The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-02-27
SEE BIC OIL BOOM
Huge Block of Shawnee and
Usage County Land Leased.
Los Angeles Oil Man Will Drill
Several Test Wells.

Shawnee and Usage counties may
experience an oil boom next spring.
A block Of land containing between
5000 and 10000 acres lying in the
vicinity of Richland has been leased
bv a western development. company
and four or five test wells will be
drilled as soon as the weather per
mits, it was announced today
California Oil Man Here.
W. Reifsnyder. of Los Angeles, Cal,
has been in Topeka for several weeks
obtaining the leases. He asserted to-
day that surface indications are very
favorsbl and that he believes there
are excellent prospects of striking oil
in paying quantities in the Richland
field. He declined to make public
the name of his company at the pres
eut time, but asserted that it is a
powerful organization and will stand
rhe entire expense of development.
40 stock will be sold, he declared.
Forty-six leases covering 1886 acres
OF the land were recorded this morn
ine i'm the office of Oran Layton, regis
Ter Of deeds The block of land, ac
cording TO Reifsnyder, lies along the
northern line of Usage county and the
southern lire of Shawnee county, eX-
lending east to the Douglas county
line.
Formerly Lived Near Berryton.
vicinity OF Berryton and declares he
n thoroly acquainted with the geo
logical structure of that country After
he entered the oil game twenty years
20 he realized the importance of the
geological structure from an oil stand
point II was largely at his request
that the company agreed TO give the
Eichland territory a trial, it was
stated.
1t looks mighty good TO me- he
declared today. The surface indica-
lions are excellent. There has been
one trouble with dri1lers in this part
Of the country they do not go deep
enough The Mississippi lime lies
from % coo TO 1000 feet down in that
part of the country and it will cost
as from $4,000 to $4,000 for each
lest well. We expect TO put down four
or five s soon as the weather opens
up sufficiently and we can get the
rigs on the ground
Reifsnyder said that wells which
have been drilled north and west of
his company's holdings have struck
3 sphalt. which is found on the outer
edge of the oil strata. and that he IS
therefore convinced that the oil must
lie in a southcrly or easterly direction.
where the 5000 acres have been
leased. Another thing which he re-
cards as aSfavorable sign is the fact
that the continental anticline. extend.
ing from Pennsylvania in a southwest
eriy direction into Mexico, passes thru
this particular point. II is along this
anticline he declares. that most of the
biz oil fields have been found. He
also pointed out that. altho there is
no surface sand closer than the Kaw
river. that sand has been found under
he black soil in the Wakarusa valley,
altho no sand in found in that stream.
Test Wells to Cost S10O. 900.
The test wells alone. according to
T,eifsnyder. VIII cost between $780,.
600 and $4,000, owing TO the depth
To which they will be required 10 drill
in order TO reach the Mississippi lime.
ne declined 10 make known fhe name
Of tho company, saying it might en-
harrass their activities in preparing
for the test wells.
II oil in paying quantities is found
iu the vicinity of Richland. il is be
lieved t-at il will also be found be
tween Richland and Topeka. Thi>
would mean that many more com
panies would come into this territory
and that refineries would be opened 10
handled the output