Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-05-09
BETTER DAYS HERE At HAND

oil IN ONE structure in northern Mon
tana gives more than a probability of
OIL IN the Devonian at Pondera-at
kevin-at Pendroy and possibly in the
noses" of Cut Bank area.
When Gordon Campbell broke prece-
dents and found oil in the TOP of the
Madison lime north of Kelvin, there was
none who did not believe that Pondera
and other defined structures in the
Sweetgrass Arch would produce at that
same horizon-if at all. Without cues
ton, operators went out to drill to the
top of the lime in EVERY well there
after drilled.
So it will be whenever oil is found
anywhere in northern Montana in the
Devonian or other formations below
the big lime" There arises moot
question:
Did the Dry Forks we'll find its oil
in the Devonian?
1t was below the big lime" That
is all we know.
Did the Frazer-Rice well in Kelvin
field find its high gravity oil in the
Devonian?
1t was below the big lime" Again
the formation could not be identified.
We thought that the deep showines
IN the wells near Baker, on the eastern
border of Montana were coming from
the Devonian. We were wrong. Those
showings came from the ORDOVI-
ClAN-a formation BELOW the De
vonian.
Like the refiners associated with
Iarrant at Midway, none cares where
the oil comes from, provided NEW
OIL HORIZONS are opened I'D. The
biologists may have all the fun argu-
ing about the names of the horizons,
just as they did at Cut Bank. The fact
remains at Cut Bank that an unsus-
pected horizon there, accidentally" dis
covered, has given Montana and the ma
ton a hundred million dollars worth of
oil that under the textbook rules could
not have existed and would have not
been discovered except by accident"
1t is easy to look into other oil states
and see where precedent stopped drill
ers at the top of the big lime" for
many years. Eventually some intrepid
drilled on down and found
deeper production. It would follow that
the same would happen in Montana,
since Mother Nature does not respect
wire fences or geographical boundaries.
But it is the LOCAL precedent that
rules in each state, even though every
one is convinced that the same rule
applies here as elsewhere
All that we need do is to look at
illinois to see what will happen when
deeper drilling DOES bring in those
ower and more prolific oil horizons.
Properties will increase in value TEN
FOLD from such discoveries. A person
ioes not need to see Devonian oil gush-
ng from his own field or his own lease
,r land or his own royalty property to
lnow what is coming
Montana may we'll watch the Midway
est with a lot of expectancy. The
hances are to | that no oil will be
ound at the Madison lime contact. The
hances are 10 to that no oil will be
ound in the breaks" of the lime. in
luding the Turner Valley horizon.
which is also known to be present and
in Kelvin field, and the odds
# finding commercial oil in horizons
SiOW dtS HIT dAC iAOl u DC inquired,
or lack of precedents. Likewise, the
ccuracy of geophysics and of this par :
ocular survey are unknown factors. But
here are many who give odds of 2 to !
that at least ONE horizon will be
ound in the 5000 feet of this deep
est" that will justify acidization.
The man who owns a piece of land
/ known oil fields of northern Mon :
ma is indeed fortunate. Likewise, for
mate is the investor who can buy land !
n the basis of values established by
orizons above the Madison lime.
Persons who wish to buy oil lands or
lineral interests in oil lands should do :
, ahead of possible Devonian dis
overy. 8