Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1920-03-04
OIL PROSPECTORS IN TREGO
COUNTY


chance to be ION the map" in the oil
business during the coming summer.
TIVE car loads of lumber for a derrick
for a standard California drilling rig
are now on the siding at Collyer and
will be un1oaded -there-provided a
few more leases are secured-and
started to work IN a short time An
effort is being made to secure other
companies to come to this county IN
ordr that a thorough test may be
made as early possible. If the land
owners viii cooperate with the Trego
County Gas & Oil Company this pros
pecting and drilling will be assured
A few more oil leases on the land is
all that-is necessary
About four years ago the Trego
County Oil & Gas Company was or
ganized among the farmers and land
owners of Trego county and since its
| Organization nearly one hundred
Thousand acres of land have been
leased for oil and gas purposes. The
president Of this company Is James
Walsh. of Co1lyer- township and it's
general manager is w A Tawney at
Ogalfah. During the last four years
representatives OF a number of large
oil prospecting companies have visit
exception these representatives have
pronounced the surface prospects for
oil in this county being very good,
but owing to the war. the high price
of material and labor and the great
distance the territory is from any field
it has been impossible to get any OF
the companies to risk the expense of
shipping in an outfit and of putting
down a well. However by persistent
efforts made by G. L. Hartman and E.
H. Hi1lman, of the board of directors
of the company, Mr.. Oscar Cardweu,
of Wichita Falls, Texas, and Mr. p
w Root, of Kansas City, Mo-, have
been induced to enter the field and
will drill for oil in this county this
summer.
The lumber for the first derrick is
now at Collyer and it is likely the
first well will be put down north of
this city. This is made possible, not
because the prospects are much
better in this part of the county, but
because the farmers and land owners
there have shown greater willing
ness to cooperate with the Trego
county company and have leased their
land holdings for oil purposes on the
same terms which are granted by all
townships north of Collyer are prac-
tically solidly under lease. In making
this possible much credit is due the
Walsh brothers for turning their en-
| tire land holdings over to the COM
| pany and to VIM. Cox, of Co11yer city
for his untireing effots in pushing the
work of securing the oil leases, cou-
pied with the general disposition of
| the people of Collyer township to
boost for their community. It has not
been definitely decided just where the
first well will be put down but it will
be somewhere in congressional town
ship 10 or IL, range 25.
The surface indications north of
Wa-keeney are as good as they are
| north of Co11yer and the first hole
could just as well have been put down
in this vicinity had few of the large
land owners been willing to lease
their land the terms which others
have received and the same terms
which all other oil companies are us
/ ing. But they refused to do so. The
I companies which spend from fifty to
/ one hundred Thousand dollars IN put
I ting down an oil well are not willing
| to do SO for the purpose Of increasing
the value OF some one eIses land next
Il
| lease his land nor to risk his own
money in putting. down well. For
| this reason they want a large, solid
body of land to commence working on.
| Those who refused to lease are re-
| tard1ng the progress which could
| otherwise be made and are not max
/ ing any money by doing SO. The best
| legal authorities state that there is
nothing to lose and every thing to gain
by granting oil leases. An oil well will
not destroy the productive value OF
| the land and if even a low producing
| well is secured the income from the
well will far exceed the rent from all
| the crop which can be raised on the
| whole farm 1t is regrettable that
| there are those in any community
| who viii wilfully block it's progress
and stand in the way of general i'm
provements-
L Mr. Garx7rvo11 xuI,n i1