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

4 mourning MS passing. mere mas
never been a more cOlorful figure
in the oil industry of this state
and his unwavering faith in the
structures OF Montana Is responsible
for much of the oil development
that has taken place since his ar
rival in Montana In 1914.
Gordon Campbell drilled in 1919
the discovery well in Devils Basin,
the first commercial oil well in
Montana, only his untiring determi-
nation making the discovery pos
sible. Discouraged by every other
geologist and buffeted by the ma
jOr oil companies. he financed in
Butte and in Roundup the drilling
OF the Van Dusen we'll in the face
OF the pronouncement by an influ-
entail geologist of the Standard of
Indiana that he would agree TO
drink every drop OF oil ever pro-
duced in the State of Montana
Campbell completed an oil we'll In
Devils Basin despite this and 9TH
er efforts to block him.
After the discovery OF oil. Camp
bell was soon boosted out OF the
Devils Basin field by his former
associates. OF highly temperament
tai disposition, he was hard to deal
with I'm times of success and he en-
gagged in alterations with nearly
all OF his associates throughout his
varied career.
Three Kelvin and Sunburst citi-
zens. AL Goeddertz. w. ]. O'Haire
and w. G. Davis, employed Camp
bell to go to Kelvin in 1920 TO try
10 get some oil development in an
area 200 miles from Cat Greek
which meanwhile had come into
production Again in the face OF
iiscouragements he brought about
he drilling of the discovery well
loroh OF Kelvin. That well had an
initial of 20 barrels per day and was
lever produced commercially Yet
brought about the drilling OF ov-
II 1890 wells since March OF 1922
nd those wells have produced more
han S39,000.000 worth OF oil.
Many times Campbell had for
unes in his grasp-enough to have
provided him with luxury for the
est Of his life-but always at the
asst moment he would lose the
cal. Once he controlled half of
he Keyin-Sunburst area. He had
one OF Il left at the time OF his
assing. nor did he complain.
Al one time he fell into the hands
( high-pFessure promotes and he
as tried and convicted of using
ne mails to defraud when the pro-
soters who ruined him turned
overnment Witnesses Largely be-
luse he was caught in the lamb
vindictive fight OF the Harding
iministration to "get" Senator B
!. Wheeler. Campbell had to 20
} the penitentiary. while at Leav-
worth he wrote up from his notes
geological report on the Cut Bank
] field which report was largely
'sponsible for the early opera
0ns in Cut Bank area.
Few other biologists agreed with
lmpbell either as to his conclu-
1ns as to structure or as to his
relations They were forced to
Mess. however that he had a
ixth sense" which led him to find
!. He had tremendous faith in his
terprises and any who disagreed
tn him was likely to be consid-
ed an enemy. However. only his
sadfast determination, based on
super-faith, could have brought
out the developments which have
as far resulted I'm over eighty
e millions of dollars Of new
alth to the state OF Montana.
The only surviving relative is a
'ther, F. c. Campbell Of Long
ach, Cal. who was unable to
end the funeral. Burial will be
the cemetery at Kelvin where Il
contemplated that the oil in
stry will at some future time erect
,uitable memorial to his memory.