Freestone County, Texas News of 1922 Newspaper articles about natural gas and oil production from 1922 by Eric Bonner Wood ==================================================================== Dallas Morning News 1922-02-02 Page: 17 Advertisement FOR SALE - Oil lease of 20 acres, two miles south of Bonner and Carruth wells, Freestone County, Box 44-J, News. ------- [same issue, same page] WE buy and sell oil leases in Navarro, Freestone and Henderson Counties; can use a good car. FOREHAND & CUTBERTSON, 111 1/2 South Beaton-at, Corsicana, Texas; Box 294, Phone 1552. ------- [same issue, same page] HAVE some cheap oil leases around Sun Company block at Donie, Freestone County. Box 43, Donie, Texas. ============================================================== From The Mexia Evening News newspaper (of Mexia, Limestone County, Texas) -------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday, January 24, 1922 Page Eight "FREESTONE WILL GET THROUGH TEST FOR OIL DURING NEW YEAR Activities in the new year in Freestone are extending into every section of that neighboring county. New tests are being sent down and new companies are organizing to drill in practically every nook and corner of the county. Beginning at Streetman on the northern line of Freestone and the southern line of Navarro county, east of the Meador discovery well, the Pathfinder Oil Company's Holt No 1 was spudded in recently one mile south of Streetman. One mile farther south of this test, the National Oil Corporation's Coleman No. 1 has set casing in the Austin chalk at 2,483 feet and is waiting for cement. The Austin chalk in this well was found 180 feet nearer the surface than the log of the Meador well showed. North of Streetman two miles the test on the Clark tract is drilling at 1,300 feet. Still farther east at Steward's Mill, the Mahone & Bently well on the Mrs. Irene Kirvin tract is drilling and also encountered the Austin chalk at 2,313 feet. In the extreme northeastern part of the county at Young the drill has reached about 700 feet, a standard rig being used on this test. Between Teague and Streetman, a number of test are under way at Kirven, the Carruth test on the Whatley tract now standing at 2,000 feet. The Bonner test, which had several gas showing, has not been reported recently. A new location has been made five miles north of Teague near Shank's school house, and derrick is being erected. This test is nor far from the Houston-King No. 1, which is drilling around 800 feet. East of this test is Bland-Tate test on the Perry tract, drilling at 1,500 feet. Derrick is being erected and machinery moved to the location on the Sheffield tract a little northeast of Teague, about two miles. Several miles farther east of this location and two and one-half miles west of Fairfield, location has been made on the McKnight tract, completing a line of tests from the northwestern part of the county, near Wortham, to the southeastern part at Lanely near the Leon county line. Immediately east of Teague and midway between this town and Fairfield, location has been made on the Falkenberry tract. Continuing due east and about six miles from Fairfield, Mahone & Bently have made a location near Turlington, while derrick material is now on the ground for the test on the McDaniel tract north of Butler, and still farther east. This completes a string of test from Mexia to the Trinity river. Another new location by Mahone & Bently in the eastern part of the county is situated between Butler and Oakwood. South of Teague five miles Abernathy, Grafa & Hart have completed the derrick on the Gilliam tract, and are awaiting arrival of machinery. The Bison test on the Thompson tract between Teague and this location is drilling at 900 feet. To the east the O. K. test at Luna is drilling around 2,000 feet. At Donie, in the southwestern corner of Freestone county, the Sun Company had made a location. In the extreme southeastern corner of the county the Lanely test is waiting on cement to set, and is down below 2,900 feet. A new location has been made southeast of Teague and between Dew and Burleston Hill, J. E. Pope being the contractor." -------------------------------------------------------------- Monday, March 6, 1922 Page Three TEAGUE Those interested in the oil development of Freestone county welcomed the sun shining Friday and Saturday in hope that activity among the wildcat wells scattered all over the county would show increased drilling operations. The cold and rain effectively stopped nearly all of them for a few days, but they have started up again. The O. K. Oil and Gas Company's well at Luna has reached 2,600 feet a depth that is beginning to arouse interest in that project. While it is still several hundred feet from where most people believe oil will be found, yet the drillers are proceeding with caution and are passing up nothing. It is believed that this will be one of the most thorough test in the county and is in a section that is always been regarded most favorably by geologists. Bad weather has delayed A. J. Broderick and associates of Fort Worth in assembling their outfit on the McDaniel tract near Butler, in the eastern part of Freestone county. This test, as well as the one proposed to be drilled by J. H. Lemond and others of Mexia between the McDaniel tract and Oakwoods, will be watched with interest. Both of them are situated near the Butler salt dome, a formation that appeals to oil men on account of the immense quantity of oil found in the salt dome region of South Texas around Barber's Hill and Goose Creek. Casing has been hauled for three days to the Powell well near Young. Work on this well has been delayed on account of failure to secure this casing, the drill having reached only 1,100 feet, standard tools being used. This well is several miles north of the Butler tests. Nothing new has developed at Lanely, which, after being standardized, has been prevented from drilling in by suffering a collapsed casing. It is hoped to drill in next week. No report has been received from the Keechi well lately, both of these test beings around 3,000 feet down, and south and southeast of Butler. Machinery has been partly assembled on the Black tract east of Dew and nearly between Lanely and Butler. When these six tests have been completed it will show a thorough test of the eastern part of the county from the north to the south boundary line. The Bison No. 1 on the Thompson Alderman tract south of town has been shut down for several days, but is reported to be ready to resume drilling Sunday. The Abernathy, Grafa & Hartt well on the Gilliam tract, six miles south of Teague, is reported to have reached a depth of 2,600 or more feet. Casing has been set in the Carruth-Whatley well near Kirven, and this well will be drilled in as soon as cement sets. Nothing new has been reported from the Bonner well near Kirven. Streetman has been quiet from several days, the several wells there having not reported. The same can be said of the tests at Steward's Mill and Winkler. No report has been made on the Perry well between Kirven and Fairfield for several days. -------------------------------------------------------------- * FINAL EDITION * Friday, March 10, 1922 Page One "AWALT TRACT WELL NEAR TO STEWARDS MILL EXPECTED SOON Stanley McGregor of Wichita Falls, who is drilling the well on the Awalt tract near Steward's Mill in Freestone county, which has created considerable excitement, reports that he has found the top sand similar to that found in the Mexia gusher pool; that the well has made some oil, also heavy gas showings. The well has not yet been bailed. The hole is 3,042 feet deep, according to McGregor's statement. The formation is regular he says; that the Austin chalk was topped at 2,313 feet and the bottom was found at 2,620 feet. The well will be completed during the coming week, according to McGregor. The locaiton is 12 miles east of the Meador well, drilled by the Humphreys interests at Currie. McGregor owns a half interest in the well along with 1,800 acres surrounding same. The Superior Oil and Refining Company of Fort Worth owns the other half. Many of the big companies are understood to own large tracts near the well. Geologist H. H. Adams of Fort Worth located the well. It is a rank wildcat and has been drilling for over four months." "THE SUN COMPANY SPUDS IN DOME WELL THRUSDAY ------ SCHOOL TURNS OUT AND BUSINESS CLOSES TO SEE START OF TEST ------ DONIE, Texas, March 9 - In spite of a cold, damp, gusty wind, today was a memorable one in the life of this town situated in the southwest corner of Freestone county, and not far from Limestone, Robertson and Leon counties. At 2 p.m. the bank, stores and other places of business locked the doors and proceeded in a body to a point about a mile north of town, where the Sun Company had erected a derrick to proceed to drill a deep test 3,500 feet in a search for oil. The schools turned out for the occasion and the pupils watched with interest the spudding in of the first oil well to be drilled at Donie. Although Donie had been regarded and reported by several geologists as being a very favorable structure for oil. D. M. Worthy, pioneer merchant and bank director, and W. J. Hancock, well-known citizen, both of whom have worked for years and spent much of their time and money in an effort to have this part of the county tested for oil, stood by and watched the drill bite into the earth, realizing the first part of their dream of seeing Donie as an oil center. The citizens feel better satisfied of the test because it is being drilled by one of the big companies, who seldom put down "wildcat" wells. The Sun Company has sent their geologist, who made a very favorable report upon this section, saying that it was closed structure. He announced that he would remain constantly upon the ground while the well was being drilled. The driller in charge of the well is said to be the oldest in point of service in the employ of the Sun Company. The well is located on D. M. Worthy's tract and is known as the Sun Company's Worthy No. 1. The Empire Fuel Company of Dallas have several hundred acres of land leased for coal rights only in the neighborhood of Donie and have announced their intention of developing large lignite mines. The Bear Grass coal mines, which have operated on a big scale for several years, are situated seven miles from Donie. The Empire Company has recently renewed rentals on their holdings. The test spudded in today is an effort on the part of the drillers to ascertain if the Mexia pool extends southeast, as many believe. There are wells being put down in all directions...."