The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-07-09
Lincoln Nchinidy HcIped
DriH oil Test in Nay
County in 1901

/ In kuA county instead of near Rod
I Fork Ia the Tulsa locality and that
development Of this territory ala NOT
I follow az that time because % was
absolutely impossible TO get money
with which 90 operate in the ducinri-
/ ton of Lincoln MckullV former
/ Kay county newspaper man during
the gOs and now resident OF WIyh-
| ita I'm the oil game. lie CaWa 90 tho
Cherokee strip at tho opening iu
] lS93 from Idall Kan. and brought
along with him a newspaper outfjt.
with which he established the first
newspaper In Kay county at New
KIRK, christening u the Republican.
II Is stiN I'm existence ms tho Ro-
publican Ncws-J ournal tho three
plants being consolidated about
1905.
Tho facts about the first oil VOL
drilled iu oklahoma camo out during
tho present week while McNiulay
was visiting here to investigate oil
conditions Tho drilling followed the
orrani21tIon In March. 1901. OF the
NeWkirk OH " Gas Co. ut which
McKinlay was the secretary and Joe
) Hayes, SIN a resident of Sew
hlrN, was director IL Just hap
pens thnt Hayes IS now the Kay
county democratic chairman
Tho first tost was put down on the
McChskoy iurm, one mile east Of the
station at Mcrvinc. cross roads
town that was lntor TO give its name
70 one OF the first oil fields brought
In In Kay county a depth Of $50
feet was reached and gas. together
with n considerable amount OF oil
was encountered, the gas contlucd
Producing for eight years or more and
used by MCCl1skcv and his neigh
hors The wen was shot and was ea-
t!matcd at 10 barrels daily. This
was not sufficient TO cnthuso tho
people 30 Put more money into the
venture aud development was nccos-
sarily halted
People Wanted Gas.
AT that period. too. the people
wanted gas and did not nay much
attention TO oil. They were not In
terested In It. Also the price was
low. and II was simply impossiblo
Tor us to get money with which 20
doopen the McClaskov tost or to
dflIl lsoWhorc," Sald MCKinlav.
Some additional drilling was done
soon afterward right at Ncwkirk and
some shallow gas WAS found which
was used I'm the town The aG0-foot
sand encountered I'm tho NcCIosI,cv
test later proved 20 he n very good
producing sand when the Mervlnc
Held was opened several years later. |
And some of tho best wells In the
Mld-Continent field from a long
NE standpoint, were drilled in the
Mervine area in q deeper sand
II was not long after the first
strike Of oil was made on tho No
Glaskcy farm, according to Mc1iin-
lay, that {, II, Ruby. w. B Mum
tord and others BEGAN prospectlng
Tor gas in the immediate POnCa civ
territory. whore the first gas wcIls
were brought in I'm 1908, and about
me same time there were gas strikes
a. Elllings and Blackwell I'm this
district, and AZ Augusta. Kan,
These worc but prophcSlcs." saws
MCKinlay. "of the big folds that arc
tory"
Was Ahead of Red Fork.
McNinlav IS positive that the Kav
county test on the NcClasEev farm
was drilled I'm ahead Of tho test M
Red Fork, which is given credit al
ways with being tho first real oil
production found I'm Oklahoma. aI-
though there had been considerable
Wi.dcatting in progress prior 10 that
wear. Both the McClaskoy ana Red
FORK tests were drilled in 1901. The
latter brought about Immediate do.
volopmcnt the former was 70 await
the coming Of Narland and his asso-
oiatos from pittsburgh. Pa, TO start
the bah rolling.
In addition 10 being tho editor
owner OF the Ncwkirk RcpubIic9u.
McEinlav was also In those davs the
United Siates court commissioner
Tor TINS territory and many Of the !
Cherokee strip homcstcaders proved
up their claims before him ms |
appointment came from Judge John
n. Burford. then head OF the federal I.
bench in oklahoma territory and |
now nraCtlcing attorney TN Oklq- !
homa city. McKinlay served also |
az district court clerk 10 Federal /
Judge Hayard =, Halnor Of this ais. |.
rict and HaIner is also n resident /
now Of oklahoma City.
oil Was High Grade.
'Ihe crude oil found I'm tho Nc /
Ciaskev test was absolutely the first |
high grade oil found in oklahoma" -" /
sald Mrkinlov whore here several /
days ago. 1T was the guarantee
of tho high grade oil that was 10 be .
found I'm this district AZ later date |
district that is now producing ono |
fourth n the high grade oil OF the |
country"
The NewHirk OIL G. Gas co
held leases on 27,O0O acres Of land
In those days principally I'm the val |
Icy of the Arkansas river In ne gen .
eral southwark course across this
county when the McClnskcv VOL
came I'm oil was worth about 30 conts
a barrel Practically all The Iaud
east from p0rCa City and NcwkIri |
10 the Usage country and north ~
the Kansas state boundary was un-
der lease by several companies at
that time
Six years later the Gypsy oil COM
IluN entered LIU