Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1932-07-09
Geology and Geology

The ''Iaynan'' doubtless gets
more fun oue Of geology than Ehs
geologist, bat 90 every person ~
the worid who can comprehend
anything o. che world IA which
we live, geoAogy Is intensely inter
esttng.
Lake the doctor or lawyer who
interprela his science Ia terms a.
experience the Reologist knows
the exceptions 20 the rules and rs
no other scientist does, ne says.
Eyes, bmt--'' He uses the pFep0-
saeaOn 'siTv' more times than q po-
lfficaI party says whereas and ak
Is q strange fact that even when
he writes it down, with che nae
dunn 0k a map, there Is always
ANOTHER map somewhere which
VIII serve as . burimE ground for
his errors The ''new map,' strange
~ enough always appears tn tame
to save him from embarrassment.
And the reason Is thae geology ks
NOT an exact SCIENCE. However
it Is almost positive enough that
zt can definitely Ruide the opera
cor in showing him where NOT
90 driAi.
There Is q legend about every
structure In the country, how the
geOlogiss made y location IA one
spot and a dumb truck driver or
q smart driEKer moved fha Eoca-
tion elsewhere and brought IA q
field. The ge0logist's location. sub-
seQuently drilled, "a q dry hole,
with gusherB all around e.. Those
things are told about the geolOgist,
but the mere fact that the geolO-
gksf found spot where the earth's
surface Is 50 warped that it n .
trap for Oh, is enough to justify
the few nicieHs out Of the gross
fortunes that are paid to the crock
hounds" IN our opinion.
The most interesting situation
in Montana today Is that on Whit
lash strmcfure-a situation 80 con-
flushing thak it is necessary that we
discuss IL I'm = general way TO head
off many letters Of inquiry durinR
these hot days when &c Is hard
work 70 dictate replies. So it fs
hoped that every member OF our
organization viii read this discus
si0n Of WhRtEash- Reserve structure.
Inc history Of OfI-Ras develop
lTaT4. aaF
hack 20 1914. when shallow wells
were drilled. many Of which found
Oh. The Anac0nda Copper Mining
Conpany did some OF the earliest
geological work In the Hills and
Doctor Witherspoon Of Butte did
considerable drilling fn am effort
to develop enough gas 60 supply
A. @. M. smeEters and intermediate
cities. The work Of some eminent
geologiSts o. that time now seems
rather ridiculous IN the light Of
present developments. although the
forecast that Oh and gas I'm come
mercial quantities would EVER be
found sounded MORE FfdicuiOus tm
1917. Yet that forecast. contained
In written reports, Snust now be
regarded IS an example OF wis
dom. rather than guess
Grant stebbins. the greafest
wlIdcmtter the oil industry has pro-
tluced, saw IN the WhftIash area
what he believed to be = great
opportunity, long after the drilling
Of the WitheFsp0on wells. the
Gladys Belle, his company, took
perhaps so 600 acres In fhMs re-
giOn and drilled 8 wen, getting q
large flow OF gas and some oil.
Since the hole WAS lost, the Gladys
Belle operations were accepted IS
negative although had Grant steb-
bins lived, he insight have followed
his foresight and perhaps would
hare developed the Whiflash OIL
and gas field.
After the development OF Kelvin
8unburst, on which he spotted Tho
first coxnwercia1 oil wen, GremvfIle
@. Howard, independent ReoloRist,
turned hls attention 60 the Sweet
Grass FILLS and began work IN
the region Of the Gladys Belle
well. That territory was once re-
gsrsied as ON Land by the United
States government and was with
drawn frOm pmhzie entry a. q naval
reserve. So when Howard mapped
, structure, he called AZ Reserve
ssructmre. The region previously