OKGenWeb Notice: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Presentation here does not extend any permissions to the public. This material may not be included in any compilation, publication, collection, or other reproduction for profit without permission.
The creator copyrights ALL files on this site. The files may be linked to but may not be reproduced on another site without specific permission from the OKGenWeb Coordinator, [okgenweb@cox.net], and their creator. Although public information is not in and of itself copyrightable, the format in which they are presented, the notes and comments, etc. are. It is, however, permissible to print or save the files to a personal computer for personal use ONLY.


Indian Pioneer Papers - Index

Indian Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma
Date: August 10, 1937
Name: J. O. Riley and Demos Colbert
Post Office: Atoka, Oklahoma Route 4
Demos Colbert - Choctaw Freedman 
Interviewer: Joe Southern 
Interview #7113
Subject: Oil and gas test wells in west and Southwest part of Atoka
County, Oklahoma 

J. O. Riley came to Indian Territory in 1884; I am now living on South Boggy River, east of Pleasant Hill, Atoka County, in Section 10, 2 South, Range 9 East, and Demos Colbert, Choctaw Freedman, aged 75 years is now living in Section 19, 2 South and Range 10 East, Atoka County.

On different oil wells test holes located in the Southwest and the west part of Atoka County. The first well was drilled in the year 1887. This location is in the northeast quarter of Section 10, Township 2 South, Range 9 East. This contract was entered into between the Choctaw Government, B. F. Smallwood, and the United States Government, and the Choctaw Council for oil and other minerals and fuels that might be found.

A man named F. R. Fausett was sent from Pennsylvania in behalf of the Standard Oil Company and the drilling machinery was shipped to and unloaded at Atoka. This well was drilled just north of what is known as the Break Limestone, down along the southern part of Atoka County. This breakdown covers an area of fifteen miles north and south, thirty miles east and west with over-burden Trinity sand on what is called boggy shale. The depth of the shale is from eight feet to 1800 feet. This well was drilled 1867 feet and struck salt water. This man Fausett was taken sick while in Atoka and started home and died while enroute, in the year 1930. 

W. F. Brookshire drilled a test well in the northeast quarter of Section 18-2 South and Range 10 East. At 704 feet there was a showing of oil and sand at a total depth of 3863 feet, which quit, in boggy shale. This well was just east of the west line of the Limestone Breakdown.

The test wells in the southwest and western part of Atoka County show that in Section 24, Southwest Quarter, Township 4 South and Range 9 east near Maytubby Springs on the edge of the limestone breakdown that there was an oil bearing trinity sand and at one time in the past this sand was above the boggy shale with limestone overburden. 

Submitted to OKGenWeb by Lola Crane coolbreze@cybertrails.com  November 2001.