What Is the Bend Arch?

The Bend Arch is a Pennsylvanian-age structural high in north-central Texas. It separates the Fort Worth Basin (east) from the Midland Basin / Permian (west). Geographically, the arch covers parts of Stephens, Eastland, Palo Pinto, Young, Shackelford, and Throckmorton counties — the heart of the historic 1917-1921 north Texas oil boom.

The arch’s Pennsylvanian carbonate and clastic sequence (Caddo Limestone, Strawn Group, Marble Falls Limestone) is the productive package across the region. Discovered between 1917 and 1925, the trend produced enormous volumes during the boom era and continues to produce small but steady oil volumes from thousands of long-life waterflood wells today.

Counties That Make Up the Bend Arch Producing Region

Stephens County — Breckenridge oil boom epicenter; BASA Resources’ Caddo waterflood units

Eastland County — Ranger oil field (1917 discovery), still produces today

Palo Pinto County — Mineral Wells / Strawn area; Pennsylvanian Strawn Group

Young County — Olney area; Palo Pinto and Caddo formations

Shackelford County — Albany area; lower Pennsylvanian carbonates

Throckmorton County — northern extension of the Bend Arch trend

Geology — The Caddo Trend

The dominant producing formation across the Bend Arch is the Caddo Limestone — a Pennsylvanian-age carbonate at depths of approximately 2,800-3,500 ft TVD. Reservoir quality is moderate (porosity 8-15%) with fracture-enhanced permeability. The Caddo produces oil with limited associated gas under modern waterflood-driven recovery.

Below the Caddo, the deeper Marble Falls Limestone and Strawn Group sandstones provide additional pay zones in some Bend Arch fields.

Modern Production Profile

Bend Arch counties produce primarily through long-life waterflood units. Per-well rates average 2-5 BOPD (classic stripper economics), but reserve life is long — typically 15-30+ years on actively-maintained units.

Modern activity centers on selective directional re-entries (re-drilling existing units to access deeper Caddo Disposal intervals) rather than new horizontal development. BASA Resources’ 2014-2018 Stephens County re-entry program added several of the highest-producing wells in the region.

Selling Bend Arch Mineral Rights

Buckhead Energy buys mineral rights and royalty interests across the Bend Arch region. Many interests are inherited 3-5 generations deep from the 1917-1925 boom era, with current owners spread across many states. We handle the entire process remotely.

Stephens County Mineral Rights Hub

Breckenridge Oil Boom 1917-1921 (Historical)

Caddo Formation Geology Guide