Source:Wyoming Ad Valorem Tax Division, State Board of Equalization.880

MINERALS YEARBOOK, 1967 
 
patents be the property of the U.S. Government. Industry, in general, rejected
the principles of sliding-scale royalty and dis.. closure of research developments;
the governors of Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah joined in urging revisions of
the regulations to make them more attractive to private development. At yearend
the Department was analyzing comments and opinions from interested groups
and individuals. 
 C. L. Jones Drilling Co., Rock Springs, was awarded a $20,772 contract for
studies of high-pressure, 900° F, steam-injection techniques in previously
fractured oil shale. The experiments, by the Federal Bureau of Mines near
Rock Springs, were in shale that had been fractured by nitroglycerine; the
hot steam was to retort the oil shale in place. 
 
 Petroleum.—Reversing the downward trend of the previous 3 years, production
of petroleum at 136.3 million barrels was slightly higher than in 1966. Cumulative
production to the end of 1967 was 2.9 billion barrels of oil. Petroleum output,
66 percent of total mineral-production value, was again the most valuable
single mineral commodity. 
 Park County, with 25 percent of the production, again ranked first in the
yield 
of .crude oil. The greatest gain in output was in Campbell County where the
increase was 24 percent as a result of the new discoveries in the northwestern
part of the county. 
 The State Oil and Gas Conservation Commission reported 8,547 oil wells were
producing at yearend, 113 more than in 1966. The Big Horn basin accounted
for 
44 percent of the production, 59.7 million barrels; the Powder River basin
yielded 30 percent, 40.6 million barrels. The five leading oilflelds remained
unchanged in rank: Elk Basin, Park County, with Output of 17.0 million barrels;
Salt Creek, Natrona County, 13.7 million barrels; Oregon Basin, Park County,
10.9 million barrels; Hamilton Dome, Hot Springs County, 6.6 million barrels;
and Grass Creek, Hot Springs County, 4.9 million barrels. A $2.5 million
waterflood project was begun in the Patrick Draw field, Sweetwater County.
The project, in the Monell Unit in the southern part of the field, was to
include drilling of 25 productions wells, 6 injection wells, and 3 water
wells, and conversion of 32 producing welh to injection wells. The northern
part of the field already had a waterflood project underway. 
 
Table 7.—-Crude petroleum production, by counties 
 
 
(Thousand 
42-gallon barrels) 
County 
1966 
1967 
Principal fields in 1967 in order of production 
Albany               
Big Horn              
Campbell              
Carbon               
Converse              
Crook                
Fremont              
 559 
7,931 
8,590 
2,999 
4,758 
5,755 
10,526 
 446 
7,455 
10, 670 
2,785 
4,441 
4,690 
11,718 
Quealy. 
Garland, Byron, Torchlight, Sage Creek, Bonanza. 
Timber Creek, Stewart, Little Mitchell Creek, M—D. 
Wertz, Rock River. 
Glenrock South, Big Muddy. 
Coyote Creek, Moorcroft West, Donkey Creek, Semlek. 
Beaver Creek, Winkleman, Steamboat Butte, Big Sand Draw, Sheldon Dome. 
Goshen               
Hot Springs            
 
Johnson               
Laramie              
Natrona              
Niobrara              
8 
17,507 
 
9,208 
 592 
16,798 
 901 
7 
16,803 
 
7,860 
 605 
18,033 
 760 
Torrington. 
Hamilton Dome, Grass Creek, Little Buffalo Basin, Murphy Dome. 
Sussex, Reno, North Fork, Meadow Creek. 
Horse Creek, Golden Prairie. 
Salt Creek, Grieve Unit, Cole Creek. 
Lance Creek, Little Buck Creek. 
Park                 
Sheridan              
Sublette               
31,912 
 448 
4,140 
33,536 
 409 
3,922 
Elk Basin, Oregon Basin, Frannie, Pitchfork. 
Ash Creek South, Ash Creek. 
Hogsback, McDonald Draw, Birch Creek, Green River Bend. 
Sweetwater           Uinta                
7,242 
 1 57 
7,472 
 1 45 
Lost Soldier, Patrick Draw, Arch Unit. Church Buttes. 
Washakie            Weston               
1,543 
2,996 
1,892 
2,763 
Cottonwood Creek, Hidden Dome. Fiddler Creek, Osage, Skull Creek, Mush Creek.

Total            
134,470 
136,312 
 
 1 Represents 90 percent of production from Church Buttes field; remainder
of production included in Sweetwater County.