Editor’s Note: I suppose it’s an occupational hazard. You research the archives for the history of the Fairfield Swimming Pool, and along the way you come across a series of articles written about another type of “pool” – a pool of oil.

Going through those old issues, we came across this item from the July 16, 1947 issue of The Fairfield Times:

Read The Story Of Oil

In another issue of The Fairfield Times there will begin the first of a series of articles dealing with new evidence as to the possible petroleum and gas producing area of Teton County. These articles are written by Ray E. Colton, field petroleum geologist and professional writer on the origin of, and the recovery of oil and gas, will contain valuable geologic data on the Fairfield, Choteau, Bole, Cordova, Power and other areas of the county, details of structural conditions, prehistoric animal and reptilian life once here, etc.

Colton has over fifteen years of field experience in the major oil fields of the United States, Canada and Mexico, and he is a regular contributor of articles relative to movements of the petroleum industry in Montana and elsewhere in the Rocky Mountain area.

Watch for this interesting series of articles which will not appear in any other newspaper in Teton County, or in any outside competing daily.”

The first entry of Colton’s series began with the August 7, 1947 edition of The Sun Times:

Teton Ridge Offers Good Evidence of Oil-Gas Entrapment

Exclusive: The Fairfield Times

By Ray E. Colton

Petroleum Geologist

At this writing considerable activity incidental and preliminary to a new search for petroleum and natural gas bearing rocks is under way in various area of Teton County. Especially does this activity appear in the area around Fairfield, Bole, Cordova and Power, the latter being affected by Teton Ridge, a local uplift which is believed to contain sufficient structure and closure, to admit of potential petroleum and natural gas traps.

Leases are changing hands according to late scout reports from reliable petroleum sources and the records of the Clerk and Recorder of Teton County at the Court House in Choteau indicate the following transactions as regards leases up until Montana, July 21, 1947:

Oil and gas assignment: Thomas Carney to Cliffird E. and Warren Pengrey. One per cent of the net proceeds of all the oil and gas produced and sold from 2,235.53 acres in T25-26N; R1E and 1W in Teton County.

Oil and Gas leases:

1. John I. Shields to Randall Swanberg, leasing NW S8 T24N R2W, Teton County.

2. Ida A. Fry to the British-American Oil Producing Company, $1.00, SW SE S SW of S35, NE S34 T25N R3W, Teton County.

Assignments:

1. Thomas Carney to William McGinnis, one per cent of the net proceeds of all of the oil and gas produced and sold from 2,235.53 acres in T25NR1W & 1E, Teton County.

2.  William McGinnis to Thomas Carney, ½ of one per cent of all the oil and gas produced and sold from W SE S 5T25NR1E, Teton County.

The excellent geographical position which Teton County as a whole occupies in respect to potential and actual production of petroleum and natural gas in this area of the Front Range district of Montana, is a most influencing factor on activity such as discussed in this article.

And especially in the Bole-Cordova-Power area where structural limbs extend from Teton Ridge, for geologists look for future oil and gas production from Teton County. It is true that numerous wells have been drilled in various areas of the county, yet none of these wells are believed to have been an adequate test of strata horizons which should contain oil and gas. The Sweetgrass Arch lying to the east of Fairfield offers a predominating structural arch of the anticlinal type, and oil is most usually found in the tops of the folds of structures of this type. In fact, the Bannatine (Bannatyne) oil field and the Pondera oil field, are on structural limbs of this major fault. The Virgelle sandstone is the basis for contouring for the area affected by structural conditions given above. (Teton County’s Bannatyne Field was discovered in 1927, and is still producing oil and gas)

The Sweetgrass Arch has a west slope of which the northern part rises at a low angle from the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountain Disturbed Belt west of Choteau. This part comprises the Kevin-Sunburst dome, on the flanks of which are numerous structural noses and terraces. The exposed rocks belong to the Upper Cretaceous strata series and range from the Two Medicine formations to the upper portion of the Colorado Shale.

As no porosity has been encountered in wells drilled to the Lower Kootenair (Paintrock) and upper Ellis sand zones, it appears probable that future oil producing horizons of Teton County, will be of the porous top Madison limestone series.

NOTE: The geology of the Fairfield, Choteau, Bole, Power, Cordova, Bynum and other areas of Teton County will be discussed in another article of this series appearing as an exclusive feature in the Fairfield Times.

NOTE: This discussion will be continued in another article of this series appearing as an exclusive feature in the Fairfield Times.

Next in the series: “Geology of Teton Offers Interesting Study on Nature.”