favorable for an oil
held. 1t was just 25 years later, in the
tall OF 19O7, before he could return to
the field with drilling outfit and start
well. He continued drilling until
March 4, 1908, when he struck oil. The
we'll was gusher and threw oil above
the derrick to height of 20 feet. Of
course this find caused great excitement
and induced others to enter the field
New wells followed in rapid succession
In the next three years. but most OF
them where only prospect holes pu
down to validate the titles of claims
and not with the serious intention of
determining the oil resources of the
field. Itwas difficult to drill deep holes,
because 1t was almost impossible to
transport the necessary heavy machin-
cry into the field Moreover, drilling is
very expensive, because the region is
dry and the field is far from any base
of supplies. 1t is 106 miles to a narrow
gage railroad and l5S miles to a stand
ard gage. The region lies in wonder
fully picturesque country, famed as the
home of the Navajo blanket
Indians. One canyon is quarter of a
htrf of H..
at the bottom, and has almost vertical
walls. Water is scarse. A supply for
drilling is hauled in barrels from San
Juan River, which flows through the
field. Fuel also is scare, few pinons
on one of the high plateaus aud scant
growth of the same type of tree at the
base Of the escarpment around the pla-
teau furnishing all that is available. ln
spite of these difficulties, however, drill
ing has been undertaken at severai
places in the field and oil found in some
of the wells. The oil is of high grade
and contains some paraftin and con-
siderable gasoline. When refined the
gasoline is suitable for use in automo-
biles.
The Government beard of the work
these men. were attempting. learned
something of their difficulties, and sent
one of it's geologists, Mr. E. G. Wood
ruff, to examine tho field and prepare
geologic report upon it. He made
topographic map of the field showing
the canyons. mountains, and mesas and
the trails and similar features. He also
studied the rocks and mapped the geo.
logil formations. This map shows where
drilling is most likely to succeed
Samples of oil were collected and sent
to Washington for analysis. The con-
ditions found by Mr.. Woodruff have
been set forth in a government report
on the subject bulletin 471-A-4 of the
Geological Survey, which is distribut-
ed free. copy can be obtained upon
request adressed to The Director. q. s.
Geological Survey, Washington, D G.
The man 1OhO s0us that