by Bruce Wells | Oct 1, 2026 | Petroleum Pioneers
Desperate for their town to live up to its name, community leaders of El Dorado, Kansas, sought petroleum riches — especially after natural gas discoveries at nearby Augusta in 1904 and as early as 1882 at Paola, south of Kansas City. But it would be a giant oilfield, not natural gas, that brought prosperity east of Wichita.
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by Bruce Wells | Feb 19, 2026 | Petroleum Technology
As petroleum exploration wells reached deeper by the early 1900s, highly pressurized natural gas formations in Kansas and the Indian Territory challenged well-control technologies of the day.
Ignited by a lightning bolt in the winter of 1906, a natural gas well at Caney, Kansas, towered 150 feet high and at night could be seen for 35 miles. The conflagration made headlines nationwide, attracting many exploration and production companies to Mid-Continent oilfields even as well control technologies tried to catch up.
