--> Michigan Basin Petroleum Development 1858–2001, by J. R. Westbrook; #90900 (2001)

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Michigan Basin Petroleum Development 1858–2001

J. R. Westbrook
Michigan Oil & Gas News, Mt. Pleasant, MI

From the first 13-foot hand-dug commercial petroleum well in the world dug in 1858 where the Michigan Basin Dundee Formation outcrops at Oil Springs, Ontario, Canada to the latest in state-ofthe- art horizontal drilling technology and research, the Michigan Geological Basin has boasted a number of firsts in it’s fifteen decade ascension to become the 17th largest crude oil producer and 11th largest natural gas producer of the 34 United States that produce petroleum.

Along with the world’s first producing oil well ever dug (just into Canada in the Michigan Basin) and the world’s first gusher (ditto); Michigan was the home of the first oil well ever acidized to enhance recovery, was home state of Franklin Supply Company, a leader in onshore directional holes drilled for more than a decade and in now actively embracing horizontal drilling technology.

Beginning with the 1886 discovery of oil at St. Clair County on the Basin’s Michigan side, petroleum development in Michigan has undergone a variety of booms and busts, with this presentation summarizing Michigan’s geological and geographical petroleum production history by decade.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90900©2001 AAPG Eastern Section Meeting, Kalamazoo, Michigan