The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-03-14

renewal VI Oli prospecting Du'
no discoveries. The Glasgow Oil
company put down well in 3429-3s
Valley county. After drilling 1906
feet it was abandoned. In sinking q
private water we'll on the Barr ranch
in 36-21-8 west, Lewis and Clark
county, a small showing of gas was
discovered at depth of a thousand
feet, where the drilling was stopped
and the we'll used as a water we'll.
Over in Wibaux county the Colsoli-
dated Oil & Gas company put down
small we'll and abandoned same as
dry hole.
During 1914 the first gas well of
commercial size was drilled by the
Eastern Montana Oil & Gas company,
its No. / we'll in Dawson county en-
countering half million feet of gas
at 730 feet. Gas from this we'll is
used in the city of Glendive. During
the winter of 1914-15 the Power City
Oil e Gas company put down 5000
foot we'll in the city limits of Great
Falls. A trace of oil was discovered
at 2100 feet but the showing was
small and the well was abandoned.
''In 1915 there was considerable
development of natural gas but no
oil was found in commercial quanti-
ties. A we'll drilled in Carbon county
by the Elk Basin Oil company was
abandoned at 1925 feet after getting
negligible showing of gas at $50 feet
and oil at 400 feet. The Eastern
Montana Oil & Gas company COM
pleted two commercial gas wells, its
No. 2 in Dawson county producing
about three million feet of gas
The report continues showing the
gradual increase of gas production in
the eastern part of the state during
1916 but still without the discovery
of oil or the opening up of real oil
field. Several dry holes were the |
results of efforts here and there. In
the city of Billings the Monarch Oil |
& Gas company drilled 2425 feet |
within the limits of the city only to
obtain small flow of gas and water |
The Eastern Montana company in
1915 completed four gas wells with
a million and a half cubic feet pro-
Queer at TIA feet and one yielding
flow of two and half million cubic
feet.
"This we'll is still flowing warm
salt water and small amount of
gas"
Slump in validating
The report shows that there was
slump of Indicating in 1918 but
a considerable further development
in gas production
"The real discovery of oil in Mon
tana," the report continues, dates
to November, 1919, when the VAN
Dusen Oil company brought in it's
we'll No. in the DEVILS Basin, "a
1924, Musselshell county. This we'll
was drilled to a depth of 1900 feet
but was plugged back to the oil sand
at 1175 feet. The oil encountered
Is a very heavy black oil and has
1ot been put on the market because I
If the difficulty of handling through
| pipe line. This we'll was capable {
If producing about 80 barrels of oil ]
/ day. This strike caused consid-
srable excitement throughout the
state with the formation of hundreds {
If oil companies. We were, however. {
'ingularly free from shady oil promo {
ions.
March IA, 1922, Gordon Camp
)ell and associates brought in the
irst well in what is now known as !
he Kevin-Sunburst field in Toole {
county. Oil was encountered at 2540
eet and was shot with so quarts of S
litro. The development following
his discovery was very rapid until
here are now 1873 producing wells 7
n the Kevin-Sunburst field. d
"Since the discovery of oil in Mon r
ana our progress in this industry
las been both rapid and orderly. n
)ur production has grown steadily t
rom the few hundred barrels in {
919 to approximately 100000 bar =
els in 1928. Considering the size :
f our state very little has been done
D prove the extent to which oil pro-
uction may grow although the drill
1g plans of many companies call for
lany new wells in 1924. The geolo-
zeal formations and the traces of
il found throughout the state indi-
ate that it is very likely that new
il fields will be opened up from time
} time and it is not unreasonable
, feel that our resources in this line
ave hardly been touched"