Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-08-02

more soluble in hydrOchIoric acid than
POndera.
The finding Of oil established the factor
&C." Signal Butte has all of the elements
A plus plus C.
One of the first biologists we talked with
regarding Signal Butte was Gordon Camp
ben. Over the many years we knew him,
he frequently referred back to the big Hill
county structure and he urged us to buy
cheap farm lands and designated the area
in which he would have us buy. When Cut
Bank field came in, Campbell again pointed
to Signal Butte
"YOu will find the same condition at Sig
nal Butte as at Cut Bank" he said, refer
ring to the Iensing sands Of the lower
CretaceouS. He favored a well farther north
west than the present Cobb Yale location,
possibly on the Canadian side he said, IN
order to get in on an 'embayment" which
he believed present
More recently we talked with a nationally
known geOlOgist who has made a careful
study of all Of northern Montana.
Somewhere in north central Montana
there is uneOnfOrmity which may mean
much to your oil industry" he said. He
pointed to the presence Of the Pennsylvania
formation in eastern Montana, as In Wyo-
ming and the DakOtas, and pointed to the
absence of these formations in the Sweet
grass Arch, in western Montana Some fndi-
cations of remnants Of this formation have
been found in logs Of wells drilled in the
eastern part of the Sweetgrass Hills.
East Of the Sweetgrass Hills there win
be found a place where the Pennsylvania
series lenses out, just as the Cut Bank sand
lenses out as it comes up onto the Sweet
grass Arch" he said. There are some in
teresting possibilities when this condition is
located" he said.
We recalled this conversation this week
after we talked with persons connected
with the Signal Butte test well, many of
whom expressed ast0nishment at the nature
of the sandy lime formation found at the
top of the Madison lime. One operator said
it more nearly reSembIed the producing for
nation at Lance Creek than anything he
had seen before in northern Montana.
This may add fourth factor in Signal
Butte. Only time and drilling win tell In
area as badly faulted as the top of
Signal Butte, anything can happen But
when all Is said and done, Signal Butte
positively has proven "a" geology; has nm
usually promising 3d." a thick OiI-bearing
formation; and has &C." enough free oil to
prove that the trap has collected petroleum.
No matter what delay or what discourage
mentS-SignaI Butte is on oil field.
We have finished up our buying In Signal
Butte. We know of nothing else that car
be had for prices such as we have been
paying. 1t viii be necessary to pay higher
prices in the future. Among the sellers will
probably be prOfit-taking investors who
bought royalty before factors "B" and "C''
had been provided They bought cheapIy
enough so that they can double their money
and still retain a part of their royalty. Still
others win ride through" In the hope that
they have an EmmOns, a Byrne, a Lash
baugh, a Vandemark, Morrison or a Lam
der farm, which win make them not a profit
but a fortune. From now on, each individual
VIII profit according to his own business
acumen.
we have a few remaining copies Of eur
original report on Signal Butte. It win be
furnished to any who requests, 50 long as
The supply lasts.