Petroleum Products 



Discovery of Oil and Gas Has Added Other Important Re- 

 sources to Those Already in Montana — Gas Wells 

 Are Producing Well, and Many More Are 

 Now Being Drilled. 



(DDED to the many other resources of Montana in the last few 

 years, have been natural gas and oil, which has attracted atten- 

 tion throughout the country. The fact that paying wells had 

 been sunk in different sections of the state seemed to show that 

 a large oil and gas field underlaid most of the state east of 

 the continental divide. 



It is well known that Wyoming is one of the best oil and 

 gas states in the Union. It is also well known that Alberta and 

 other parts of Canada, east of the Rocky Mountains, are quite well supplied with 

 natural gas. The geology of Montana is the same as that of Wyoming and Alberta 

 Its emergence from ocean depth occurred at about the same time, the fossilization of 

 the exposed rocks is similar and the oil sands which underlie Wyoming have been 

 encountered in Montana. Montana being between the two well-known oil and gas 

 fields and having this same geology, bids fair to become a good producer. This, 

 together with the fact that there are several wells of both oil and gas east of the 

 divide, is responsible for the vast amount of oil development work now in progress 

 in the state. 



Production in 1917. 



The paying oil wells in Montana are located only in Elk Basin at the present 

 time. Elk Basin is in the southern part of Carbon county, near the Wyoming line. 

 In fact Elk Basin is partly in both Wyoming and Montana. 



The first time that Montana appeared among the oil producing states was in 

 1916, when the United States Geological Survey stated that Montana wells produced 

 44,917 barrels in that year. The figures for 1917 show a production of 99,399 barrels, 

 or more than double that of 1916. This shows that Montana has indeed entered the 

 ranks of the producing states and that the industry has become permanently 

 established. 



Exploration is now going on in many parts of the state, of which the follow- 

 ing are some of the best known localities: several places on the Cedar Creek anti- 

 cline, in Dawson and Fallon counties; south of Bridger in Carbon county; several 

 places near Laurel in Yellowstone county; in the Sweet Grass hills region; near 

 Twodot, in Wheatland county; in Toole and Hill counties; at Conrad, in Teton 

 county; and north and east of Malta, near Lake Bowdoin. 



There is a test well going down on the Cedar Creek anticline, near Glendive, 

 that will prove that field with regard to oil. This well is planning on drilling at 

 least 4200 feet. The drillers are using a rotary rig and expect to know within a 

 short time whether the Cedar Creek anticline contains oil, or gas only. 



Montana's First Oil Well. 



The first discovery of oil was made in Montana in the Elk Basin district of 

 Carbon county, November 11, 1915. This district is supposed to be a continuation 

 of the oil district from Wyoming, which extends over the boundary line into Montana. 

 Seven wells are now producing in this district, with a good flow of oil. 



From the log of the company which drilled this first oil well in Montana it 

 is learned that the oil was encountered at a depth of 1245 feet. Prior to that there 



