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Library of Mid-Continent Well Data
Preserving the foundation of Oklahoma petroleum exploration and production history.
Looking for hand-drawn geologic strip-log records of structure features and detail about rocks, sands, clays, shales, and other formations? Carefully filed in rows of cabinets, a library of mid-continent well data benefits the Oklahoma petroleum industry. The Mid-Continent Geological Library collection preserves well data. It holds eons of geologic history.
Editor’s Update — The Mid-Continent Geological Library (MCGL), established in 1966, by 2020 was relocated from downtown Oklahoma City to nearby Edmond, where facilities preserve more than 211,000 proprietary, hand-written scout tickets dating from the early 1900s into the 1950s.
The move helped financially support expanded digitization and storage of documents, according to the the Oklahoma City Geological Society. Located at 3409 S. Broadway, No. 804, in Edmond, the facility offers researchers thousands of easily accessible geological histories; its growing digital archive is the premier repository for mid-continent well logs.
MCGL’s Mike Harris in 2017 noted well logs typically unfolded for many feet. Photos by Bruce Wells.
Recent History
Thanks to the Oklahoma City Geological Society (OCGS), which began the extensive collection in the 1960s, the geological library first moved from Oklahoma City’s First National Center to a site on 6th Street in January 2015.
The society also began the legal process of making the library independent, according to former MCGL CEO Mike Harris in a September 2017 interview. That summer, MCGL officially became a 501(c)(3) separate organization.
By 2020, the library had been moved to a larger location in Edmond after sale of the 6th Street location in Oklahoma City helped finance the digital transformation of library data.
OCGS members continue to support and give historic records to the library. The collection of well log histories has resulted from a long-standing arrangement with the state of Oklahoma.
A MCGL drawer containing strip/sample logs. These are filed in section, township and range (congressional grid) order.
Well logs submitted by operators to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission for required public release are provided to MCGL on a biweekly basis. On behalf of the state, MCGL staff scans the newly released logs, which also are printed and filed in the library’s log files, where they are available to library members and other users. Lists of released logs are posted online after processing. CDs containing log images are returned to state officials.
Importantly, new well log data files are immediately uploaded to the MCGL digital library where subscribers are able to view and download them. “This is well before they can be accessed from commercial services or the state,” Harris explained. That is a benefit of library membership.
The MCGL collection has preserved images depicting Oklahoma petroleum history, which began a decade before statehood in 1907.
The well log library originated in 1966 when several OCGS geologists acquired a private collection. It now operates autonomously from the geological society, allowing more of the general public to explore the collection. “Anyone can be a member of the library,” noted Harris. “It is a public resource. As a not-for-profit, anyone who wants to pay the dues can have access to the facility’s information.”
Access to Geological Records
Accessibility is a key part of MCGL mission of collecting, preserving and archiving geological data. Online researchers must buy a subscription, which helps fund operations and on-going development the MCGL Digital Library. The influx of well data and other information is continuous, which adds value. Exploration companies frequently have their geologists join to gain early access.
Today preserved in facilities in Edmond, Oklahoma, significant amounts of historical well data have been given to the library,” noted Mike Harris in 2017. Student volunteers review the material.
This closely kept well information was once gathered by a special kind of oilfield detectives who first made their appearance soon after the Civil War. Further, “the well scout was an individual who would meet with well scouts from other companies to exchange information on wells being drilled,” explained Harris. “You can’t have too much information.”
Cabinets hold manually-typed and handwritten sheets of “Scout Tickets. Work areas for research share space for MCGL part-time staff, who regularly perform document scanning and indexing for preservation.
A hand-drawn strip log records various structure features and type of rocks, clays, shales, and formations.
The geological data library also includes reference materials, documents, journals, and maps. Some of the older maps are remarkably detailed — hand drawn and colored, often many years ago by independent geologists. There are storage areas for boxes of documents and artifacts donated to the library. Each must be carefully sorted through by a staff member or volunteer.
Many of the boxes of donated materials come from the families of petroleum geologists who have passed away. The contents can vary, but there often are records that should be preserved. “These are just a portion of the significant volume of donated historical well data that has been given to the library,” reported Harris. “Our members volunteer their time to go through the materials to determine what should be added to our collection.”
Opening the boxes themselves can become a discovery process, hand-drawn strip log record added, noting, “we often find unique and one-of-a-kind documents.”
Prior to the move to Edmond, material was housed in the former home of the Oklahoma Cotton Growers Association, the building was built in 1923 with two floors and a full basement. Large, slanted glass windows in the roof (uncovered during renovation) once helped illuminate bales of cotton for consistent evaluation and pricing.
Moving from the former MCGL building in Oklahoma City, above, helped fund digitizing files.
The OCGS is an affiliate member of the Mid-Continent Section of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG). Devon Energy, with its 50-story, $750 million headquarters located nearby, contributed $1 million to the original OCGS Capital Campaign and secured naming rights for the library’s renovated building, the OCGS Devon Geoscience Center.
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The American Oil & Gas Historical Society preserves U.S. petroleum history. Become an AOGHS annual supporting member and help maintain this energy education website and expand historical research. For more information, contact bawells@aoghs.org. Copyright © 2023 Bruce A. Wells. All rights reserved.
Citation Information — Article Title: “Library of Mid-Continent Well Data.” Authors: B.A> Wells and K.L. Wells. Website Name: American Oil & Gas Historical Society. URL: https://aoghs.org/energy-education-resources/mid-continent-geological-library. Last Updated: October 6, 2020. Original Published Date: October 30, 2017.
Energy Economists Rock Oil Tour
Washington, D.C., Energy Economists take Field Trip to Titusville, Pennsylvania, to mark 150th Anniversary of First U.S. Oil Well.
Titusville or Bust! The Energy Economists Rock Oil Tour of 2009 was the educational adventure of Washington, D.C., professionals, August 21-22, courtesy members of the National Capital Area Chapter of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics (NCAC-USAEE).
Nearly 50 enthusiastic oil history buffs set off for an education-packed bus ride from Washington, D.C., early morning on August 21, heading for Oil City and Titusville, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of the U.S. petroleum industry 150 years ago on August 27, 1859.
John Jennrich of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission photographs the group during a 2009 visit to the Edwin L. Drake Memorial in Titusville, Pennsylvania. “The six-hour trip from Washington to the Pennsylvania oil region was enlivened by a series of videos presented by Bruce Wells, executive director of the American Oil and Gas Historical Society.”
Earlier, Adam Sieminski, chief energy economist at Deutsche Bank in 2009, had invited the American Oil & Gas Historical Society (AOGHS) to share oil history during the Rock Oil Tour. “Adam Sieminski, the originator of the Rock Oil Tour, developed the following release about the tour,” noted Mark Lively, NCAC treasurer and chief organizer of a monthly luncheon for NCAC members.
The Rock Oil Tour two-day excursion was hosted by the National Capital Area Chapter of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics (NCACAEE).
The National Capital Area Chapter of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics hosts monthly in-depth energy discussions.
“There are a quite a few members in our chapter with a passion for energy history and our industrial heritage” said Adam Sieminski, Deutsche Bank energy analyst, who helped organize the trip along with Michelle McCaughey from the American Petroleum Institute (API), John Jennrich, from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, who volunteered to be the official photographer, and NCAC treasurer Mark Lively of Utility Economic Engineers.
The tour included many stops at historic “oil patch” landmarks. John Felmy of the American Petroleum Institute, left, was among those who inspected the McClintock No. 1 — the world’s oldest continuously producing oil well. It has been producing just off PA 8 south of Rouseville since August 1861. Photos by Bruce Wells.
The six-hour trip from Washington to the Pennsylvania oil region was enlivened by a series of videos presented by Bruce Wells, AOGHS executive director, covering the early days of oil development in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and Texas.
The group learned how whale oil and coal oil gave way to rock oil as Col. Edwin Drake made drilling for oil practical by coming up with the innovation of casing his cable-tool drilled well with iron pipe.
John Felmy from API lectured on one of the petroleum industry’s next big technical breakthroughs, the Tidewater Pipeline, built in 1878-79 from the Bradford field to Williamsport, Pennsylvania. This was the first true long-distance pipeline (six inches in diameter, 109 miles long) that eventually helped open up the East Coast markets for safer and less expensive energy for lighting.
At the Drake Well Museum, Susan Beates, at left, a curator and historian, led a tour of the grounds and buildings. The museum tells the story of the beginning of the modern oil industry with operating oil field machinery and historic buildings in a beautiful park setting.
After the lunch stop, our crew was kept fully alert as they tried to complete the “Oil Industry Folklore Quiz” handed out Branko Terzic and concentrated on a rousing testimonial to the medicinal value of petroleum products from Sarah McKinley.
Upon arrival in Oil City, the group was welcomed by the staff of the Venango Museum, dedicated to the preservation and conservation of the oil region’s industrial legacy and rich cultural history, including its beautiful Beaux Arts building.
“Our crew was kept fully alert as they tried to complete the ‘Oil Industry Folklore Quiz’ of Branko Terzic,” noted Adam Sieminski. Branko is a past chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Photo by Bruce Wells.
That evening, Wells outlined the efforts underway at the AOGHS to encourage the preservation of the history of U.S. oil and natural gas exploration and production. The Society provides advocacy for museums and other organizations across the entire United States that work to preserve that rapidly disappearing early history through exhibitions, material preservation and educational programming.
On Saturday morning, Marilyn Black, of the Oil Region Alliance, joined the tour to provide a running commentary as the group explored the Oil Creek Valley. First stop was the McClintock Well No. 1, spudded in 1861 and believed to be the oldest well in continuous production in the world. Today, the well is pumped a few times a year, produces more brine than crude, but supplies enough for souvenir bottles sold at the celebrated Drake Well Museum.
After visiting the impressive memorial to Drake that was erected in Woodlawn Cemetery by his friends, the group saw the Titusville homes of John Mather, a famous oil region photographer who recorded the early days of the oil boom in Pennsylvania, and Ida Tarbell, a journalist, writer and social reformer known for her articles against big business and often credited with starting the movement that ultimately caused the dissolution of the Standard Oil Trust.
The tour included a chance to “make hole” using a spring pole outside the Drake Well Museum. Photo by Bruce Wells
At the Drake Well Museum, Susan Beates, a curator and historian, led a tour of the grounds and buildings. The museum tells the story of the beginning of the modern oil industry with operating oil field machinery and historic buildings in a beautiful park setting. Standing in the historically accurate replica of Drake’s first well was a highlight of the trip.
“We ended our tour to the area with a talk by regional experts at the oil ghost town of Pithole,” said Sieminski. Pithole went from woods, to a town of 15,000 people and back to woods again in the space of about two years in the mid-1860s, according to the exhibits at the Pithole Visitors Center.
“It was a perfect reminder of the boom-and-bust, precarious and often controversial nature of the oil business,” Sieminski noted.
Sara Banaszak was widely praised for coming up with the “Rock Oil Tour 2009” baseball cap. More photographs are posted on NCAC’s website.
Joe Dukert and Larry Spancake made the front cover of Oil City’s newspaper on Saturday morning- in a feature article on the NCAC tour. Sara Banzakwas widely praised for coming up with the “Rock Oil Tour 2009” baseball cap that served as our admission ticket at all the stops.
Adam claimed to have been particularly impressed with an early description that turned up of our beloved first President, George Washington, as one of the nation’s early ‘oil speculators’ who bought land in what is now West Virginia because it was known to have oil seeps.
One of the trip’s many chroniclers noted that many of them couldn’t get over the fact that the gasoline component of petroleum was initially considered to be a waste product dumped into Oil Creek, because early refiners only wanted the kerosene for lamps.
According to NCAC Treasurer Lively, “the overwhelming consensus opinion on the trip was that the camaraderie and educational value were exceptional, and many suggestions were made for a follow-up trip, including these possibilities: underground coal mine; LNG import facility; nuclear power plant, solar manufacturing factory, oil refinery. Branko said he will come up with an appropriate quiz for any eventuality!”
Editor’s Note — Thanks in part to this group of oil patch enthusiasts, in 2009 the AOGHS executive director was invited to speak at the 36th annual institute of the National Association of Division Order Analysts in Washington, D.C. Bruce Wells also co-chaired Titusville’s 150th anniversary committee and was interviewed by Cleanskies.tv — now EnergyNow — where he described the significance of America’s first oil discovery of 1859.
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The American Oil & Gas Historical Society preserves U.S. petroleum history. Join AOGHS today to help us maintain this energy education website, expand historical research, and extend public outreach. For more information, contact bawells@aoghs.org. © 2025 Bruce A. Wells.
Citation Information – Article Title: “Energy Economists Rock Oil Tour.” Author: Aoghs.org Editors. Website Name: American Oil & Gas Historical Society. URL: https://aoghs.org/energy-education-resources/oil-history-ncac-rock-oil-tour. Last Updated: January 27, 2020. Original Published Date: September 15, 2009.
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Felty Outdoor Oil Museum
North Texas petroleum history preserved by a dedicated Burkburnett independent producer.
Three generations of the Felty family have kicked historic Burkburnett oilfield mud from their boots while maintaining the Felty Outdoor Oil Museum. The first, Francis “F.T.” Felty Sr., worked in Wichita County through the revival of a North Texas drilling boom during World War Two. Responding to the war’s steel shortages, he crisscrossed oilfields in a truck pulling used casings. It turned into a long career in the oil patch. (more…)
Mobile Energy Education
Traveling exhibits explain earth science and oil history.
It trucks petroleum history from the oil patch to teachers and students. It educates them about the modern exploration and production industry. It’s the interactive Mobile Energy Education Training Unite from the heart of the Pennsylvania oil patch. Nice to MEET-U.
The traveling exhibit includes a colorful exterior and the internal exhibits that “went from papers taped on the wall in 2009 to 14 televisions and three-dimensional objects,” notes the MEET-U newsletter.
When Pennsylvania students cannot find time to visit a museum to learn about energy, an 18-wheeler brings their state’s petroleum history to them: MEET-U.
Since its updated version in 2011, the Mobile Energy Education Training Unit annually tours schools.
The traveling exhibits include bright exterior graphics and internal age-adaptable exhibits that “went from papers taped on the wall in 2009 to 14 televisions and three-dimensional objects,” notes Drake Well Museum’s MEET-U website page.
Thanks to museum staff, the trailer includes historical exhibits and oil patch artifacts that educate visitors about Pennsylvania’s rich petroleum heritage – and the evolution of modern exploration and production technologies. The students’ reviews have been positive.
MEET-U includes historical exhibits that educate visitors about Pennsylvania’s rich petroleum heritage.
“Since opening in the summer of 2009, over 90,000 people have visited the educational exhibits in MEET-U in a number of cities, towns, fairs and other events in Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio,” the museum proclaims. “In 2012 over 20,000 people saw MEET-U.”
MEET-U also has developed winter programs. The rig travels into classrooms targeting 4th graders and meeting state and national standards in social studies, economics, and science.
Improvements include a second touch-screen monitor. MEET-U is designed to be divided into three zones: the using zone, the finding/production zone, and the energy zone.
The energy zone asks visitors to choose energy source for the future – and presents the pros and cons to their choice.
The tractor-trailer truck logged more than 7,000 miles in 2010 – and participated in three forums, three industry functions, four fairs and five festivals to educate about 30,000 adult visitors.
MEET-U participated in the 2010 Boy Scouts of America camp at Moraine State Park in September, where 9,000 scouts registered for the three-day event.
“Due to the overwhelming success of the project, MEET-U is already scheduled for 23 schools visits, six industry events and 14 community fairs or festivals in 2011,” the website notes. “The key word here is already, because we know there will more.”
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