Salt Lake Herald-Republican | 1918-02-24 | Page 47 | History of Utah Oil Gas Wells Wok to Update

1 r HISTORY OF UTAH i 1 I i t OIL GAS WELLS I 1 I I WORK TO DATE I I ISan San J Juan nan and Virgin Fields M Make Makee e Best Showings A So Far II Under the caption Utah Oil and Gas 00 GasI I t- t Prospects tho the Western Oil World Int in ina t M a n fairly accurate article says sas Considerable Considerable Consid Consid- r z erable crable drilling for Cor oil and gas gis has been done pretty well over most moat of oC the passable pass pass- t able territory of ot Utah and in several j places so far tar from railroads ds that It t longer to get ou out took the tho prospectors out than It did to got ct in This Is 15 true o of the thc Virgin country countr In the teri I part of ot the tho state and of ot the San Juan n In southeastern corner i country In the thc both of or these sections oil was found in quantities that th In Kansas or OI Oklahoma and commercial ana ano been called would woul have ha production would have been developed de de- de some San Juan is IH moro more than been 1 10 00 miles from a railroad with with a a. Lt Intervening while tho the Virgin Is almost as far awa away with mountains mountain In addition to desert wastes adding t to i the tho I labor bor and expense of oC getting In anc an ancIn and out In San Juan county count alon along the San Juan river government geologists erratic tlc structures structures truc- truc have reported small and tures tures that contain some seine oil nil During thelast thelast the thelast last fifteen years probably fifty s wells ells t have been drilled near the tho Moron Mormon oil from tOO 0 village e of or Bluff mutt ranging sands sans 1 have ha to 1900 feet In depth Seven Se been hn III In the tha drilling With tWO of them m- m at t to teet feet and irid another at to feet Ceel showing a very cr light oil all One of ot these wells showed for Cor fifty barrels but lack of ot casing and anil equipment eventually o put it out o of com corn mission mission A number of or the thc wells pumped from five lo to twenty barrels when handled handle 1 with crude and scant cant equipment and eight years ears a ago o a number number number num num- i iDu ber of practical oil oil men went In with good equipment miles from Durango Du- Du Rio Grande on the Denver railroad All Alt the material ever eer freighted freight freight- ed cd in is still there except what tho the weather has dissipated One well In th the Bluff field was completed completed completed com com- In 1014 1314 and one In 1915 rated as producers On January Januar I 1 1 1914 nine wells ell were wera listed as producers of or oil and a year later six were listed four wells having ln been abandoned in 1914 In the county acres 0 of land held in fee Is listed listed as oil land R W W. Wallace Vallace a well-known well n oil ell country countr operator eight years ears ago ao took In a first-class first standard rig and a now new drilling machine intending to do considerable con con- work for an eastern stern syndicate syndicate syndi syndi- cate but like e many wildcat ventures cold feet andi and the tho financial backers got ot W 11 t ra n Ho Un ws w's i glad lad I ra loft L J H a ace s 0 6 u enough to get Jet out of oC the tho country with witha a a- whole skin He says SaR that a years ears hence when archaeologists and savants ants are arc prowling around San Juan and find those stems sterns bailers and pipe Joints there will be Interesting scientific title descriptions of or the tho peculiar Implements Implements p ments of ot war and the thc chase used b by prehistoric pagans I hold Several Se companies continue to their acreage in the tho San Juan country and once a year rear make signs of ot doing some work and ami occasionally an outside outside outside out out- side prospector makes a n desert drive to see sec what is there Near Green River RI Nat at Le Lev Levy coming from Pennsylvania fifteen years ago drilled several test wells welle along the river finding a a. little hea heavy oil and gas Perhaps a dozen test wells have been drilled near Salt Lake L ea east cast t of ot the tho lake Jake with a little peculiar gas Jal Gutte Gale Galey drilled a n test well to a 1 depth of ot 2000 feet there getting a 1 trace of oC black oil and a 1 company compan Is about to toI I drill near this abandoned hole holc I Wont Wet of or Salt Lake tests test were drilled several years ears a ago o and many leases leaMs taken A test for gas Sas Is started close clo e to Wilson near Ogden Og and In the basin three tests are now not drilling In Inthe inthe the thc northeast corner of ot the state Dragon on being tho the central point Near Price east central part of ot Utah two strong com companies panics are aro arranging to do some prospect work at once It H may be taken for granted that out of all the work eo so far tar done In Utah the San Juan county count district offers about all the tho evidence o of oil that would appe appeal to the practical oil operator unless unless unless un un- un- un less the Virgin Jn countr country may also alse be included There Thero are aro man many depo deposits of or asphalt In tn tho the state and at one place in the h basin a tunnel into the asphalt ledge Is pro producing fair quantities quantities ties of ot oil that Is treated and sold as asa asa asa a lubricant This the Oil all company company company com com- pany may be said to bo be making a n commercial commercial commercial com com- mercial success of the work maintaining maintain maintain- ing a distribution station at Grand Junction Colo and making a Q little money Utah has Inexhaustible deposits of ot shale oil oil shale hale that are now be beginning to be developed and In the near future the states Plates production of oC oil from this source will become an Important and ana profitable commercial resource As now Indicated the shale oil will far tar out- out strip r whatever liquid petroleum that ma may be bo produced In tn the state I