Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-09-19
Cleaning Money From Facts

in the ether structural noses Of Cut Bank
field. We issued publication on this sub
ject, reviewing the wells drilled throughout
Cut Bank area to the top of the Madison
lime. ShOwings of oil at the top Of the lime
are as significant at Cut Bank as were
shOwings of oil in the upper lime at Reed
City, Michigan. The Reed City field has had
initial production of I4000 barrels per day
from Its best wells. The Dundee limestone
which produces most of the oil in Michigan,
Is relatively unimpOrtant at Reed City. So
IL may be that the Madison contact may
not be the major producing horizon of the
folds Of Cut Bank district in northern Mon
tana. The mere fact that there have been
shOwings Of oil in wells drilled to the top
Of the lime is encouragement enough to
drill into the Madison lime for 100 TO 200
feet on any one Of the several folds.
This is information to be capitalized. An
intelligent royalty investor can do a lot
better for himself than he might have done
In scrambIing for royalties around the Rea-
gan well, had there been landowners royal
ties available. Those who can read the facts
and then buy royalties on the basis Of those
facts can doubtless build up a profit for
the future.
That brings us to the third and most
SAstAas~AOA-s
where r, C. Tarrant is the Alvin Weber of
Montana. Tarrant became convinced that
the Devonian (6OO-feet below the top of the
Madison lime) Is likely to be the principal
producing horizon Of Montana, once it is
opened up So he took advantage Of geOphy-
steal information on a local Devonian "high7
and started Dev0nian test. He expected
nothing in the Sunburst sand and nothing
at the Madison contact, only hoped for en-
cOuragement.
Encouragement came in the Sunburst
sand with showing of oil estimated suffi-
cient to give well Of from 10 to rs barrels,
Of 446 gravity oil. He continued ON to the
top of the Madison lime and there found
new encouragement: SHOWING OF OIL
AND WATER. He has as yet been unable to
get casing so that he can continue down
into the Madison lime. He now realizes that
he may find oil in two or three known hOri-
CONS Of possible prOduction-pOssibIy in the
Pat Trap horizon or possibly at the Turner
Valley horizon stin deeper in the lime than
the Reagan horizon. Below that comes the
DevOnian which showed oil at the Dry Forks
we'll 10 miles northwest, in a syncline 300
feet stFucturaIIy lower than the Wood well
If there was ANY oil in the Dry Forks
syncIine, it is logical to expect lot more
the Sweetgrass Arch.
However, Tarrant was sufficiently en-
Unused about the showing of oil in the Sum
burst sand that he has drilled two more
wells to that horizon. One Of them has been
drilled in, revealing what appears TO be good
commercial production In 2O-feet of sand.
Since the Sunburst sand was 80 feet thick
at the Wood well nearly two miles distant,
the probability Is that considerable pool
Is present But as at the Reed City field,
the Sunburst sand horizon and the Madison
contact horizons are stin Overshad0wed by
the prospects Of Devonian production. Com
pIetiOn Of the DevOnian test Is doubtless the
only way that Montana can get the $4,000
barrel wells such as have marked the Reed
City pool. without the deeper drilling, Reed
City would today be fussing along with
s0-barreI producers. Reed City history should
prove of some value in the future develop
ment Of Montana oil resources.
We are issuing further publication on
he situation at Midway. It viii be furnished
10 those who request It