Garfield County News | 1955-02-24 | Page 13 | Drilling Records for Oil, Gas Wells Fall during 1954

Drilling Records For Oil, Gas Wells Fall During 1954 This year, like 1954, will be a record-smasher in the oil-gas well drilling field, according to reports In Petroleum Information. Last year, the Industry drilled a total of 4,203 oil and cat wells in 10 western states, including Colorado, Utah, Montana, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, North and South Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming. In comparison, 1953's total was 3,4 IS, and the 1954 figure was almost four times as large as tha number drilled In 1950. Colorado and Wyoming were leaders In well totals and ratio of successes, respectively. In Colorado, 1,358 wells were drilled for 558 producers, while Wyoming's success percentage ran to 69, with 846 producers In 1,221 completed drillings. For the first time, drilling footage passed an annual total ot more than 20 million feet. Drills bored through 22.441,570 feet, more than the year before's footage of 17,121,766. The magazine said "much of the nation's oil industry has come to regard the Rockies as the prima exploratory area ot the continent." In other states, besides Colorado and Wyoming, these were the figures (total completions, oil and gas wells): Nebraska, 458. 201 and 20. : New Mexico, 387, 6 and 318. North Dakota, 312, 184 and 0. ' Utah. 81, 10 and 9. South Dakota, 23, 2 and 0. Nevada, 7, 1 and 0. ' Arizona. 2, 0 and 1.