Oklahoma City Field — A Mineral Owner's History

December 1928: The Discovery

On December 4, 1928, the Oklahoma City No. 1 well blew in at the southeastern edge of the Oklahoma City limits, producing 5,000 BOPD from the Wilcox sand at approximately 6,500 feet TVD. The well was drilled by Indian Territory Illuminating Oil Company (ITIO) and Foster Petroleum on a one-acre lot. Within months, the field had spread under the southern half of the city — eventually covering more than 14,000 acres of urban surface, beneath houses, businesses, and the Oklahoma State Capitol.

The Oklahoma City field's discovery came at the peak of the post-Glenn Pool, post-Burbank, post-Greater Seminole oil boom. It was the largest single oil discovery in U.S. history at the time of its peak production in 1930-1931.

Production Profile

At peak, the Oklahoma City field produced over 200,000 BOPD from its Wilcox and Simpson zones. By the late 1930s, primary production had begun to decline, and the field transitioned to a long-life tail. Cumulative production has exceeded 1 billion barrels of oil — placing Oklahoma City among the largest oilfields in U.S. history.

The State Capitol building's grounds host an active production well — the original capitol-grounds well (Petunia No. 1), drilled in 1942, remains a working production unit and is one of the most photographed wells in the country.

The Townsite Lot Owner Question

Because the Oklahoma City field underlies an urban surface, mineral ownership beneath the city is fragmented into thousands of individual townsite-lot mineral interests — each homeowner often owning the minerals beneath their lot, or having those minerals owned separately by a previous owner who reserved them when conveying the surface. Some of the most concentrated mineral interests in U.S. history were assembled by city-block scale buyers in the 1928-1932 boom years.

Modern Oklahoma City field mineral owners may hold:

Townsite-lot mineral interests beneath their own residence or commercial property

Inherited block-level interests assembled by an early-1900s buyer

Royalty interests from historic ITIO, Sunray, or Phillips conveyances

Modern Status

Active production continues from the Oklahoma City field nearly 100 years after discovery. Long-life waterfloods, selected vertical recompletions, and limited horizontal activity sustain ongoing royalty income. Operating remains complex due to urban surface use — every workover requires careful coordination with surrounding property owners and city ordinances.

For current Oklahoma City field operators see the Mid-Continent Operators List.

If You Own Oklahoma City Field Minerals

Oklahoma City field mineral interests have unusual valuation characteristics: very long production history, fragmented surface ownership, complex chain of title (often back to original 1900s townsite plats), and ongoing but modest royalty income. Buckhead Energy can provide a free written valuation that accounts for the historical production tail, the limited new-development potential, and the complex chain-of-title work required to close.

Get a Free Oklahoma City Field Valuation

Specialized in century-old Mid-Continent mineral interests with long production tails.