Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-05

NIontdHd peionSeG HuoStlS W Inc COW
boy, the sheep man and an occasional
gr1zzled prospector, two sturdy
pioneers subject to discomfort. set
camp below the rim rock country, and
their discomfort will result in one Of
the most important pages in the his
tory of Montana.
Had they been content with the cat
tie business or with the sheep bust
ness or with raising grain, it is pos
sible that there would be no Sunburst
oil field today. Yet these two men are
little known to the oil industry and
while they are amassing fortunes be
cause of their foresight, they have had
little or no public recognition for their
part in M%ontana's greatest potential
enterprise.
The men referred to are Albert
Goeddertz of Kelvin and William j.
O'itaire of Sunburst. 1t was these
men who actually brought Gordon
Campbell into the northern field and
set in motion the giant wheels of the
petroleum industry in northern Mon
tana.
Back in 1913 the area around Kelvin
and Sunburst was leased up by resi-
dents of the border country, includ-
ing Jack Reynolds, now operating in
Canada, but none could interest capital
in drilling. The country seemed too
vast and too little was known about
geology to recommend the area for
O'Haire came to Montana, bag and
baggage, from North Dakota. He
located on a ranch between Kelvin sid
ing and the border. One of his nearest
neighbors was Albert Goeddertz of
Kelvin. O'Haire conceived the idea Of
starting a town in a midway point be
tween Kelvin and the border, and
placed his proposition before Coed
dertz, Sr., Albert, Jr., W. q. Davis
and Mike Williams, who were blessed
with more Of the worldly goods than
TIE newcomer. They were impressed
with the sincerity and the townsite
plan of the former Dakotan and joined
in on the enterprise.
Davis Names Town
Davis owned n beautiful farm up
against the high rimrock which he had
named ~"Slnburst", getting the idea
from the naIne of a mining company,
coupled with glorious sunrises for
which the plains area is famed. In
tcrested in the TOWNSHIP Davis sug-
gested the name Of Sunburst for the
town, and thus the name of the place
where the oil industry now centers.
Then came the dry landers," and
the cattle and sheep industry was in
%tcrrupted by barbed wire fences.
IIomesteaders changed the commercial
aspect Of the country with attempts
at wheat raising. After q period of
marvellous crops there came a sudden
drouth which lasted for nearly four
years. Business dropped off and tie
area around Sunburst and Kelvin was
almost depopulated. Goeddertz sat
Davis and a few others were falter-
iugly hanging on in Sunburst. They
agreed that something had to be done.
"P. o. G." On the Job
A copy of Dorsey Hager's practical
Oil Geology came into the hands Of
II. 2. Cope, who was railway agent at
Sunlurst. and the idea of q possible
oil field required to the old timers. I'm
PEELED by necessity to do something,
themselves to send representatives to
the booming Cat Creek fields to Try
to interest someone in the district.
Goeddertz and O'Haire were chosen.
In Lewistown these two inquired
around and We're directed to a khaki
clad individual who listened to their
story. That individual was Gordon
Campbell. Assured that he would be
provided with a large acreage if be
would take leases in the district, Mr..
Campbell went to Kelvin and eventually
agreed to drill for oil, after O'Haire,
Goeddertz and others had helped him
block up q large area. The well was
spotted on the Goeddertz place, four
miles north of Kelvin.
Gets First Money
Returning to Lewistown, Mr.. Camp
bell secured the financial backing of
A. Beardslee, retired sheep man, who
purchased a rig. while a group of
Lewistown and Great Falls men put
up about S11 900 with which to start
operations. Then came l.. G. Steven
son, who raised the money necessary
to complete the test, joining with Mr..
Campbell in the wild venture 200 miles
from production. Then followed q
year of varied events. The well was
spudded in in April. 1921, and drill
ing continued until the latter part of
September, when it was reported that
al! was struck. The well was shut
down for a time, during which there
grew up an alteration which resulted
In dissolution of the partnership of
Mr.. Campbell and Mr.. Stevenson, the
latter employing new biologists,
Jameson & Howard of California,