Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-01-11
WHAT PRICE OIL FIELDS?

The year 1910 passed without the
discovery of n new oil field in Montana
and il is now nine years since a new
Montana oil field has been brought into
commercial production.
In these nine years more than $4,000
900 barrels of oil have been taken from
the Gil sands: over half of the states
total production
How long can the industry continue TO
take millions of barrels of oil from the
sands OF the five major oil fields of
Montana. without establishing new re-
serves?
1t is apparent that this cannot go
on forever Cat Creek, living on "bOr-
rowed time" for "A decade, must get
new producing horizon before long, else
il viii not be profitable to pump the
present wells. Cut Bank field is but
sparsely drilled yet its production show
ed slight increase in the face Of a drill
ling program Of 100 wells during the
year 1910.
Kevin-Sunburst with its vast indevel-
Oped area continues to produce at about
the same pace each year owing to the
fact that the wells are always produced
at less than capacity, not as a result of
a law or official prOration but as a result
of field practice. But it shows no gain.
Why hasn't Montana developed any
new oil fields?
Is it because there are no further
possibilities?
We are reminded OF this question.
with the announcement Of the develop
rRw.@E -fv-w &gxraa fvz
county. some As miles east of the nearest
producing oil well in the Sweetgrass
HIS. We are reminded of this question
also by the development OF the Steve
vile field in eastern Alberta, north of
the Montana line.
The answer to the question is simple:
MONTANA HASN'T HAD WHAT TT
TAKES. TO GET NEW OIL FIELDS.
1t takes DRILLING to get new oil
fields.
What has made Texas the greatest oil
state in the world?
DRILLING.
In the five year period. 1934-193s,
there were 0,854 wildcat failures in
Texas. That was the record OF wildcat
alone. In that time 532 oil wells and
1O8 gas wells were completed I'm Wild
cat territory. The failures constituted
Dos per cent of the total ventures.
That is the price paid to maintain the
place of the greatest on producing state.
There is none who does not wish that
he had chance to participate in the
great flood of wealth that revival of the
Illinois oil industry brought Few rea-
lie the cost It was the development
Of the year 1893 that brought the great
flood of oil i'm 1880 and the first part
of 1910. There were 1913 wildcat wells
drilled in Illinois I'm 1888. OF these SO7
were dry and abandoned. 20 found oil
and six were gas wells. Ninety-twO
percent of the total exploration resulted
in FAILURE.
What would happen il S33 wildcat
wells were drilled in Montana in one or
several years?
The structures are present here in
Montana. The presence of oil is estab-
lished from the Rocky Mountains ON the
west to the Dakota border on the east
and from the Wyoming border on the
south to the Alberta border on the north:
all similar sedimentary formations, laid
down in fair uniformity.
When we stop to consider that the
deeper horizons, the exploration of which
has brought I'm the greatest on fields of
other states, including Illinois, are still
unexplOred hOre in Montana-Other than
tn prove there IS oil in the lower fOr1na-