3,692 wells across 336 active operators, with 15 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months.
Refreshed monthly from IDNR well-header records. Data current as of 2026-08-02.
Quick answer: The Wisconsin Arch formation in Illinois has 3,692 wells on record across 336 active operators, with 15 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months (as of 2026-08-02). Its most active operators by well count are Il State Geological Survey, Natural Gas Pipeline CO Of America, Vickery Drilling, Northern Illinois Gas Company and Natural Gas Storage Company Of Il. Compiled from Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) well-header records, refreshed monthly.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Wisconsin Arch formation in Illinois:
| # | Operator | Wells in Wisconsin Arch |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Il State Geological Survey | 421 |
| 2 | Natural Gas Pipeline CO Of America | 411 |
| 3 | Vickery Drilling | 404 |
| 4 | Northern Illinois Gas Company | 314 |
| 5 | Natural Gas Storage Company Of Il | 176 |
| 6 | Wang Engineering | 145 |
| 7 | Central Il Electric | 135 |
| 8 | Alco Oil & Gas | 112 |
| 9 | Bays Carl A Etal | 87 |
| 10 | Peoples Gas & Companyke Company | 81 |
The Illinois counties with the most Wisconsin Arch activity:
Will, Mc Henry, Kane, Winnebago, Du Page
The most recent 15 drilling permits filed for Wisconsin Arch wells in Illinois:
| Permit Date | Well | API | County | Operator | Lateral (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-31 | Kilpatrick 5 | 120910015803 |
Kankakee | Natural Gas Pipeline CO Of America | — |
| 2026-03-04 | Mathesius, P. 19 | 120992928800 |
La Salle | Northern Illinois Gas Company | — |
| 2025-05-27 | Weldon 21 | 120992928400 |
La Salle | Northern Illinois Gas Company | — |
| 2025-05-27 | Mathesius, P. 18 | 120992928500 |
La Salle | Northern Illinois Gas Company | — |
| 2025-01-21 | Kruse 4 | 120910008502 |
Kankakee | Natural Gas Pipeline CO Of America | — |
| 2025-01-16 | Bartlett 4 | 120910043001 |
Kankakee | Natural Gas Pipeline CO Of America | — |
| 2025-01-03 | Kirchner 11-D Dir | 120912741801 |
Kankakee | Natural Gas Pipeline CO Of America | — |
| 2025-01-03 | Kirchner 10-D Dir | 120912741701 |
Kankakee | Natural Gas Pipeline CO Of America | — |
| 2024-12-16 | Schwark 11 | 120912636201 |
Kankakee | Natural Gas Pipeline CO Of America | — |
| 2024-12-16 | Storage 2 | 120910028101 |
Kankakee | Natural Gas Pipeline CO Of America | — |
| 2024-12-16 | Kirchner 5 | 120912635901 |
Kankakee | Natural Gas Pipeline CO Of America | — |
| 2024-12-16 | Schwark 7 | 120910008002 |
Kankakee | Natural Gas Pipeline CO Of America | — |
| 2024-12-16 | Piper 2 | 120910009101 |
Kankakee | Natural Gas Pipeline CO Of America | — |
| 2024-12-13 | Armstrong 2 | 120910009901 |
Kankakee | Natural Gas Pipeline CO Of America | — |
| 2024-11-04 | Schwark M-6 | 120910054201 |
Kankakee | Natural Gas Pipeline CO Of America | — |
The Wisconsin Arch is one of Illinois's active oil and gas plays, with 3,692 wells on file across 336 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 15 drilling permits targeting the Wisconsin Arch in the last 24 months — a measure of how active the play is right now versus its historical baseline.
For mineral owners with interests in Will, Mc Henry, Kane, Winnebago, Du Page, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Wisconsin Arch footprint is a foundational valuation question. Active formations with consistent permit flow command premium pricing; legacy formations with steady but declining production are valued differently.
See all Illinois oil & gas formations & plays · Download the Illinois formations dataset (CSV)
3,692 wells target the Wisconsin Arch in Illinois, worked by 336 active operators, per IDNR well-header records (as of 2026-08-02).
By well count, the most active Wisconsin Arch operators in Illinois are Il State Geological Survey, Natural Gas Pipeline CO Of America, Vickery Drilling, Northern Illinois Gas Company and Natural Gas Storage Company Of Il. The full ranking is in the table on this page.
Operators filed 15 drilling permits targeting the Wisconsin Arch in the last 24 months — a live measure of current activity, per IDNR records.
Operators filed 15 new drilling permits targeting the Wisconsin Arch in Illinois over the last 24 months. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Wisconsin Arch drilling, per IDNR records (as of 2026-08-02).
Wisconsin Arch activity in Illinois currently spans 3,692 wells on record and 336 active operators, led by Il State Geological Survey, Natural Gas Pipeline CO Of America, Vickery Drilling, Northern Illinois Gas Company and Natural Gas Storage Company Of Il, with 15 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months — refreshed monthly from Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) well-header records (as of 2026-08-02).
The most active Wisconsin Arch counties in Illinois are Will, Mc Henry, Kane, Winnebago, Du Page.
Value depends on your net mineral acres or royalty decimal, the operator, the remaining drilling locations, and current oil and gas prices. Buckhead Energy checks your tract against current Wisconsin Arch well and permit data and puts a free, no-obligation written offer in writing — this page is informational only, not a valuation.
Cite this dataset
Permanently archived and citable via a DOI on Zenodo (CERN), under a CC BY 4.0 license. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21442884 · View on Zenodo
License & attribution: This data is licensed CC BY 4.0. You are free to share and adapt it, including commercially, provided you credit “Buckhead Energy” and link back to this page or the DOI above.
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Formation: Wisconsin Arch
State: Illinois
Total wells: 3,692
Active operators: 336
Permits 24mo: 15
Last refresh: 2026-08-02
Free written offers on Wisconsin Arch mineral rights in Illinois.
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