The Glacier reporter. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1953-current, 1954-04-09
% '%%o5H ~
HELENA
W. N. FULTON DIES
AT SHELBY HOME:
DEAN OF 0ILMEN

| StiELBl - william MarSnall
Fulton, 81. dean of Montana oil
producers. who, in spite of his
nickname of DRY Hole" Fulton
once was worth more than a mil.
lion dollars, died at his home
here Sunday night
Funeral services were held at
2 pm Wednesday at the Elks
temple here. Elks' burial services.
conducted by officers of the 10,
cal lodge. were followed by Chris.
tan Science services by Sigurd
l.. HjcrmStad of Great Falls
Burial was in the Shelby c"mc.
terry
Fulton was born in Harrison
county. Ohio. Feb. !. 1870. the
son of William p and Emma j
Cunningham Fulton. He wen, to
the eastern Pennsylvania oil
fields at the age of II and work
ed as teamstcr and drillers'
helper. In 1890 he went to West
Virginia as leaseman for the
Pittsburgh Oil Co.. drilling wells
in eastern Ohio at the same time
on his own.
He went to Indian Territory
NOV Oklahoma in 1893. com,
bining private interests With his
work for the Pittsburgh company
until 1902 Between 1902 and 1911
when he first came to Montana.
he tried his luck in Texas and
Kentucky oil fields.
Following his arrival in Mon.
tana. he brought in the discov.
cry we'll in the POndcra field. on
February II, 1923 This field sub.
scqucntly produced 10000 900
! barrels of oil Fulton "wildrat,cd
in the kevin.Sunburs, field and
in 1928 bought the Standard
lease. The first we'll ON this lease
made 5000 barrels 4 day Fulton
organized the Fulton Oil co. and
brought in big we'll after big
we'll in the northern Montana
field. Eventually he and William
Rice. another big operator in the
field sold out to the Julian Pet.
rolcum Co.. receiving more than
Sl.O00.O0O each for their inter,
estS
Fulton also drilled the first
scmi.dccp.tcsi well on the Black.
feet Indian reservation nor,l. of
Browning. Al 1000 feet. this ties,
we'll struck an overthrus, on 'hr
Milk River anticllnc and was
abandoned. AS recently as las,
Year. Fulton drilled a dry hole
on the Wolf Butte structure near
Stanford. lie was Interested in
drilling another we'll ON the
Blackieet Indian land at the time
of his death.
Death nearly ended Fulion's
adventure packed career in 1893
when he was struck by truck
owned by the Choutcau County
Farmers Co. on the highway 3
miles west of Great Falls One
leg was fractured in more than
/ 20 places in the accident and
Fultons life was dcspaircd OF.
/ He recovered to sue the owners
OF the truck and collected a judg.
mcnt for S76.ll2 after fighting
the case through the state Sup.
rene Court. Al that time. this
was believed to have been the
largest personal injury judsmcn,
ever sustained by the states
; highest tribunal.
From 1920. Fulton's hcadquar.
! tiers were successfully at Billings.
Great Falls and Pondcra In 1920
he went to Utah but returned To
Shelby in 1887 and had MAINTAIN.
cd his home here since.
In 1896 he was elected prc>i
dent of the Montana division ni
the Independent Petroleum A.
ISOLATION Of America
lie married Olga VI Strand.
berg Of Denver. May 20. 1926
Mrs. Fulton survives lie ais"
leaves a son. william VI Fulton
Jr.. Shelby: and two sisters Mrs
Frank Striker and Mrs Lance
Barger. both Of Cadlz. ONO,