Show J San Juan Field Famous Dozen Years Ago Ago Throughout the Country Is Fast Coming Back I Great Activity Is Reported in District in Which Are Producing Wells The San Juan oil district Is comIng corning com corn ing back bacle and it Is coming back strong was the declaration made yesterday esterday by A. A 11 H. Spencer of Bluff who is in Salt Salte Lake e conducting some important ne no- involving extensive e holdings In Jn San ban Juan county and in fields proven from irom ten to twelve years year ago agoo and previous to the withdrawal of the lands from location by presidential order in 1911 1 Mr lr Spencer who was active in oil development operations in San an Ju n Ju-n n county during the time mentioned has retained his Interests in that coun I try in confident anticipation he states that the district will develop into OTC OO of the most productive In the country He lie states that big Interests includIng including ing Standard Oil and important independent inde inde- pendent concerns have acquired large holdings in the district and are plan plan- fling ning extensive development operations Mr Spencer has in his possession a copy of a Denver mining journal devoted considerable space to the ac activities ac- ac in the oil fields of San Juan I county when they were In progress I This copy cop of the paper which was issued is- is s i-s-i I f sued lowing in n d description July Pt 1910 Oot of appeared San aJ Juan the county u following fol- fol following ol i ind and nd the oil developments then under under i W way I Geological Conditions I IAre Are Declared Right The unanimous verdict of all who have visited the San Juan oil region Ion of southeastern Utah is that the field will be a a. success It is easy to understand understand understand under under- stand why this conclusion Is reached after one has seen for himself as the Held field has the hall halt mark of ot merit Geological conditions are right the formation is right oil has been found in commercial quantities in three different different dif dif- dif dif- ferent sands and in fact every feature is present which goes to make u un a big producing high grade oil field The remoteness of the field from civilization civilization has retarded its development otherwise it would probably now he one of the producing fields of the country But to the pioneer whose lo lot it is to locate claims this has been an advantage as it has given n him an opportunity to perfect his title undisturbed undisturbed by the crowd which would naturally naturally nat nat- rush in If it were readily accessible sib sible a This fact also operates in favor of ot I the investor as he is enabled to secure i I lands and stocks to much better advantage advantage tage ta than he would If the field were older and fully developed or directly on a main line of railway where everyone everyone every even one could ride to it in a Pullman sleep sleep- er Cr Therefore the returns from an Investment Investment in investment In- In vestment in these stocks and lands will be much greater than in a fully de developed developed developed de- de field where prices have haV already advanced to high levels Then I and pipe lines are soon built when there i. i is 18 business for them The San an Juan Juaa oil fields ar are located In San Juan county Utah ne near r the southeastern corner of that state They are about twenty-five twenty miles west from Bluff Utah which can be located upon any map and are between Comb Combash Wash ash ashon on the east and Grand Gulch on he the west The oil fields cover the land on both sides of the San Juan river but the portion on the south side vin ring east of the meri lan is in the Navajo Indian reservation The only way of reaching the fields at present is by driving from Dolores Colo Cob on the Rio Grande Southern railway rail rail- railway way a distance of ot miles While the trip is tir tiresome some yet it is very Interesting interesting inter Inter- esting eating and md satisfactory Conveyances Conveyance can be secured at Dolores or at Cor- Cor fourteen milr milte south of Dolores and the trip made to Bluff Utah In two days a distance of ninety miles The trip from Bluff to the oil field I twenty-five twenty miles Is made on the third t day ay Good teams with experienced drivers ers ens can be he secured at Dolores or tes and the charge is 3 5 a aay cay for a team and driver besides all expenses I of both The next nearest railroad point is Gallup New Mexico on the Santa Fe railroad which is miles southeast of the oil field A wagon road from Gallup to the field will undoubtedly be opened in the very near future hut but at present this route is not traveled The government has a wagon road already already I aI-I al- al i point ready r I In constructed O the Chin I t from Lee v valley Gallup W p ni ninety to et t I I miles e northwest o of Gallup IlU and from the end n of this wagon ag road o to the i bridge crossing the San ran rana Juan a river m I at the nil it field Is a distance of f I miles The Santa Fe railroad has had i Inspectors over this line and they re report report report re- re reI I port that by building fifteen miles an easy automobile road can be had all the way vay from Gallup to the bridge I Since ver very little grading will be re- re along this fifteen miles It is possible that the road will be In op operation operation op- op before the summer is over It will be le Interesting to note from the maps ps that Chin Lee Iee creek empties Into the San Juan river about six sl slIT IT n lies to the east of the oil field There has been a great deal of discussion dis uS- uS as to the feasibility of buildIng buildIng building build- build Ing Pipe lines from the oil field to toj Gallup New ew Mexico Since the government government gov- gov ov- ov wagon WR road from Gallup lOt Into Int the Chin Lee valley traverses prato pra- a water grade Jrade It Is a certainty that there is a water grade down th the Chin Lee Iee creek to the San Juan river and the oil field Therefore no ob obstacle ob- ob stacle cle such as a mountain range ran stands In the way of building ln pipe pipelines pipelines lines up this vae valley from the oil field to the railroad Other routes for or pipe pipelines pipelines pipelines lines are feasible as there as no grades to speak of between the field and Dolores Colp on the Rio Hlo Grande Southern to the east or Thompsons on onI I the Rio TIlo Grande Western estern to the north I It H is stated by competent judges that thata a pipe line e could even be built to Salt ecU trl Lake City where excellent I t distributing u I facilities would be had An Interesting feature of the trip to the San Han Juan oil field Is the ruins of ot the cliff clift dwellers and the Aztecs which are seen e along the route Some of the I views r given herewith fer it are from g photographs photo 1 0 I I graphs taken by the writer and many I I i others are produced being pictures of ruins not directly on the route but j I near by the oil fit fields Ids These Thee old ruins bring brin out much discussion and speculation lation as to the methods and habits of these p opple and also speculation as to the time they inhabited this countr country coun coun- country tr try whether years ears ago ao or 2000 years ago afo It would seem seen to be only a short time as Implements are found In a good food state of ot preservation where they the were vere seemingly ly left only yesterday yesterday yester- yester day dav day by bv the one who used them The The he natural bridges brides and other l fatur wonders caused b bv by the thc erosion are plentiful In this portion of ot Utah Some of ot the natural bridges es and other I Interesting rock formations are shown herewith It Is possible that with the opening of the oil fields a line of railway will pass through this country In the tho very near future so that the visitors can see all these natural sights from the car win win- dOT The San Juan oil field proper covers an area arfa of about fifteen i by hy twenty- twenty five miles S. S but the oil showings extend along the San Juan river for a distance r a LD and present day scenes in the San Juan OLD country At t upper left and lower right geological parties representing big hig oj oU companies upper right celebrated Navajo Twins overlooking of city Bluff center photographs s oil exchange at Bluff and typical camp scene in in the San Juan field at bottom March 4 1908 This is is' first well in the Bluff San Juan field in which oil was struck photo copyrighted by Charles Goodman a ij I ik x f w Ji 1 z ff rz J. J v Y t. t r riY iY x j f i t Wt I t. t i l r. t Jt tt Y r t 7 W 4 ot o N J W r f 1 f A ii i it 1 tf iG V M j A 1 w l e t a tA tb t-tb ms a J Jt I t eb I k i 17 0 I 1 t I I I 4 t t I I I I I I I I I i j I of seventy five seventy miles The field slopes gently from the west and the east to toa toa toa a central point called the syncline which Is at about the location of Lime lAme creek The formation is ver very regular as there are no breaks or faults anywhere in the region At one place a schist dike protrudes abruptly through the ther I j r strata of sand stone forming Alhambra j i bra ira rock located south of the river i which can plainly be seen from most i any part of the field but this bion has lias not fractured the f formation Inan in an any way There is also a dike running north an and an south in Sec 7 T 41 R 19 j but this dike also seems to have penI penetrated pen pen- I the formation when it was In InI ina I I a plastic state and did not disturb It ItIn itin In any am way vay From the standpoint of i uniformity of formation a t the San Juan I IOn i flerl I oil field Is ideal rl In every y way On the south side of the San Juan I river there is also a gentle anticline running from southwest to northeast The llie common center of all these thee anticlines anti anti- lines dines Is in the Goodridge or Mexican Hat basin This basin Is about the lowest point in the oil field and Is at the southernmost bend of the San SanJuan SanJuan SanJuan Juan river It is sometimes called the Goodridge basin after Mr E. E L. L Goodridge Goodridge Good Good- ridge one of the pioneers of the district dis dis- and some times the Mexican 1 Hat Slat Hati basin as the Mexican Hat rock Is lo located located lo- lo here This rock Is the result of ot erosion having the shape of a broad brimmed trimmed Mexican hat and is a landmark landmark landmark land land- I mark for the section round about It Is a curious fact act that all of these anticlines come to a common center at atthe atthe the base hase of a domelike uplift in the formation called by geologists a qua- qua dome This dome Is said to tobe tobe be he the largest one of ot Its HI kin kind known to geologists as It Is about twelve miles long by six miles wide It is considered con one ope of the very best of In- In ons for or the existence of oil and andIs andIs andIs Is pointed out to all visitors as one of the geological features which stamp the district with merit When It is known that t Spindle n Top sm Hill at Beaumont Texas 1 is a versal vereal dome it can at once be seen why it Is of great Interest to operators operators op op- op I in the field Geologists claim that these domes are formed by hy a force rpm below which was not strong enough to push through the crust of ot the earth but which raised a knoll on the surface From this knoll the formation for mation matlon slopes In all directions without being broken Since the theory is mat matoil oil works upward in the formation being forced upward by gas pressure and also by water pressure it can be he seen that one of ot these domes would form an Ideal reservoir for the storage of oil being the same as an inverted reservoir for the storage of ot water The rho oil would be forced up In the formation formation forma forma- orma- orma tion from all sides of the dome and at it Its top there would be a d tremendous tremendous tremendous 1 dous force from gas and water pressure pressure pres- pres pres 1 sure from below which result in gushers being encountered when the oil sand was penetrated If this qua- qua dome in the San Juan oilfield oil oilfield field produces gushers in proportion to Its size compared with the other gushers bushels at Beaumont It will break the worlds world's record in this respect hile While in other oil fields extensive drilling must be done to locate the number of sands and the thickness of each cach eachIn In the San Juan field the San Juan river has cut the formation like a cheese is cut with a knife exposing the various strata for 1000 feet in depth The river flows from east to west vest through the center of t the he oil hearing region cutting through h the north end of the ersal dome doine and then meanders on through the center center conter cen con ter of the field It forms many curves called goosenecks and will vill travel five or six miles around a curve urve corning coming back to within halt half a mile of itself again This extensive erosion Into the formation formation formation for for- mation gives a definite idea of the thc lo location location lo- lo cation and thickness of several oil sands panda The first and is called the Goodridge sand after Mr Goodridge e. one of the pioneers of the camp This sand comes to the surface at about the center of the field and slopes elopes gently to the southeast In the Goodridge e townsite this sand is cut at about feet where it produces oil In abundance some acme of the wells estimated as high as barrels per day Since these wells are arc only about 2000 feet from the point where this sand crops at the surface this production is Unusually good and shows that the sands are thoroughly permeated with oil Other sands the Goodridge ar arthe are the Mendenhall sand encountered at ata a depth of about feet and the Hon Hon- ker sand encountered at a depth of about 1000 feet pet Of course the depth of these sands varies In various arious portions portions por per of the field depending on the slope of the formation and also the tIre erosion At one place where the river cuts the Goodridge sand it is over fifty feet thick as shown in one of the tire views given herewith Lying directly under the Goodridge sand and separated separated separ separ- separated from only a few feet of ot hard sandstone is s another oil sand equally as thick as the tIre Goodridge and equally as well saturated with oil Altogether I geologists oil i sands Js where have ree ft found the n river iv eight g has s g cut distinct tire the 1 I formation aggregating over 00 feet In InI thickness It Is estimated from the I geological age of the rocks that two or three additional oil Sands exist below I these already known which will probably probably I ably produce equa equally as well vell as the tho I upper sands and possibly better It is Inspiring to think of the of this region and it will require time J rind t-nd nd patience and an air immense amount I of drilling to find out fully what the earth has In store hereIn here In the district proper there Is no choice of ot land as all portions seems seem to have favorable fa points The Tire land In Inthe tIe the low portion near the center of the tIre field has already produced oil which winch 1 Iro es roves it to be valuable yet a a. great I many operators prefer to seek seel higher ground on the theory that oil on works upward The s sands shallow sands in the center eec cen J ter of the field have shown oil where- where ever they have been tapped thus provIn proving pro pro- ing In Inthe the enrichment of the sand No Eu great wells are expected in this portion por por-i tion however until a depth or to 1500 feet Is gained The Galloway Galloway Galloway Gal Gal- loway well about twelve miles in an airline from the Goodridge basin an and well up the western anticline nas Inas oil at 1300 feet thus proving the tIne u er portion of ot the anticline to be valuable Four wells drilled by Mr |