SUPPLY OF FUEL — DEEP TEST IN 1879 — OTHER TESTS — FIRST COMPANY ORGANIZED TO DRILL FOR OIL — EARLY GEOLOGISTS REPORTS DISCOURAGING — COMPANY ORGANIZED AT AUGUSTA — FIRST GAS DISCOVERED WEST OF THE FLINT HILLS NEAR AUGUSTA — OTHER TESTS AND DISCOVERIES — OIL DISCOVERED — MARVELOUS DEVELOPMENT.

The municipal growth of Butler county was greatly retarded in the early settlement of the county by lack of fuel for manufacturing purposes, coal at that time being all the fuel used. It was impossible to promote manufacturing industries. The coal fields in southeastern Kansas were the only source from which they could draw. While the heavy timbered valleys of the rivers and streams in Butler county afforded ample fuel for domestic purposes, it's use for industrial purposes was not practical.

The citizens of Wichita in 1879 drilled a deep test on Central avenue road, near the Butler county line, to a depth of about 1,300 feet. Their further operations were prevented by reason of the salt water. From that hole a small flow of gas escaped and for several years afterwards children in that vicinity played with the curious phenomenon. It, however, was not regarded as of any importance. This, probably, was the first indication of gas west of the Flint hills.

In 1882 a well was sunk in Riverside, El Dorado, to a depth of 900 feet. An artesian flow of salt water was obtained and a salt factory for the evaporation of this product was operated for a short time. A deep well was sunk at Potwin in 1887. by Charles W. Potwin, who owned a large body of land near that town. This well was drilled to a depth of about 800 feet but nothing of importance was discovered.

In 1878 the first company was organized in Butler county for the purpose of drilling for oil on a location southwest of El Dorado and a town was started and one or two business houses located there. The town was named Oil City. It was never incorporated, however. It was said this location was selected and revealed by a medium to some believers of the occult, as favorable for oil. This well was drilled to a depth of about 200 feet and abandoned for the want of funds and the town disappeared and the location of this hole is only known to a few of

the earlier inhabitants of the county. After the discovery of gas and oil in the Chanute and Neodesha fields there was a great deal of discussion, especially in the towns, concerning the probability of discovering minerals here.

Geologists and experienced oil and gas men were consulted but their reports were very discouraging. The universal opinion of these men was that no gas or oil existed west of the Flint Hills. It became absolutely necessary for the further development of the towns in Butler county, that gas as a fuel should be obtained.

At Augusta, a corporation was organized by the business men and farmers in that locality. It was called the Augusta Oil, Gas, Mining and

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STAPLETON NO. 1 (ON THE RIGHT). FIRST PRODUCING OIL WELL IN THE EL DORADO FIELD.

Prospecting Company. In 1904, this company proceeded to sink a prospect hole near the junction of the Sante Fe and Frisco railroads at Augusta. The first hole was sunk to a depth of 1,335 feet, then the contractors abandoned the hole on account of water. A second well was drilled to a depth of 1,830 feet. At 1,415 feet a good flow of gas was discovered, which can safely be said to be the first discovery of gas west of the Flint Hills. This well was drilled to a depth of 1,830 feet, when contractors abandoned it and the hole was never sunk deeper. At the bottom of this hole a slight showing of oil was discovered but not of sufficient importance to warrant further exploration.

The Augusta Corporation surrendered its franchise to the city and

the city voted bonds and took up the development of gas for municipal purposes. During this time a deep test well was sunk in section 23-26-7, south of Rosalia by a Kansas City company. This location was selected by S. J. Hatch, a noted authority on oil and gas geology. This well was abandoned after drilling to a depth of 2,100 feet against the strong protest of this noted geologist. Some of the citizens of Augusta, in the meantime, made a study of the geological formations of this county and discovered an anti-cline in this locality, the well defined break was discovered east and south of that city on which the city located its gas wells. It might be added that these wells were not by chance, but by a

[IMAGE]
A BUTLER COUNTY OIL FIELD SCENE.

thorough study of all the geological information that could be obtained at that time.

In 1907 the Wichita Natural Gas Company drilled two test wells one southeast and one southwest of Augusta. A Wichita corporation also drilled a test well to a depth of 1,600 feet in the same year in section 6, Bloomington township, without results. Tests for this gas sand were also made at Benton and El Dorado and Douglass without apparent results. The Wichita Natural Gas Company drilled three wells in the Augusta field, near the city wells, and obtained gas to supply their line to El Dorado. Futher[sic] development for gas ceased until 1910 when the Skaer Oil and Gas Company commenced to develop its leaseholds, after

which the Wichita Natural Gas Company secured leases and proceded to further develop the gas field. The first deep test for oil was made on the northwest quarter of 21-28-4 by the Wichita Natural Gas Company. At present it extends practically across the county from north to south, the heaviest deposits discovered being in the vicinity of Augusta and El Dorado. There are at the present time, June, 1916, about 150 producing gas and 50 oil wells in the Augusta field and about 160 now in process of development and about 200 oil wells with some heavy gas producers in the El Dorado field, with prospecting rigs so numerous that it has the appearance of a forest. Much of the oil in the El Dorado field is found at a depth of from 500 to 700 feet while the best producers are from 2,000 to 2,600 feet in the balance of the Butler county field.

On account of the low price of oil and the monopoly of the leases in the vicinity, the development was greatly retarded. The development of gas has been lost sight of in the mad scramble for oil and many valuable gas wells have been mudded in, or wasted to procure the more valuable product, and it may be regarded as a safe estimate that sufficient gas is now being wasted and used in drilling in the Butler county field to supply the domestic consumption for one-half the population of the state of Kansas.

The extent and value of the oil field is yet unknown and cannot now be estimated and future development can alone determine. The prices paid the land owner for privilege of prospecting, speculating and developing are of such magnitude that the average man looks on with amazement, and all fail to comprehend the wonderful change in conditions. The passing from daily toil to affluence is taking place so fast and so frequent among those unaccustomed to wealth that the fairy stories of boyhood, tales of the miraculous and the ordinary brainstorm become tame in comparison therewith and how to invest or what to do with the wealth thus suddenly acquired is a problem difficult for them to solve. No people on earth are more entitled to the prosperity attendant upon this industry than the people of Butler county, none could appreciate it more and among no others would humanity be more greatly benefited or a general welfare of the people be advanced to a larger extent.

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