White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1932-03-10
HISTORY OF OKLAHOMA OIL
TOLD BY MRS. j. b. HARVEY

HISTORY OF OKLAHOMA OIL
TOLD BY MRS. ]. b. HARVEY
Believing that the feature would in
terest it's readers, the Spokesman some
time ago wrote Mrs. j. B. Harvey, of
Clinton, Oklahoma, and asked her for
a story of the Oklahoma oilfields. Re-
Gently her reply was received and is
being published in this weeks issue.
Mrs. Harvey lived in Hanford in the
early days of the valleys settlement,
and was always greatly interested in
the development of the Benton county
gas wells. Her letter follows:
The first commercial oil we'll, de-
veloped in the early nineties in
small way, was in the northeastern
part of Oklahoma. The first real devel-
opment was at Red Fork in 1901. The
oil deposits of Oklahoma are $50 miles
long by ITS miles wide. In 1929 there
were $50 known pools of oil in the
state and since that time. many more
have been discovered In 1929 more
than one-fourth of the oil produced in
the United States was produced in
Oklahoma.
When new oil pool is struck, the
oil is stored in large steel tanks large
enough to hold thousands of barrels.
Often scores and even hundreds of
these tanks are grouped over an area
of 100 acres. Such tracts are called
tank farms" In time, all pools are
connected with one or more pipe lines
through which the oil is piped to the
Gulf coast, the Great Lakes or the
Atlantic seabord. Some are transported
by rail in tank cars. Much of the oil
is refined locally
Many men in the oil industry in
oklahoma have been made multi-mil-
llonaires in short time, but the great
majority of these men were men of
ability; many more not in the oil in
dustry and far from having ability,
have also been made millionaires
through the discovery of oil on their
lands. OF course, many men of intel
ligence, not in the oil industry, have
also gained great wealth in the same
way.
The Oklahoma City oil field was
one of the last developed in this state.
When we first came to that city four
years ago, the idea was prevalent that
Oil would never be produced there.
There was only one producing we'll in
That district at that time and that
yielded only a few gallons daily. Sew
eral large companies decided to unite
IN sinking a deep we'll in that district
and put one down 5000 feet, striking
an immense flow. There are now about
3OO wells there, producing from 80 to
lOO barrels daily when allowed to flow.
In some cases, large flows have been
struck at 1000 feet. There are more
deep wells in that district than in any
other part of the state and the flow is
far superior. Some wells are inside the
city limits but the sinking of any more
has been prohibited.
The discovery and development of
oil in Oklahoma is rich in romantic
Incidents. Many people have been lifted
from poverty and bankruptcy into
wealth beyond the dreams of mortal
man. One of sthe most thrilling sights
connected with the oil fields is to visit
tank farm at night and view the
hundreds of derricks lighted by cleo
tricity; another is to view an oil we'll
gone wild and throwing the rusty
black torrent through the top of a
derrick 100 feet high, drenching the
surrounding land with oil.
Another is to see an immense oil
well on lire. In the southeastern Sec
tor of the Oklahoma City field in the
fall OF 1880, No. l Stout went wild,
hurting to the sky 10000 barrels and
lOOy0O0000 feet of gas a day. Railroads
and airplanes were warned to avoid
gas laden air. Five hundred gllardsmen.
f1remen and police were busy in the
threatened district, seeing that fires
were extinguished and other precau-
lions taken. The oil flowed into the
North Canadian river and in some way,
far from the city, however, caught
fire and burned bridge.
ApouG 1t years ago u SPOKANE banker
named Anderson, to whom my son was
secretary, learned through some means
that Mr.. Calvert a government geol-
ogist, was in Salt Lake City. He got
into communication with him and per-
suaded him to come to Benton county
and investigate the gas fields there.
Besides Mr. Anderson, my son was the
only one who knew of the coming of
Mr.. Calvert. When the latter returned
to Mr.. Anderson's Office in Spokane
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