119 YEARS AGO: Big oil drill comes to Bakersfield to prospect
119 YEARS AGO
Jan. 6, 1906, Bakersfield News: The Big oil drill will soon be ready for business. A force of men are setting up the monster machine as rapidly as possible, but the rainy weather has greatly retarded the work. If no more delays occur, it is believed that the drill will be ready for operation by the 10th.
Then the people of this community will have an opportunity of seeing something that they have never seen in this county before, a monster Pennsylvania oil drill at work, and it will be worth coming miles to see.
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Jan. 6, 1906, Bakersfield News: Have you seen the big oil drill? If you haven’t its worth going to see.
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Jan. 13, 1906, Bakersfield News: The big oil drill is now at work and making rapid progress.
Many people visit it every day, as a genuine oil drill is a wonder to the citizens of Ozark county.
The ordinary well drill compared with this Monster machine is a mere pigmy.
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Jan. 20, 1906, Bakersfield News: The Big Drill At Work.
The big oil drill is working steadily, with the exception of time lost by the breaking of the rope, which has happened several times. The rope is an old one and will be replaced by a new one in a few days. The well is now about 150 feet deep.
The oil prospecting is attracting many prominent men to this place. Each week several northern and eastern capitalists have arrived with a view to investment, while local interest is at a high pitch awaiting the out-come of the prospect.
All parties who profess to know anything of the oil business, express the belief that oil will be found in this locality, sooner or later, and very likely some excellent mineral too.
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Feb. 3, 1906, Bakersfield News: Correspondent items from Lawndale community: ...Lawndale has no big oil drill and don’t need any. She is self lubricating and runs like grease...
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March 2, 1906, Bakersfield News: THE BIG DRILL is again running smoothly, and going down into old Mother Earth a good rate, having reached a depth of 300 feet.
A few days ago a report was started that the small drill, then at work on the Hall farm, had struck an oil seep, and 2 days later the driller was ordered to discontinue work, but we have been unable to learn why he was ordered to cease drilling.
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March 10, 1906, Bakersfield News: R M Schmuck and Jess Atkinson went to West Plains Friday to get repairs for the big oil drill.
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March 17, 1906, Bakersfield News: It was reported that F R Cook has gone east to see about bringing about big drill to this county.
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March 31, 1906, Bakersfield News: ANOTHER DRILL. F R Cook, of the Cook Developing Co. accompanied by J G Cochran, two well-known oil operators of W. Virginia were here Thursday looking into the oil and mining interests of this vicinity. To a representative of the News, Mr. Jameison said that they considered the oil prospect at this place as very favorable, and that they expected to return here again in May and would likely remain some time.
Mr. Cook said, “just as soon as the weather settles it is our intention to bring another big drill to Bakersfield, and we will put down at least 8 wells in this locality, and not withstanding the continued run of bad luck we have met with in drilling this well, we are very well pleased with our prospects.”
Mr. Jameison and Mr. Cochran are interested in the new oil field at Casey III: they said the oil and mining prospect of this place looked very favorable to them. The party returned to West Plains Friday morning.
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March 31, 1906, Bakersfield News: Last Monday Thomas Furlong of St. Louis, a member of the FR Cook Development Co. and R M Schumck, our oil driller, came into our sanctum and entertained us by a most delightful chat.
In speaking of the big drill, Mr. Furlong said that owing to the continued run of bad luck that they have had to contend with, and their many vainless efforts to case the water out of the well, the drill has not yet reached a sufficient depth to expect oil bearing rock. As far as they have gone however they are well pleased with the prospects.
Mr. Furlong is the inventor of an automobile tire of superior merit and will soon begin the manufacturer of the tire in St. Louis, a stock company having already been formed for that purpose.
Mr. Furlong showed us a sample of rubber that will be used in the making of the tires. It was of the finest quality and toughness, and we predict that the tires will eclipse anything now on the tire market.
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April 6, 1906, Ozark County Times: Although the management of the Big Oil drill at Bakersfield are maintaining the strictest of secrecy in regard to their work, they would not even tell how deep they were, but we learned accidently last week that the drill was then at a depth of 400 feet. That would make post holes enough to fence a section of land.
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April 7, 1906, Bakersfield News: The big oil drill that has been in operation on Judge Singer farm is now being removed from its present location and the hole, which is some 600 feet deep is to be abandoned. The drill is being moved to a spot about 20 feet north of its present location, where another hold will be put down.
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April 14, 1906, Bakersfield News: Wanted at once 50 cords of good wound wood, delivered to the oil drill on Judge Singer’s farm, Cash on delivery. Cook Developing Co.
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May 26, 1906, Bakersfield News: The casing for the big oil drill arrived this week; operations have been considerably delayed on account of it not reaching here sooner.
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June 2, 1906, Bakersfield News: The F R Cook Development Co. has a drill at work just east of Bly prospecting for gas, which the company believes may be found in that vicinity, as they have round what they think are good indications.
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July 21, 1906, Bakersfield News: It is reported that the big oil drill is to be put to work near Moody on the Horn farm.
The Cook Development Co. have struck a rich vein of zinc near Bly. The Co. also has a splendid vein of the same ore at this place.
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July 28, 1906, Bakersfield News: R M Schumck, who has charge of the oil drill at this place, has been in St. Louis several days on business in connection with the oil business. He returned Friday.
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Aug. 4, 1906, Bakersfield News: Moving The Big Drill. The big oil drill, with which was made without success, several strenuous attempts to drive a well on Judge Singer’s farm, is being moved to the Horn farm about 5 miles east of here, where the indications for oil are said to be much better than on Singer’s land, the main reason however for moving to the Horn place is that it has been found almost impossible to drive a straight hole at the place where it has been located on account of the peculiar formation of the soil.
Two attempts were made to sink a well on the Singer farm, but on both occasions, after reaching a depth of about 200 feet, the drill would persist in going crooked.
Both holes were dynamited with the hope of creating a large enough cavity so that the drill could be started straight again, but without success, so it has been decided to move to the location mentioned above.
The Cook Development Co., is certainly sparing neither money nor pains to thoroughly develop the oil prospect of this place.
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Sept. 1, 1906, Bakersfield News: R M Schumck, supt. of the oil drilling for the Cook Development Co. is laid up with a lame ankle, which started from a small scratch and has become a serious matter; however at this writing, his ankle is reported to be getting better.
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Editor’s note: The Ozark County Times current archives is incomplete and only includes editions from the Bakersfield News from 1906 in the months of January through September, with the next sequential set of newspapers in the archive from March through December 1909. Therefore, we cannot say what happened with the Cook Development Co. and the oil drilling in that area. If anyone does have Bakersfield News newspapers from October through December 1906 or 1907 (or other years for that matter), email editor Jessi Dreckman at jessi@ozarkcountytimes.com. We’re always interested in expanding the archives.