The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1922-07-21
CAT CREEK HAS LARGEST PRO-
DUCERS OF SO BAUME
PETROLEUM
Charles j.. Stone Reviews Develop
ment of Oil in Fergus County's
Famous Field; Wells that Pay for
Themselves every day; Many Edge
Wells Drilled.
BY G. ]. STONE


West Dome field of Cat Creek. as til
operator, stakeholder or royalty owr
er enjoys when he checks the day
run from these wells. 1t is no smal
degree of satisfaction that thes
three classes of oil men have whe
they figure the results from well
flowing up in thousands of barrels
Such wells pay their entire cost O
drilling and equipping, once, twic
and sometimes thrice each day. Afte
a few hours of operation their entir
output is velvet
Also it should be brought to tn,
attention of the public that thes,
flowing wells in the Cat Creek -fielt
of oMntana are the largest producer.
OF 80 to 81 degree Baume crude tha
the world has ever known
Great Credit to State
1t is one more deep cut notch te
the credit of Montana as an oil state
that nature SO kindly bestowed upon
| her.
The Cat creek anticline, otherwise
known as the Mosby structure, has
two prominent high doma1 develop
ments, the West Dome and the River
Dome, separated by deep sync1ine.
The River Dome gave up the first
oil in well drilled by the Frantz
corporation, February, 1920. This
well demonstrated that there were
two oil sands within less than LOO
feet of the surface. The first sand
wa not commercially productive in
this dome, but the second sand fur
nished small oil we'll.
The second we'll was drilled by the
Frantz corporation in the West Dome
field, located four miles west of the
discovery we'll While this well was
a wildcat in way, production was
looked for in the second sand and at
the same horizon as in the discovery
well on the Musselshell river. Here
the first sand gave up a 2,000-barrel
well. 1t was like lightning stroke
from a clear sky and the news spread
quite as rapidly as thunder clap
would have followed such a stroke
Show Flank of First Pool
Shortly after this development, the
Decker-Collins we'll, located less than
half a mile to the south, drilled into
water in the first sand and estab-
lished the limits down the flank of
the structure of the first sand pool.
The second sand had been productive
in the River Dome, and the Decker
Collins decided at once to continue
to this horizon, but a small oil we'll
with water developed 1t was not
commercial and the well was drilled
deeper to secure water supply. This
was the first we'll to establish the
fact of second sand oil pool in the
West Dome, and although it was an
edge well and not commercially pro-
1uctive, it proved that the second
sand pool was larger, or reached far
her down the flank of the structure
han the first sand pool, and that the
good profitable production in the
second sand lay just above.
In the opinion of the writer, who
every development of the
district, the Decker-Collins we'll es-
ablished beyond doubt the fact of a
anger and profitable second sand
,ooI.
Drilled Many Edge Wells
The next we'll to be drilled to the
econd sand in the West Dome field
vas the Montaca1. 1t was an edge
veil and the first results were unsat-
sfactory. The third well to be drilled |
O this horizon was the Custer Oil & |
las well on the north side of the |
tructure. 1t had some oil but not |
n commercial quantity. The Ten
'pot we'll, on the southwest side of
he structure, was another edge well.
90 far down the structure to obtain
IN, 81
hough some oil of little lower
,ravity was developed in the third |
lootenaf sand. Water was permitted
o stand on this oil sand a full year
nd effectually drove the oil away /
rom the bore hole before it was de- |
ided to again test the we'll for pro-
uction. 1t is needless TO say that Il
he oil was not there when the opera
ion was resumed.
The Big Six well, located at the
xtreme western end of the field,
yas drilled to the second sand and
btained only good showing. This
yas the firth we'll to be drilled into
be second sand, and all of them were
dge wells from the standpoint of
tructure, and doubtfully located for
~ pun VII, that is, llISl OF S0COuu
and production.
Drilled Into Water
The sixth we'll to be drilled to the
econd sand was on the Unit Petrol II
UNI holdings on the Miller tract. II
his well was projected for deep j
est and the management gave out |
nat the quantity of oil in the first
nd second sands was not sufficient
} be profitable. There are some II
oubts regarding this, particularly as
re quantity of oil found in the deep II
: sand. However, it was cased off
nd the well drilled a little deeper
ito the large water sand to the Koot-
nai.
BY this time operators, brokers,
romoters and even biologists talked
luch of barren second sand and
le rapid decline of the Cat Creek
cid. They had completely forgot
n that the positive existence of a
,cond sand pool had been establish
| in the early development of the II
cid. 1t was necessary for some we'll II
located near or on top of Il
% cfrurfura IN hriuU IN a Cuchor III