The diamond drill., 1921-03-26
THAT sEuL cHoIx OIL FIND
True Statemen tot OH Exploration
Near Whftedale, In Schoolcraft Co.

/ near Nhftedale, In SchOolcrnft Co.
AT various times during the past
winter articles have appeared In the
press relaytive TO an exploration for
petroleum at Seul Choix pronounced
sish-wah) point In Schoolcraft coun-
~. Many OF the statements are
greatly exaggerated but all OF them
have more or less fact connected with
them.
The Diamond Drill happens 10 know
the inside of the affair but was pledg-
ed to secrecy until the operations
! commenced. The credit for tho exis-
tence OF petroleum being suspected TO
exist in this section must be given to
the State Geological Department. In
their report OF the limestone areas
of the state they cover, among other
places, the point which jutts out into
lake Michigan east OF Manistique and
Is known under the name pronoun-
ced so differently from the way Il Is
spelled
The information given was seized
upon by l.. l.. Linton, OF Saginaw. a
young man who was connected with
the oil explorations in the Saginaw
valley. He is son OF Tax Commits
sioner Linton, is an ex-service man
and well known among the army men,
He was employed in the state high
way department. at the time he ran
across the geological report.
AnticlIne Exists There.
The notable thing about the forma-
Tenton limestone which is discernab-
le on the little peninsula that jutts
out into the lake The eastern end
of the upper peninsula is one great
field OF limestone.
The anticline is to oil bearing for
nation what the fault or folding Is TO
the iron bearing formation. II Is a
sort OF folding which forms a reser-
vodr at which the oil Is caught and
held in a sort Of an underground
lake. fed by the various arteries that
radiate out through the Trenton layer
to great distances
The formation at the point con-
tains the following layers: A top lay
er OF dolomite. beneath that the Man
istique limestone. then the Hendricks
limestone. next layer OF Rochester
shale. then Clinton limestone. next a
layer OF Medine shale followed by n
layer OF Medina limestone. The next
is a thick layer OF Utica and Lorraine
shale and under that lies the Tren-
ton limestone. the oil reservoir.
IL is claimed by the geological de-
partment that the only place where
the anticline exists so that II can be
plainly dscerned is on Seul Choix
point.
The first thing Mr.. Linton did after
assuring himself that an anticline ex-
lists at the Point was TO quietly tic up
on option a lot OF the most valuable
lands In that vicinity. lie intended
10 get all OF them but his work Leak
ed and some Manistique parties i'm
got busy and brought Stan
dard Oil representatives To- the dis
trict. What their effort will amount
TO Is not known
Mr. Linton then associated with
himself practical oil driller who had
an outfit and was at the time engag
ed i'm drilling in Canada The out
nt has been moved TO the point and
Is now being made ready for work.
II is expected that determining hole
will be down 10 the Trenton field by
the middle OF the summer.
Mr.. linton and his associates are
selling stock In corporation known
as the Schoolcraft County OIL Devel-
opment Co When In Crystal Falls
last fall Mr.. Linton was very sang
iune that he would show up oil In
that place. His company Il purely
4 development concern organized for
The purpose OF putting down the test
hole. II costs small fortune 10
rig up and sink hole for oil.
Should they show up oil az the
Point there Is great possibility all A.
ong the anticlIne II II can be follow
ed. The Point, however. seems to be
he place most fayorably located for
getting a well OF value II any oil ex-
sts IN the rocks there.