davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13
Striking Results Anticipated

The Toole county oil field is now
no longer under suspicion, for even a
conservative bank frankly admits its
importance. In sizing up Montana
conditions and production of oil else
where, the monthly bulletin Of the
Great Falls National bank has this to
say of oil development here:
Hardly less spectacular in its per-
formance up to this time, and promis-
ing even more striking results, has
been the development OF the Kevin-
Sunburst field, in northern Montana.
While several good producing wells
are now listed in this field the work
done thus far may be considered
largely in the nature of prospecting,
but sufficient showing has been made
to demonstrate the existence of a
large oil area of much promise. Forty
five wells are actually drilling. Loca-
tons for almost as many more have
been made, and recent developments
assure continued activity On even a
greater scale than that which has pre-
vailed since last winter, when the dis
covery well was reported"
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13
Marketing Crude
Pays Lucky Ones

The first people to directly benefit
from the marketing of Kelvin Sun
burst oil will be the stockholders OF
the Three-in-One Oil syndicate OF
Shelby, who first held the 80-acre
lease upon which the Gladys
producer was brought in and upon
which the syndicate retains a sub
stantial royalty interest, the stock
holders of thesbig Gladys-Belle com
pany, Mrs. Clarence Kerns, the woman
who homesteaded the land and still
owns royalty interest, and a number
of others who have purchased oil roy
atty from the owner.
Hundreds of others have previously
made money, some of them fortunes,
in a speculative way in land or royal
ties here, but these will be the first to
make money from actual production
and will continue to make money
until the last barrel is drained from
the productive sands now reached or
to be reached by drill in the 80 acres
of land.
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13
Telephone Service
To Field Is Better


Crews of men are working out of
Shelby on the Shelby-Sweet Grass
telephone line of the Mountain States
Telephone and Telegraph company
and word comes from the district
managers office that the line will be
completed and ready for service next
month. The new line will connect with
the Canadian line and Sweet Grass
and will be the only direct line from
Montana to Alberta. 1t will be big
boost for Shelby, putting as it does
the gateway oil city in direct COM
munication with the field towns of
Kevin and Sunburst, as well as max
ing communication with Sweet Grass
and many Canadian points which are
taking on Importance in connection
with oil development.
Trucks are taking out poles and
material from Shelby and additional
poles and equipment have been ship
ped to Kevin and Sunburst for the
building of those sectors of the new
line. Heretofore, Sunburst had no
telephone connections while Kevin
had the Campbell private line with
connections through Cut Bank.
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13
To Drill In Canada

Lethbridge, Sept. 7.-Gordon Camp
bell, oil discoverer in the Kevin field,
has signed a contract with Grant
Brothers Of Barons for land which
lies some 80 miles northwest of this
city, to drill for oil on Keho lake or
Scabby Butte dome. Drilling must
commence within 80 days. The struc-
ture lies five miles southeast of Ba-
rons. This was the chief topic dis
cussed in oil circles Thursday. Second
to it is the persistent rumor that the
500 line subsidiary of the Canadian
Pacific railway is to build from their
main line through northern Montana,
tapping the new oil fields and con-
Meeting up with the Lethbridge branch
line to Coutts.
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13
Area North of Shelby, Originally Overlooked by
Drilling Companies, Now Holds Center of In
terest; EmmOns' Theory of Gas Ridge Anticline
Borne Out by Governments Own Men

The bringing in of oil in the Cali
fornia-Morton we'll which is now rat
ed by many as the equal Of any in the
field, almost directly north Of Shelby
and the publication Of the report and
map by geologists of the United
States Geological survey showing the
center of the Kevin- Sunburst oil field
to be south Of the center Of township
81, range 1 west, has shifted specula-
tive attention almost entirely to terri
tory east of Kevin and north of Shell
by, and number of derricks are now
up or building within a few miles of
this city.
Already oil journals are calling at
tention to this area which was origi-
nally overlooked by all the drilling
companies except the Troy Sweet
Grass syndicate Of Shelby and its af-
filiated interests, and Shelby's old
time and resident geologist, Charles
E. Emmons, whose theory of the Gas
Ridge structure is now borne out by
the governments own men. The
Three-In-One syndicate, also Shelby
company, is another one Of the pio-
neers in the eastern territory and the
principal part of whose holdings are
believed to be within the contours of
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13
Canadian Cattle
Shipped in Here

Montana's lost herds, vanished from
her hills during the recent years OF
drought, are coming back from all
directions. The Matador Cattle COM
pany this year has shipped thousands
of head of cattle to it's ranch at Har-
lem from its Texas properties, and
now thousands of head of cattle are
being received here from Canada, ac-
cording to J.. w. Roberts, Great Falls
customs officer.
During the month of August, 63
carloads of cattle cleared the customs
at Sweet Grass, in addition to several
thousand that were driven overland,
according to Mr.. Roberts. He stated
that the Matador company was active
in the importations from Canada, al
though many of the cattle had been
purchased by other buyers.
Drouth in northern Alberta and
other sections Of Canada is responsible
for the influx, Mr. Roberts stated.
With no hay in sight, the Alberta
stock raisers deemed it the better
plan to sell their cattle for what they
could get rather than see them starve.
The importations have greatly
swelled the receipts at the local GUS
toms office, there being 80 per cent
duty charge on all shipments of live
stock from Canada, according to Mr..
Roberts. One check alone received as
duty on a cattle shipment amounted
to over $4,000.
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13
s1The Sunshine TraiP'

Officers Of "The Sunshine Trail"
association, organized by business
men from towns from Lethbridge to
Butte, at a meeting held July 5, have
called meeting of the association to
be held at Great Falls, September IA,
and are asking towns along the route
to send one or more delegates. Adopt
ion Of bylaws, constitution and plans
for marking the trail are to be con-
sidered. L. E. Jones Of Great Falls,
is secretary, and A. G. Baalim of
Lethbridge, is president. The trail is
to be known as the Alberta Montana
highway and runs through Shelby.
Aside from its utility as popular
road for Canadian-American traffic
and tourists, its route through the oil
fields gives it an added interest.
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13
Illinois Pipeline Connected With Big Producer
Monday and Company Expects to Ship First
Carload From Kevin-Sunburst Field Latter
Part Of This Week, With Ohio Company's
Production to Be On Market Soon.

1t took 500 barrels of oil to fill ths
six and one-half miles Of four inch
pipe which connects the wcll with the
loading tanks one-half mile south Of
Sunburst.
Ohio Company Next
The next production to be turned
into the pipeline will be from the sew
eral producing wells of the Ohio Oil
company which took over the Sun
burst Gas & Oil cornpany's original
producer in 34-36-2 west and has since
brought several others into production
in that immediate vicinity A Lateral
line will be run from the line to the
Gladys-Belle to the Ohio producers
and completion Of this is expected to-
morrow, it is said While not as big
wells as is the Gladys-Belle, the Ohio
wells have been pumped steadily and
besides furnishing fuel before gas was
available for drilling and being sold
to other outfits il other parts of the
field, the company has much crude in
store near the wells.
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13

The past week has been marked by
great turn in the interest of the
Sunburst field to the area between
the Gas Ridge anticline ind Shelby
says the Montana Journal. 1t is the
belief of many geologists that produc-
ton will be found south of the ridge
as we'll as on the north, acting on the
theory that the hydrostatic pressure
is not great enough to hold the oil up
in the structure, admittedly the high
of the northern Sweetgrass arch. This
spreads the Sunburst field to an area
of IL townships, all of which will
doubtless be completely tested.
The Ohio Oil company, Sunburst
Oil & Gas and Hager-Stevenson com
pany interests have been in the van
guard in this movement and the Ohio
Oil company has already spotted a
well, in the SEA NEA 6-31-1 west,
about seven miles northeast of Shelby.
The Ohio recently filed on some 35
school sections in this area. Practical
ly all the acreage. in this district is
under lease. The new developments
indicate that the Gypsy Oil company
was working on sound geology when
it took 10000 acres in this district,
having paid $4,000, it is reported, for
the leases and subsequent payments in
rentals.
The Spokane-Sweetgrass company
has spudded in a well in this district
on block of 1000 acres. This well
is generally admitted to be fair test
of the south flank, though other wells
will not wait for this completion. The
Ohio is already preparing to drill.
Beck Petroleum company spudded
in its well in Liberty county, south of
the Sweetgrass hills, last week. This
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13
BIG OPERATORS TURN
ATTENTION TO AREA
NORTHEAST OF SHELBY

operation was made possible by the
purchase by the Gladys Belle people
of some acreage from the Beck Pet
roleum. The location is three mile.
east and four miles north of Galats
on the NWA NWA 1924 east. This
is location spotted by Charles L
Emmons, pioneer geologist of the
field Drilling started with 12-incl
bit but an 18-inch bit will be used ir
the actual drilling, when the leases
are validated.
Beck Petroleum has 1000 acres OF
leases and is headed by M. E. Beck
president, M. 0. Moulder, vice-presi-
dent and ]. r. Stille, secretary treas
urer Harry Morris of Sistersville
w. Va, is head driller.
The Ohio and Sunburst Oil & Gas
have been buying acreage in the dis
trict north of Shelby for from SO te
$5 an acre. One of the largest eff the
early deals was consumated several
weeks ago when F. M. Bell, trustee,
sold acreage in townships SO and "a,
ranges and east, to r. P. Jackson,
trustee, for S14,760.
The Montana Sweet Grass Oil &
Gas company sold 240 acres to the
Ohio Oil company, the N1a &c.. SWA
NW74 36 and the NWA SWA 36-33-
2 west. The consideration was not an
nounced. The. Ohio guaranteed to
drill the center of the NWA NWA 36
in which section the Montana Sweet
Grass, Frantz interests, retains 400
acres. Montana Sweet Grass is NOV
ing materials to holdings in township
2, range / west, northwest of Dunkirk
according to B. O. Jones of B. O..
Jones G. Co., financial agents of the
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13
Shelby Territory Gets Attention Following S. Report on Southern Area
CRUDE OIL NOW RUNS IN PIPE LINE
Vimy Ridge Progress

The Vimy Ridge well of the Hager-
Stevenson syndicate 16-25-9 east
which was spudded in August "a on
the Vimy Ridge structure is making
a Stevenson record for going down,
the drill hitting 825 Saturday, accord
ing to word received at the Stevenson
offices in Great Falls, and the lower
Colorado sands are expected at any
time, and produc ion is near. The
Vimy Ridge structure is shallowest in
this section, resembling Cat Creek in
that regard and the spudding in start
ed at the Mowery. Production is ex-
pected at from 1880 to 1855 when
the lower Kootenai shall have been
reached.
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13
Pet-Ex Ship Tools
For Kevin Drilling

The string of tools of the Western
Petroleum Exploration company on
the Willow creek we'll in Teton coun-
ty will be moved to the Berglin per-
nit 1852 west in the Kevin- Sun
burst field, according to report pub
lished in the Tri-Co News, house Or
gan of the Wiser companies. The Tri-
Co says Of the proposed move:
"Orders have been given to the
management of Western Petroleum
to move drilling equipment into Toole
county, Montana, for test well to be
started on acreage held by the COM
pany in that section. Instructions have
been issued to move the standard rig
with all equipment, which had been at
the Willow Greek structure in Teton
county, to the Berglin permit in the
vicinity of Kevin, and it is thought
operations will be started within two
weeks. The well will be located on
the Berglin tract of 320 acres which
lies in the north half Of section IL,
township 35 and range west. This
acreage lies one-half mile south of the
Ohio-Sinden well, which is gasser
making 100000 cubic feet, and is
one and a half mile southeast of the
original Sunburst oil well, which has
pumped an average of about SO bar
rels per day for the past month.
"There is plenty of opportunity for
the structure to be thoroughly tested,
as there are more than so tests being
drilled. Wells that have already been
brought in are making around SO to
100 barrels. Latest reports from the
West Pet. Ex., we'll on the Grown
Butte structure, state that drilling, is
continuing at a depth of 1920 feet,
while the Willow Creek we'll is under
roaming at about 1900 feet: No indi-
cations of oil have been found up to
this time"
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13

The first crude from Toole county's
big oil field is now running through
the pipeline of the Illinois Pipeline
company to tanks at it's station south
of Sunburst.
The first carload is expected 80 be
shipped the latter part of this week
The oil is from the big producer Of
the Gladys-Belle Oil company in the
northeast Of the southeast of section
1882 west That concern, although
almost the last big company to start
drilling in the field, is the first to put
Kevin-Sunburst crude oil on the
market.
} The pipeline, which is to be com
mon carrier for any and all producers
of the new field, was rushed to COM
pletion after the bringing in Of the
Gladys-Belle we'll. Previous to this
event the Illinois Pipeline company
had material on the ground for line
and tanks and Sunday night the pipe
had been placed as far as tile well and
connected up within half mile. The
big crew of workmen finished the job
Monday forenoon and oil was turned
in soon afterwards. The line is a four
inch one and is known as gravity
line, the fall from the lease Of the
Gladys-Belle to the loading station on
the Great Northern railway being
sufficient to carry the high test crude
produced, without pumping.
A 1000 barrel tank is being used by
the Illinois company at its loading
station until the 37500 barrel tank
now under construction is completed.
Prior to its pipeline connection The
Gladys-Belle had sold over 500 barrels
of oil for fuel in the field BESIDES fill
ing it's own tanks.
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13
Shelby Hotels Are
Much Improved
New Projectors of the Sullivan Hotel
Have Renovated Entire Building,
Added Light Plant and Provided
Additional Rooms.

While hotel accommodations Of
ssThe Oil City" are still inadequate te
take care of the constant stream OF
visitors and the many brought here
by the work of the oil field, and who
are using the hotels, much improve
ment has been made during recent
weeks. Both the Harrington and Rain
bow hotels were renovated and ad-
ditional rooms added and now furnish
very good commodation to full houses
each night.
The new proprietors of the Sullivan
Hotel, Messrs. Kelly & Gordon, have
but recently completed extensive reno
vations of that large three-story
hostelry and are now giving hotel
service which elicits the praise of all
and doing much to cause oil men and
operators to make this town their
headquarters. The building was com
pletely repainted and the basement
finished SO as to afford additional
rooms. H. Mccullough of Kalispell has
installed an uptodate lighting system,
his crew of men last week completing
the installation of a Delco plant, 1 Il
k. w, sufficient to furnish about 200
lights. In addition to furnishing light
motor is attached to the plant to
furnish power for vacuum cleaners,
two of which have been installed, and
power washing machine.
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13
Sweet Grass Sells
24O Acres to Ohio

With standard drilling equipment
moved to the company's holdings in
the south portion of the Kevin-Sun-
burst field, where it's No. well will
be spudded in within a fortnight, of
ficers of the Montana Sweet Grass Oil
and Gas company announce the sale
of 240 acres of it's section 36-33-2 west
to the Ohio Oil company.
The 240 acres acquired by the Ohio
Oil company comprise the north half
of section 36 the southwest quarter of
the northwest quarter of section 36
and the northwest quarter of the
southwest quarter of section 36-33-2
west.
According to B. o. Jones of B. O..
Jones G. Co., financial agents for the
Montana Sweet Grass company, one
of the considerations of the sale was
that the Ohio Oil company locate a
we'll on the center of the northwest
quarter of the northwest quarter of
section SO. The Montana Sweet Grass
company will retain the remaining
400 acres out of the section, which
will be proven by the well.
Standard drilling equipment is be-
ing unloaded at Dunkirk and moved
to the company's holdings in township
so, range 1 west, where day and night
drilling will start within week or 10
days.
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13
Courier Interesting and Spicy

In mentioning the change of The
Courier from Kevin to Shelby the
Great Falls Leader gives us this kind
ly boost:
SThe Montana Courier, formerly the
Kevin Courier, published at Kevin by
c. M. Brinton, has changed its base,
and portion of its name, now being the
Montana Courier, published at Shelby.
Til, Courier carries neavy line Of oil
news, being located in the center of
the oil field, and is ably edited, and
one of the interesting and spicy week
ly papers of the state. In its new
base, the county seat of Toole county,
the Courier should prove success in
every way which comes to the weekly
publication in Montana"
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13
Woman Gets Permit

A permit to prospect on government
land for oil and gas has been granted
to Ferne Rigler, according to w. e.
Bennett, register of the Great Falls
land office.
The permit covers 1877 acres, and
is described as section II, township
80 north, range l east. 1t is in Toole
county on the Marias river.
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13
Fire At Keyin

Frank Brown, well known and pop
ular restaurant man Of Kevin, had
the misfortune to have the interior Of
his building destroyed by fire last
Friday morning which broke out in
the building adjoining, rented by
Frank Stevens.
The fire was Of unknown origin,
and was discovered before the flames
had had a chance to get very far, but
the smoke and the heat did consider
able damage to both places.
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13
Shelby Is The Liyeliest Town
Tn This Part of Montana

Cut Bank Pioneer Press: The Kevin
Courier has been moved to Shelby and
Editor Brinton states that equipment
has been purchased for the publica-
tion of first rate weekly at the
county seat of Toole, which is the
liveliest town in this part Of Montana
since the discovery Of oil near Kelvin.
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13

"Ex-Kaiser to Marry Widow
headline. Serves him right.
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13

az VII IiStQy sIOiit~
Results of an examination by
government geologist of the U. S.
geological survey.
The district known as the Kelvin
Sunburst oil field lies in Toole coun-
ty, Montana, about 20 miles north of
Shelby and 10 miles south of the
Canadian boundary at Sweetgrass.
The district is easily accessible for a
branch of the Great Northern railway
leaves the main line at Shelby and
runs north through Kevin, Sunburst
and Sweetgrass. 1t is perhaps little
premature to call the district an oil
field, for up to August 1, 1922, only
two wells have yielded oil enough to
justify operating them.
The possibility that the Sweetgrass
arch would yield oil was pointed out
by Eugene Stebinger in bulletin GAL
of the United States geological survey
department of the interior, published
in 1916, but the area remained untest-
ed until 1922, except by few poorly
located holes, none of which went deep
enough to test the possibility of get
ting oil in the Madison limestone and
the beds just above it. Oil was first
struck in March Of this year by the
Gordon Campbell well, in section 16,
township 35 north, range west. The
success of this well, soon afterward
followed by the successful completion
of the Sunburst we'll, in section "a,
township SO north, range 2 west,
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13

the structure defined in the govern
ment report
The report is from a study of the
field made by A. J. Collier and W. w.
Boyer, government geologists, who
worked for number of weeks out of
Kevin last spring, and The Courier be-
lieves it of such Importance as to print
it in full below:
The Montana courier. [volume] (Shelby, Mont.) 1922-192?, 1922-09-13

Continued on back page)
New-York tribune., 1922-05-24

e
lgg ::
New-York tribune., 1922-05-24
AR }ANIY

merchandise The TRIBUNE auth
absolute dissatisfaction results THE 1kB-
UNE back request No red
No qubblng. Wc refund promptly the afuerter does not
The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1922-02-01
Letter from California

A recent letter from Mr.. G. L. Wood
at Los Angeles, says that that city is
having a continuous boom, and that
while some people thought the build
ing era would let up after the new
year, this did not prove true, and the
boom is going ahead more than ever
and the big hotels are all crowded 10
their full capacity" He writes, "The
! nights are cold now, as winter is on
here, and we have to have a little gas
fire in the mornings and evenings, but
always warns up by ten in the norm
ing. The big trucks loaded with build
ing material are running night and
day. Mr.. Brannon and wife are en-
joying California very much. We nave
seer them but once since they ans
They are probably busy sight seeing.
Our California people are harvesting
their orange crop, and a very good
crop it is. The orange ranches are
/, very beautiful, and the trees look as
if they had balls of gold hanging on
them. There is also a fine crop of
lemons, but the high freight rates does
not leave much profit to the fruit
growers and I think the dairy farm.
ers and those raising hogs and cattle
with their alfalfa and timothy fields
and their silos, are doing the best.
We greatly enjoy getting the Milbank
news, but feel sad to see so many of
our old friends and neighbors pass.
ing away"