Show 4 SUNDAY SUNDAY- M MORNING MAY V 29 1921 I St Story ry of Montana F Farmer Fanner j Reads heads Like Lake Fairy T Tai a J The latest addition to t the Montana oil fields is the Transcontinental Oil company which is fast ft becoming one of the biggest opera operators In the oil world This company has one of the most complete and said to be on one orthe or of the finest refineries in the world in Fort Tort Worth orth and large acreage gh- gh out cut Texas The company also operates a large general offices In the Texas oil oila metropolis making Fort Worth g general ethe headquarters for its operations In the Southwest With some already invested x the Transcontinental Oil company is in the Fort Bent Benton n field to find oil and is prepared it is stated to spend In this location On the advice of oC the best hest geologists the nation affords the Transcontinental tal have secured leases on 22 acres of the tho structure designated on the map as the Fort lort Benton field This field lays six sit miles by by airline southeast of Fort Port Benton and comprises comprises com com- one of the several domes In the great Sweet Grass archA arch A standard rig has been constructed construct construct- ed the boiler is in place and the construction construction con con- of the water pipeline is well under wa way It is only a matter of daj days s before the bit of the Transcontinental Oil company's drill will be biting into the time sands of the Benton Henton oil dome Even while many man are reading this reading this article the trill drill will probably be pound In Its wa way Into the which are believed to cover a great pool of oil possibly seven miles long lon and five miles e wide e mil LeAses s are now o being taken a on n ail Md simes s of the Pennsylvania a a corporations corporation t s h holdings n Hasselquist a ll I Borgert t Inc I of Lewiston prominent in Oat Cat t creek i exploitations pf have obtained t tin t the s sale feo of approximately acres deemed by I Ithem them among the choicest leases in the areas I The story of George Georoe O O. O Nichols on whose ranch was chosen the sIte sue for forthe forthe i ithe the initial well of the Transcontinental Oil company promises to read like a fairy tale The first well was spotted TOO feet from the corner of lot S 8 section section section sec sec- tion 8 township 23 north range 9 west est and in consequence after ten ten years of the hard struggle le that ac accompany accompany accompany ac- ac company the life tife of a dry land homesteader home home- Mr Nichols w will ill wake wale waleS up some morning o soon and find and find an oil i I h gusher S ei in his r nta back v yard ard when he shook the moss off his back and left the lie dark darl and fog foggy y clime of Oregon be lie little thought that the pleasure of ot living in a place where it doesn't rain all the time would lead him to be become become become be- be come an oil baron He got away from the rain with a vengeance and four years ears of drouth nearly left that section of the country occupied mostly by homesteaders of slender purses but grim determination with a land value governed only bythe bythe by bythe the size sire of the mortgage upon each homstead home Then came in May 19 1920 O some khaki clad strangers who traveled around the then green fields and told none their business Soon after the thew had hart disappeared two other strangers arrived arrived arrived ar ar- ar- ar rived at the historic town of Fort Port lien IJen ton and put Up at the Choteau house I They registered as J J. T T. Newlon and harles Enlow attorneys They too visited the thu fields an and anna engaged na U fd towners i t owners In brief conversation con Then Theil tJ I. I presented formal in 1001 looking paper w wh wire w were re standard oil on le lI le-lI leases iH js s providing tl the owners owner of the land shall hall rece one-eighth one royalty If the sands santis t I neath the dry fields bear oil j The ranchers willingly signed signel 1 a athe a athe the stranger lawyers stayed for da weeks and then therm months Not until th men had traveled to Portland Ore get one signer r a man who had an terest In the Anderson estate and h I traveled to Minneapolis to ret pet a sigr who also had an Interest in this esta not net until then did the ranchers ranchers' Frenchmans Frenchman's Ridge country be begin ln rub their eyes and wonder 1 Soon came carload after atter carload carload great timbers long casing of varie vario sizes si sizes and machinery In December i iother other stranger arrived at the Chote Chot house He lie registered as J T J. W W. Ward soon son became known that he was su si for the Oil company and he was prepared immediately begin the erection of ot standard rig rip on the Fort Benton fie He Tie produced a blueprint hired a r rand and w went nt to the Nichols ranch ai B with a i surveyor party part located a POI po feet from the north line Une ammo aim like distance from the east line Th The he drove a stake and announced to b J Nichols that long haired geologists geologists' a ethers others had gathered around a mj m ms' ms mv v the tJ-e Benedum Trees building Pitt Pit burg Pa Ia and had located that poi po as s the initial prospect well on the Pi FI Benton field To give an idea of the amount amount shipped ed into Fort Benton freand fn fre Kansas and Oklahoma up to si 13 it I 1 is stated that the b I bI bof I of ot the Transcontinental amour ed to r It was announced k tt two additional carloads of tools and carload of ot pipe with which water w v be piped from Shonkin creek a d dj Lance tance of f feet were shipped j j January r 6 6 j l With th the completion of the teat wai system and with continued continues fair weal weater cr er the com company pan v will begin operations Riggers are now on t grounds rounds and will hav have e the rig erect in all probability durin during during- this com omi week The standard rig has an eight four foot tower IThe j I The Transcontinental Oil com par stated state l to be bp a companI compan I has its corporate offices in but has holdings throughout the Un Uri ed cd state Mexico South America ai ar Rumania It has in addition to lar lari oil holdings three refineries handlir its own oil and that of oC smaller Ind pendent companies These refineries a located in Fort Worth Texas in home and in Rumania F F. Y Y C C. C Benedum and Joseph Trees hea ot of the corporation are among the n tion tion's s biggest men in the oil The Transcontinental assigned to t tl Fort Benton field a superintendent wt wl has spent his life in the oil game Ii n father was a driller before him ar arMr arMr Mr Ward Yard has a son 22 years of a at who is a driller in Texas Mr 1 MrVa Wa Va has drilled In tn a dozen states ai aT thou though thought h t hI is partial to Texas he confident lent that his company is makii no mistake in the Montana venture |