Developments in Rocky Mountain region in 1943

Drilling activities on the basis of all wells making any footage increased from 504 in 1942 to 686 in 1943 in four oil- and gas-producing states of the Rocky Mountain region, an increase of 36 per cent. The number of wildcat and semi-wildcat wells increased from 81 to 164. The greatest increase was in Montana. Oil production declined slightly in Montana and northwestern New Mexico and increased in Colorado and Wyoming for an overall gain of 2.7 per cent. This was considerably less than the increase in 1941 and 1942. New discoveries included gas at Douglas Creek, Colorado, and Ingomar, Montana; and oil at Brady, East Utopia and Gage, Montana, and Gebo and Steamboat Butte, Wyoming. The most active new development was in the Tensleep sandstone pool at Elk Basin, discovered in 1942. Deeper formations developed new reserves in several other fields, such as the Madison limestone at South Oregon Basin and the Tensleep formation at Little Buffalo Basin, but some deep tests were disappointing. Geologic and geophysical work was very active, with several new companies entering the region and others preparing to do so in 1944.