Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1945-12-29

In the tWentleS, petroleum S era
It's the hottest strike in the hist
A total of 80 wells are now drill
ing in the field. California Is drilling
IL, Continental /, Algord Oil Co. l,
Newton OH Co. 2, Phillips 2, Stano-
lind 4, Texas 6, and Wasatch g.
Production of crude oil at Rangely
continues to mount. Official figures
show that one recent weeks pro-
duction was II ,265 barrels a day.
Speaking conservatively, the ma
jOr companies with stake in
Rangely predict that the field ulti-
mately will produce 418, 000, 600 bar
Wyoming, previously the biggest in
the Rockies, had produced 281 ,500,-
600 barrels at the start of the year
1945.
1t was last summer that the oil
industry began sending thousands
of men and huge quantities of drill
ing equipment into the Rangely
Basin. They came prepared to spend
at least $50, 900, 900 for development.
The resulting boom made the
loudest noise ever heard in this
vast, quiet, sparsely settled region
where herds Of fat cattle and sheep
Craze with wild deer on sagebrush-
covered mountainsides.
The town of Rangely was just a
wide spot in the road that meanders
across the basin, with the postoffice,
school, general store and a half
dozen scattered dwellings
A few weeks later Rangely was
going to town in typical oil boom
fashion. AS heavy oil field trucks
churned the main street into a sea
of mud, frame business buildings
of every description sprang up
overnight.
Presence of oil in the Rangely
Basin has been known since 1902
when crude was seen seeping out of
the ground. DrillerS went after it,
but not far enough. They stopped
in the shallow Mancos shale.
Many shallow wells were drilled.
Some produced for time and were
abandoned. Up to 1888, production
was small.
In that year the California COM
pany sank test below the surface
to bring in the first deep producer.
But the area was isolated from
railroads and markets and the well
was abandoned as nonprofitable.
Then year or so ago the Califor-
MIA Co., the Texas Co., Stanolind
and other majors moved into
Rangely in full force to tap its rich
resources.
They found the Weber formation
600 feet thick and bursting with oil.
Producing wells are being brought
in doilxy nr7d nxrnf-xy oxrofloElo r1rf11irer
rig is at work. There have been no
dry holes to date and none are
expected for long time.
To get the oil out, the Stanolind
Pipeline Co. built a 150-mile 10-inch
pipeline from Rangely to Wam.
suffer, Wyo., where it connects with
trunkline leading into Salt Lake
refineries.
Rangely oil began flowing into
the line in October. 1t took 88,00c
barrels to fill the pipe and it will
handle 1900 barrels daily.
Colorado has no conservation laws
to dictate well spacing patterns but
the Rangely wells are well spaced
40 acres apart for economical rea.
sons. 1t has cost from 100000 to
S150,000 to drill each well in the
field.
All wells have been cut back to
300 barrels a day production after
initial flows of 1000 barrels OF
better. The natural gas pressure is
so strong no pumps are used
AS an example of their faith in
the long life of the field, the com
panies are building their permanent
structures to last 80 years or more
During 1oAA ,,r,rnrn,.1 &c IN 900 fntnl