, 1921-09-15

Johnston. j. W. Wisda ana many
others formed associations and
staked hundreds of sections. PraC-
Iica!ly all he lands were validated
at once and when the Taft Pctro-
lcum withdrawal was made these
lands were not effected by it. Later
the new leasing law was passed and
where oil had not been found mos.
of the lOcatorS were allotted a pre-
%ferential right.
Mr.. Funk's development was car
ried on during the summer on Sec
lions 10 and II and by fall five
wells were brought in with produc-
ton ranging from 100 to 500 bar
rels each and at depths from 265 to
4S7 feet. The L. S. Petroleum also
drilled on the southeast one-fourtn
OF northwest one-fourth of section
II. and shortly after reaching the
, first ot sand lost its tools and the
well was abandoned. This ground
was later purchased by the Wyo-
III Petroleum Co., and a good we'll
developed. All five wells in the
early days carried some gas pres
sure and at times would flow when
released. Winter set in Oct. 18th of
that year and all further attempts
at development by other parties was
! abandoned until the spring of 1917.
Before the season closed. Edwin
/ Hall and f. V. II. Collins became in
terested with Armstrong and Hair in
the Bair Oil Co., in which Messrs.
Funk and Cochrane OF Wheeling.
West Virginia became large stock
holders also.
Several of the companies organ
;,nl f,r locating ni1.n1n 40. ~ tho
ost Soldier district were composed of
RawIins citizens. among them being
J. NJ. RumSey. II. Breiten3le:n. X. {.
Middlewood. J. w. Highlevman. f.
NJ. Tierney. Geo. Z. Brinmer, VIM.
Neiland, A. X. McCabe. w. a. Mc-
Kay. L. Sundin. II. Larsen, ]. w.
Wisda. j. j. Cullen. Geo. E. Bib.
r. N. Greenfield. Roy Sundin. G. $.
Murphy. W. II. Conway. p. Paulsor
F. NJ. Johnston and others. Many
of these people were identified with
several concerns. Most Of these
parties became greatly interested in
the oil game and Il few ever Hes-
lected business at times to keep up
with the demands Of the chase. At
other times great depression would
fall upon everyone. During one OF
these periods someone awakened to
the fact, hat the time for doing
assessment work on the oil-placer
claims was about to expire. A hur-
ried meeting of those interested was
called, an Irish dividend declared
Gust as is done today and enough
money subscribed to wire for two
drilling rigs to be shipped C. o. D.
by express from Nebraska to Raw,
Inns. They arrived Sunday before
midnight and were at ono hauled
by teams to the leases and by moor
the next day were %"spudding in
The time was up at midnight out NJ
jumpers had appeared.
In the spring of 1917 West &
Hazlett from Kansas purchased thu
contract held by F. o. Funk. includ
ing the camp and equipment that h
had established for a consideration
OF s35O.0O0.
West & Hazlett thereafter organ
, lied the "Kasoming' Oil Co. tafte
Kansas-Wyoming) which they con
, troll. This company is still operat
ing the original ground togethe
with other acreage. The origina
r l%ocators. many of whom are anon
r the above list. have been receivin
substantial dividends for some tim
from the royalty return on the O
y produced in the Bair camp. whic
, name will probably always he re
tanned.
: The Kasoming Oil Co.. throug,
the energetic activities of II. f
West and j. b. HaZlett has taken O
, real form as an oil camp. Substan
tial buildings have beer erected 70
housing and feeding employees. ga
, and water mains laid, sewerage in
stalled. machine and supply ware
/ houses erected. a school district es
tablished. During this time an ex
t~ensive development program was be
ing carried out and as the wells wer,
brought in one by one it becam,
, necessary to build large storag'
tanks and then a pipe line to tn
railroad. This great activity was n,
doubt made possible through the de
mand for oil brought on by the grea
a