- Greenwood County Oil
In May of 1929 R. Kenneth Evans wrote a series of industrial articles for The Eureka Herald showing that the resources of Greenwood County and Eureka are substantial. This article focuses on the oil industry in Greenwood County.
“With a daily average of approximately 21,000 barrels of oil from 2,607 producing oil wells from Greenwood County, the March report (1929) on the nation’s oil situation places this county second on the list in Kansas and surpassed only by Sedgwick and its bonanza production in a new field. This puts Greenwood County ahead of Butler which has been a close contestant for this honor. At the present market price for Greenwood County crude this means $1,500,000; cold, hard dollars, taken out of Greenwood County soil every month. While production is slack in the country, this section is still one of the most important centers of production in the Mid-Continent field. Some excitement is expected soon from at least six new wells that are drilling in a new field and which are reported as in the Bartlesville sand with a showing that indicates that they are entirely new field that will be developed in the county. There are drillings at this time of at least 20 new wells and every week’s report shows new locations being made which is indicative that Greenwood County will show considerable activity in oil production this year.
The history of the oil activity in Greenwood County and its development is an interesting one. In 1926 the county led all other Kansas counties when the monthly yield was more than 1,000,000 barrels as compared to 650,000 barrels this year. In the seven and one-half years just past, it is estimated that the huge sum of 72,000,000 barrels of oil has been taken out of Greenwood County. The production for 1925 and 1926 was well over an average of 13,000,000 barrels annually while the production for 1927 and 1928 was less and is estimated at 7,500,000 for 1929 unless this estimate is materially affected by these new fields which would have a tendency to place it on a par with its highest production.
The finding of important oil fields in this county dates from the year 1918, before which time, although there had been considerable drilling, practically no production of any importance had been found and the region was largely condemned by many oil companies.
The Sallyards pool, was discovered first, good production being found in a sand not far above the Mississippi limestone. The production area in the field was gradually extended so as to show a marked trend in a northeast and southwest direction. In 1921 the Madison pool, about 35 miles northeast of Sallyards, was located. The wells in this pool were not large, ranging mostly from 20 to 75 barrels. There was no suggestion at this time of much more production areas between Sallyards and Madison.
The next field discovered was the Seeley pool, 6 or 7 miles southwest of Madison. Some of the wells here had a flush production of as high as 1,200 barrels, and a number of wells made from 300 to 500 barrels per day. Subsequently the discovery of the Ladd, Marshall, Thrall, Burkett, Fromm, and other pools has outlined a rather narrow but nearly continuous zone of prolific oil production crossing Greenwood County from Sallyards to Madison. As in the case of Sallyards the producing sand occurred at the Bartlesville horizon, and because of its very elongated narrow form is typical of the so-called “shoe string” sands. There is little or no observable relation between the distribution of this sand and the structure of the surface beds. Naturally many dry holes have been drilled in exploration to locate the productive areas of the “Golden Lane.” But the large production of the sand and the high gravity of the oil, about 41 degrees Baume,( a system to measure the specific gravity of liquids, the higher the degree, the denser the liquid) has amply repaid this exploration expense.
The above information is taken from a government geological survey which also shows that northwest of this Golden Lane is a parallel but somewhat shorter “shoe string,” crossing the northwestern part of Greenwood County and reaching into Chase and Butler counties. This trend was first developed in the Teter pool, which was discovered during the time of large production in the El Dorado district. No serious efforts to extend the field were made for three or four years. Eventually the Pixlee discovery well was drilled by the Empire Oil Co. This pool lies eight or nine miles northeast of Teter and the subsequent development of the intervening Browning and Nathan pools has served practically to connect these districts and to form another important “shoe string” body. A southwestward extension to the Scott pool, added much to the production of this district.
During the year 1926 productive sands were found northwest of the Seeley pool, indicating a more or less well-defined trend running northwest-southeast. This sand appears to be stream channel deposit, while the southwest trending shoe-strings probably represents bars along the shore of the early Pennsylvania seas. Another outstanding pool during this year was the Wiggins, 9 miles north of Eureka.
Oil activity, however, in all this section has settled down to a determined production activity. That is to say, the hilarious activity of leasing, trafficking in leases, and wildcatting, has been abandoned and the development work is being done by the big companies and recognized independent oil companies.
The oil in the Bartlesville sand trends in Greenwood County is very highgrade ranging from 38 to 42 Baume. In the vicinity of Eureka and of Virgil, Quincy, Lamont, in the northeastern part of the county oil production has been obtained in the first break in the Mississippian limestone as well as the Bartlesville area.
Production at the lime horizon is generally somewhat uncertain and the wells are shorter lived than in the Bartlesville sand areas. The Virgil field came into prominence in 1921 when a yield of about 800 barrels per day was obtained from 50 wells. In May, 1923, the production was 8,000 barrels per day from 535 wells. The average through out 1926 was well over 4,500, and it still contributed substantially to Greenwood’s total monthly average. The oil has a specific gravity of 38 to 40 Baume.
There is also a trend in the south part of the county near Climax which is now in process of exploration.”
