The Glacier reporter. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1953-current, 1954-07-30

part OF town.
| Revenue For indians
(From The Montana Oil Journal)
Although Blackfeet Indians
have received a couple of million
dollars from the sale of oil and
gas leases on the reservation in
Glacier county, the consensus OF
oil men is that this Is only the
beginning.
Acreage auctioned so far that
has commanded the high prices
has been along the Rocky Noun.
tain front. generally south of q
line joining Browning and the
town of East Glacier.
So far. no acreage has been put
up for sale north of this point,
and between the two towns and
the Alberta boundary there is q
stretch of IS miles in which no
Indian lands have been put up
for lease. although virtually
every acre of privately owned
land in the area has been taken.
At the northwest corner of this
area. at the intersection of the
Glacier county boundary with
the eastern boundary of Glacier
Park and the southern boundary
of Alberta. it is only II miles to
one of the great wet gas fields
of the world-Pincher Greek.
The Pincher Greek field, with
about a dozen 10000 foot wet gas.
sers drilled by Gulf and now shut
In, will be the starting point for
q gas line to extend eastward
across Canada to point near the
Atlantic seaboard. Some of the
wells in the field have gauRed
wet gas flows of as high as 1870,
DOC. 900 cubic feet daily, with re-
coveries of as high as 1900 bar
rcls of high.gravity oil daily from
the gas flows. The wells are now
all shut in. because the gas has
a high sulphur content. To use
the gas. Gulf will build q multi
million dollar sulphur extraction
plant In the field. with an indicat
ed recovery Of more than 5000.
600 tons of sulphur before the
sweetened gas Is sent on its way
eastward.
Because the lands In north
! western Glacier county are In
close proximity to this field, some
very high bids are likely when
the Indian acreage Is auctiOncd
Current rumors are that sales
will be held very shortly.
As far as the Blackfeet are con
cerned. the money received fol
the leasing Is only part of the
story. Actually. the Indians sell
nothing when they give the
leases. All they do Is give the oil
men permission TO spend millions
drilling. II the drilling results In
dry holes. the Indians still will
have their bonuses and also rent
ais up to the time the leases arc
dropped.
II the drilling Is successful
then the Blackfcct will really be
on the gravy train. for they will
get onc.cighth of all the oil and
gas produced. free of all costs.
And all of the time the dcvel
opment Is proceeding. the tribe
will continue to have unintcrrupt
cd use of the SURFACE lands, as II
the past. except possibly for the
small space occupied by drilling
wells.
While the Blackfcct auction
this week held top position II
state oil news. there were some
other developments of interest.
On the reservation. two deer
tests that got oil In the hasa
Madison had nothing definite Il
report. with potcntialitics Of tn.
two wells still to he determined
Main interest of operators con
tinucs conferred In the area nortf
Of Great Falls and cast of thu
Rockies, with additional hcav,
leasing reported over the week
end. Reported but not confirmct
Is that Gulf has taken from
Whcatlcy 4 Void. lease brokers
a block Of nearly lOO.: 90 acre.
along the mountain front, In Tc
ton and Pondcra counties. TIL,
rumor Is believed authentic ans
Is the latest In q series of fast
moving developments pointing I,
o major drilling campaign In tn,
near future.
Donald Kraft and three son
were Browning visitors Thursda!
from thir r0nch hos,nn m Mi1i