Volume 17 , Issue 22

NW Okie's Journey

Hope you had a happy, safe Independence Day this weekend. Vallecito Lake, Colorado had its fireworks on the 3rd of July this year so it didn't interfere with other fireworks in this area. We got our regular late afternoon rain, but by dusk it started clearing, leaving a view of a double rainbow phenomenon. The image on the left is one of the earlier fireworks that I captured with my smartphone.

I am sure you have all known about the history of the 101 Ranch, but did you know that there was a 101 Ranch Oil Company? The 101 Ranch Oil Company was founded in 1908 by oil exploration pioneer E. W. Marland. The 101 Ranch Oil Company was located on the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch and headquartered in Ponca City, Oklahoma. The company's 1911 oil discovery in North Eastern Oklahoma opened up oil development in a great region from Eastern Oklahoma west to Mervine, Newkirk, Blackwell, Billings and Garber and led to the founding of the Marland Oil Company, later renamed the Continental Oil Company, now known as Conoco.

Did you know ... Mr. W. H. McFadden of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, became interested in the Ponca City district, and joined Mr. Marland in the development of the 101 Ranch property. The intense energy, activity of Mr. McFadden is due, largely the credit of opening up the Ponca City field. Mr. Marland and Mr. McFadden took up their headquarters at Ponca City two years earlier (1908) and had devoted their attention almost exclusively to the development of that country since that time. Mr. McFadden had managed the field work, and Mr. Marland the lease and contract end of the business for the 101 Ranch Oil Company, until that company had a property of over 150,000 acres of land, and twenty-one producing gas wells, with a total oil production owned by the 101 Ranch Oil Company of 1,200 barrel per day, with over 150 million feet of gas shut-in. These men also organized the Kay County Gas Company, which was supplying gas to the towns of Ponca City, Newark and Tonkawa from the wells of the 101 Ranch Oil Company.



E. W. Marland was an oilman, legislator, 10th Oklahoma governor, philanthropist. He was part and parcel of the 1920s. He lived hard, worked hard, played hard; surrounded himself with people, extravagant house parties, polo matches and fox hunts; and beauty, palatial homes, acres of gardens, stunning statuary. The vast oil empire he built at one time produced 10 percent of all the oil in the world. E.W. lost his oil company in 1928. With his fortune gone, Marland and his second wife, Lydia, moved into the Artist Studio on the Mansion grounds. In 1932, E.W. was elected to the U.S. Congress and they moved to Washington D.C. In 1934, E.W. was elected the 10th Governor of Oklahoma and they lived in Oklahoma City for four years. In 1941, E.W. was forced to sell the mansion and they moved into the Chauffeurs Cottage. Click the following link for more information about Marland and other Kay County Legends.

Good Night! Good Luck!
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