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

With the start of the Devonian test
on Midway structure comes the bright
est ray of hope in the petroleum sit
uation in the Pacific northwest.
Should Devonian production be found
at Midway, there will be no question
regarding the ability of Rocky Noun
tain states to supply the Pacific north
west with adequate supplies of petrole-
um and it will in turn mean new drill
ing to get that vitality needed war ma
terial in such quantity that it will not
be TOO LITTLE TOO LATE.
We fully expect that within 80 to
As days the oil fields of Montana will
be stepped up to capacity production
We look to see trade channels opened
up so that Montana fuel oil and Mon
tana motor fuel will start moving west
ward into the territory which is now
barely staving off gasoline rationing.
Devonian production is something
that we positively know exists, vet it
takes a commercial well, producing
from the Devonian, to prove it to the
point that the Devonian will become the
objective of every well drilled.
At the present time the objective of
every we'll drilled in northern Montana
is the top of the Madison lime. Not
long ago it was the basal sands of the
Kootenai or Cretacious formation (Cat
Creek horizon). For many years wells
were drilled to the Cat Creek horizon
and then abandoned if they found no
oil. Now we know that the odds were
100 to against finding oil in the Gre
taceous. Only four commercial oil fields
in the state have production from the
Cat Greek horizon.
Before the Cat Creek horizon was
discovered, the experts said that the
basal sands of the Colorado shale
Middle Cretaceous) were the probable
producing horizons. Wells were drilled
to the base of the Colorado and aban-
doned, for many years. The chances of
finding commercial oil production in
this horizon in northern Montana is so
remote that it is now known that early
day drilling was as futile as digging
for diamonds on the Montana plains.
Oil men are ruled by local precedent
more than in any other industry. Only
precedent-breakers bring important de
velopments in the oil business. Occa-
sionally it is a promoter who keeps on
drilling to save his face with his stock
holders. Occasionally it is a man with
a "doodlebug," who knows only that
the bug" indicates that the oil IS pres
ent at SOME depth-and SO he keeps
on going.
That is the history of most discover
les in other states Only occasionally
does an operator set out to drill to a
new, unproven horizon. The reason is
1t is relatively simple mat
ter to drill 900 feet deeper in Kelvin
field. Yet the operator who drilled on
down through the Madison lime would
be proving up the entire field for all
the other operators, with only his own
lease to reward him for his fortitude
Naturally, he feels that the other OPP
orators should share the cost.
Then why don't the operators go
in together and drill a deep test,
when everyone is convinced that
there is oil present in the DevOnian
900 feet below the present produc-
ing horizons?
There are two good reasons. The first
S that 1t IS ditt1cult-practically inn
get oil companies, large
md small, into the same frame of mind
It the same time. The big operators are
Inclined to shy away from cooperative
olans with smaller operators. They do
lot trust the little fellow to do the
ask, or to handle their money. Fur
hermore, the larger companies have
hown a tendency to hold back on open
ng up new horizons. The little fellow"
n turn is suspicious of the larger COM
'anies and is inclined to hold back for
free ride" In that event, no deep
est is drilled.
Another answer is that it is known
hat the Devonian folding does not al
Ways correspond to the Mississippian
gliding in this region. Apparently the