The Cushing Oil Field, also known as the Cushing-Drumright Oil Field, is an
oil field
A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations. Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the prese ...
in northeastern
Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
, part of the
Mid-Continent oil province
The Mid-continent oil field is a broad area containing hundreds of Petroleum reservoir, oil fields in the U.S. states of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. The area, which consists of various geological Stratum, strata a ...
. The by field includes southeastern
Payne County
Payne County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 81,646. Its county seat is Stillwater, Oklahoma, Stillwater. The county was created in ...
, northwestern
Creek County
Creek County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 71,754. Its county seat is Sapulpa.
Creek County is part of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area.
History
European explorers traveled through t ...
, and northeastern
Lincoln County. Named for its primary supply center at
Cushing, Oklahoma
Cushing (, , ''meaning: "Soft-seat town"'') is a city in Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 7,826 at the time of the 2010 census, a decline of 6.5% since 8,371 in 2000. Cushing was established after the Land Run of 1891 b ...
, the field was developed from 1912.
20th century production
In 1912, the discovery well, the
Wheeler No. 1 Oil Well came in near
Drumright for wildcatter
Thomas Baker Slick, Sr.
Peak production was in May 1917 at 310,000 barrels per day, accounting for two thirds of the refinable crude oil production in the western hemisphere during that time, and provided twenty percent of the petroleum sold in the United States in 1915-1916. At the peak, 3,090 wells were producing, making the field the most significant production field in Oklahoma. The Drumright Dome, near
Drumright, Oklahoma
Drumright is a city in Creek and Payne counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It began as an oil boom town. However, the population has declined as oil production has waned in the area. The population was 2,907 at the 2010 census, a figure al ...
, was the first area to be exploited, followed by the Shamrock Dome. The field stimulated the construction of up to fifty refineries and ten
natural gasoline
Natural gasoline is a liquid hydrocarbon mixture condensed from natural gas, similar to common gasoline (petrol) derived from petroleum.
The chemical composition of natural gasoline is mostly five- and six-carbon alkanes (pentanes and hexanes) ...
("casinghead gasoline") plants in the area.
Production declined quickly after 1920, dropping to 6,209 barrels per day in 1955.
[Weaver, Bobby D]
"Cushing-Drumright Field,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society. Accessed February 23, 2016.
Geology
The Cushing-Drumright Field is defined by four small
anticline
In structural geology, an anticline is a type of Fold (geology), fold that is an arch-like shape and has its oldest Bed (geology), beds at its core, whereas a syncline is the inverse of an anticline. A typical anticline is convex curve, c ...
s, the Dropright
Dome
A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...
, the Drumright Dome, the Shamrock Dome and the Mount Pleasant Dome. The Dropright Dome, named after the former town of Dropright, is the northernmost formation, about in length. The Drumright Dome is named for the town of Drumright, which lies on the west side of the dome. The Mount Pleasant Dome is named for a church on its slope. The Shamrock Dome is close to
Shamrock, Oklahoma, and is the southernmost structure. Each structure has a corresponding
syncline
In structural geology, a syncline is a fold with younger layers closer to the center of the structure, whereas an anticline is the inverse of a syncline. A synclinorium (plural synclinoriums or synclinoria) is a large syncline with superimposed ...
. The primary production horizons include the Layton Sand, the Wheeler Sand and the Bartlesville Sand.
History and today
The
Drumright Gasoline Plant No. 2
The Drumright Gasoline Plant No. 2, near Drumright, Oklahoma, began operation August 2, 1917. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The listing included four contributing buildings and five contributing structures
...
is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
See also
*
Jackson Barnett No. 11 Oil Well
*
West Texas Intermediate
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is a grade or mix of crude oil; the term is also used to refer to the spot price, the futures price, or assessed price for that oil. In colloquial usage, WTI usually refers to the WTI Crude Oil futures contract t ...
References
External links
Cushing-Drumright Fieldat the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture
{{authority control
Oil fields in Oklahoma
Geography of Creek County, Oklahoma
Geography of Lincoln County, Oklahoma
Geography of Payne County, Oklahoma