Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-06-04

er, so the company put in a packer anc
shut off the first well and proceeded
to drill to the deeper sands.
4 Cat Creek Follows
4 After the Van DuSen well was brought
IN IN November, 1919, the Cat Greek
well was started by the Frantz corpor-
alton IN February. 1920 and obtained
| production in the original discovery
! well in the Mosby field. Mr. Lupton
was the geologist that mapped the
field, we believe, for the Frantz cor
poration, and got them to start drill
ing operations.
There were a few believers in Mon
tana, and one Of them was Mr.. Warren
Wright, who is now associated with the
Schafer Oil & Refining Co., but Mr.
Wright was up against the same prop
oSition that Mr.. Campbell was in try
ing to make the other fellow, with the
money, see the situation as he did. We
believe that Mr.. Wright obtained leases
in Cat Greek about the time that Mr..
Campbell was trying to work in the
field, which was in 1915 and 1916.
There were many ups and downs
and principally downs in the initial oil
game in Montana and the difficulties
and conditions that the pioneers went
through in order to educate enough
people with finances to test out the
possible structures would make a book
and most of it would be rare fiction.
One can imagine from the time it took /
to get a hole down LBS feet-the |
commencement made in 1915 and the /
finish in November, 1919.
Wife Shared Privations
Mr.. Campbell had one firm believer
and staunch supporter, Mrs. Campbell,
who used to accompany him on his
work and fight the conditions with him;
got so that she believed there was oil, I
and had told him many times when
riding in from the fields that it was
only q question of time before there
would be dozens of rigs standing out
IN that basin. They had their shack in
the basin to overcome some of the high
cost OF living and in order to be close
to the work. The more he lived in the
basin, the more it grew and whether
It was dream or not these feelings
have come true and there are many
rigs in the Devils Basin. Mr. Campbell
even tried to obtain government land
N Cat Creek and brought two old min
srS who had followed the mining game
.or years and had worked with him in
Inherent fields; and wanted them to
AXE up land which was open at the
lime, and wait for somebody to do this
development. They took one look and
vent back to Nevada and thought sure
hat MIR. Campbell had gone crazy to
want human beings to live in a coun-
ny like that He, of course, could not
how them the oil, but he thought that
hey believed in him enough, as they
had followed him many times in Ne
ada in the mining business and had
'rofited thereby.
Conclusions Correct
That Is only one instance of trying !
o get a place where there would be )
nough patented land or enough land {
ne could control to interest the money
nd. Mr.. Campbell had studied the !.
ituation as he thought from a Scien- :
lfic standpoint, and had become thor
ughly convinced that there must be =
II in these domes, and after making
II deductions and eliminations there :
'aS no other conclusion but that sands :
ould be reached at shallow depth, :
nd that they should be prolific. The =
sport made on Cat Greek and Devils 2
aSin in 1915 still stands and his con- :
lusions were right. Only he guessed !,
DO feet off in depth, and this was hard !,
} determine at that time as there were =
0 logs to be had to get the exact thick !,
eSs OF the formation in that part of =
lie country. =
Had it not been for the Van Dusen =
ell coming in commercial well, 1t :.
Guild have taken some time longer to
ben up the other fields as the eyes of
le fraternity were on the Van Dusenl c
ell. Every oil company in California
Id wyoming was approached for as
stance but they could not see Mon
ma. MIR. Campbell felt alone and
ought at times that the game was
IT worth 1t. He had many opportuni-