2,276 wells across 292 active operators, with 110 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months.
Refreshed monthly from KCC well-header records. Data current as of 2026-08-24.
Quick answer: The Las Animas Arch formation in Kansas has 2,276 wells on record across 292 active operators, with 110 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months (as of 2026-08-24). Its most active operators by well count are Murfin Drilling, Gore Oil Company, Downingnelson Oil, Berexco and Ritchie Exploration. Compiled from Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) well-header records, refreshed monthly.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Las Animas Arch formation in Kansas:
| # | Operator | Wells in Las Animas Arch |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Murfin Drilling | 409 |
| 2 | Gore Oil Company | 88 |
| 3 | Downingnelson Oil | 64 |
| 4 | Berexco | 53 |
| 5 | Ritchie Exploration | 41 |
| 6 | Raymond Oil Company | 38 |
| 7 | Carmen Schmitt | 38 |
| 8 | Brito Oil Company | 35 |
| 9 | Grand Mesa Operating Company | 35 |
| 10 | Val Energy | 32 |
The Kansas counties with the most Las Animas Arch activity:
Rawlins, Thomas, Cheyenne, Sherman, Sheridan
The most recent 68 drilling permits filed for Las Animas Arch wells in Kansas:
| Permit Date | Well | API | County | Operator | Lateral (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-18 | Karen 1-34 | 15023216800000 |
Cheyenne | Cobalt Energy | — |
| 2026-08-04 | Meadow Lake 9ab 1 | 15193211660000 |
Thomas | Ritchie Exploration | — |
| 2026-07-20 | M Star 1 | 15153213720000 |
Rawlins | Meridian Oil | — |
| 2026-07-10 | Johnson 3-9 | 15153213710000 |
Rawlins | Carmen Schmitt | — |
| 2026-07-09 | Wilson-Hansen Unit 1 | 15193211650000 |
Thomas | Ritchie Exploration | — |
| 2026-07-02 | Mary 2-34 | 15193211640000 |
Thomas | American Warrior | — |
| 2026-06-26 | Jwb #1-35 | 15193211630000 |
Thomas | American Warrior | — |
| 2026-06-18 | Mary 1-34 | 15193211620000 |
Thomas | American Warrior | — |
| 2026-06-16 | Wisenbaker Et Al 1-13 | 15153213700000 |
Rawlins | Black Oak Exploration | — |
| 2026-06-05 | Niblock 1-23 | 15181206590000 |
Sherman | Jp4 LLC | — |
| 2026-05-21 | Bradford 1-10 | 15193211610000 |
Thomas | Jp4 LLC | — |
| 2026-05-21 | Ottley 1 | 15193211310001 |
Thomas | Ainsworth Operating Company | — |
| 2026-05-18 | Roesener 2-8 | 15153213690000 |
Rawlins | Downingnelson Oil | — |
| 2026-04-20 | Roesener 1-8 | 15153213680000 |
Rawlins | Downingnelson Oil | — |
| 2026-04-17 | Bell Unit 1-21 | 15153213670000 |
Rawlins | Downingnelson Oil | — |
| 2026-04-16 | Cress 2-28 | 15181206580000 |
Sherman | Chizum Oil | — |
| 2026-04-09 | Hwy 27 849 | 15023216780000 |
Cheyenne | Southern Community | — |
| 2026-04-09 | Mcdonald 596 | 15153213660000 |
Rawlins | Southern Community | — |
| 2026-03-31 | Johnson 2-9 | 15153213650000 |
Rawlins | Carmen Schmitt | — |
| 2026-03-12 | Pdp 1-33 | 15193211550000 |
Thomas | American Warrior | — |
| 2026-01-09 | Djsw Dirt 1-17 | 15153213630000 |
Rawlins | Downingnelson Oil | — |
| 2026-01-09 | Helen 3-16 | 15153213620000 |
Rawlins | Downingnelson Oil | — |
| 2026-01-02 | Goltl Owwo 1-8 | 15153213140001 |
Rawlins | Downingnelson Oil | — |
| 2025-11-04 | Double U 1 | 15193211540000 |
Thomas | Meridian Oil | — |
| 2025-10-30 | Hfi 5-27 | 15153213600000 |
Rawlins | Downingnelson Oil | — |
| 2025-09-29 | Hood Et Al 1-27 | 15153213590000 |
Rawlins | Black Oak Exploration | — |
| 2025-09-25 | Rlj Unit 1-30 | 15153213570000 |
Rawlins | Downingnelson Oil | — |
| 2025-09-25 | Rlj 1-29 | 15153213580000 |
Rawlins | Downingnelson Oil | — |
| 2025-09-17 | Miller D 14-1 | 15193211530000 |
Thomas | Russell Oil | — |
| 2025-09-17 | Weyand 6 | 15193205890001 |
Thomas | Dgh Oil | — |
| 2025-09-10 | Joseph 1-8 | 15193211520000 |
Thomas | Carmen Schmitt | — |
| 2025-09-09 | Quenzer 27-5 | 15181206560000 |
Sherman | Chizum Oil | — |
| 2025-08-22 | Cherry Creek Well #1 | 15023216740000 |
Cheyenne | Tallgrass Interstate Gas Transmission | — |
| 2025-08-01 | Fisher-Chvatal Et Al 1-2 | 15153213560000 |
Rawlins | Black Oak Exploration | — |
| 2025-06-16 | Kramer Trust 1 | 15023216730000 |
Cheyenne | Raymond Oil Company | — |
| 2025-05-08 | Wagner-Holste Unit 1 | 15153213540000 |
Rawlins | Brito Oil Company | — |
| 2025-05-02 | Ruby Ann 1-10 | 15193211500000 |
Thomas | Carmen Schmitt | — |
| 2025-04-24 | Dawes 1 | 15193211490000 |
Thomas | Meridian Oil | — |
| 2025-04-16 | House Farms 2-32 | 15153213520000 |
Rawlins | Downingnelson Oil | — |
| 2025-04-15 | Soucie Trust 1-19 | 15193211480000 |
Thomas | Elk Energy Holdings | — |
| 2025-04-14 | Holub 1-7 | 15153213510000 |
Rawlins | Black Oak Exploration | — |
| 2025-03-25 | Kistler Trust 1-30 | 15193211470000 |
Thomas | Mull Drilling Company | — |
| 2025-03-24 | Poore 2-4 | 15153213490000 |
Rawlins | Downingnelson Oil | — |
| 2025-03-21 | Mills 1-30 | 15023216680000 |
Cheyenne | Mcginness Energy Company INC | — |
| 2025-03-20 | Weishaar 1-19 | 15193211460000 |
Thomas | Mull Drilling Company | — |
| 2025-03-20 | Maggie'S Farms 2-7 | 15153213480000 |
Rawlins | Downingnelson Oil | — |
| 2025-03-19 | Kristi Unit 1-33 | 15153213470000 |
Rawlins | Carmen Schmitt | — |
| 2025-02-28 | Berrie Unit 1-27 | 15193211450000 |
Thomas | American Warrior | — |
| 2025-02-14 | Prairie 1-33 | 15193211430000 |
Thomas | American Warrior | — |
| 2025-02-14 | Kenneth 1-27 | 15193211440000 |
Thomas | American Warrior | — |
Wells targeting the Las Animas Arch that have been spudded but are waiting on completion — near-term production upside:
| Spud Date | Days Waiting | Well | Operator | County | Lateral (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-20 | 34 | Jwb #1-35 | American Warrior | Thomas | — |
| 2026-07-07 | 47 | Mary 2-34 | American Warrior | Thomas | — |
| 2026-05-23 | 92 | Roesener 2-8 | Downingnelson Oil | Rawlins | — |
| 2026-05-17 | 98 | Mann 1-28 | American Warrior | Thomas | — |
The Las Animas Arch is one of Kansas's active oil and gas plays, with 2,276 wells on file across 292 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 110 drilling permits targeting the Las Animas 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 Rawlins, Thomas, Cheyenne, Sherman, Sheridan, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Las Animas 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 Kansas oil & gas formations & plays · Download the Kansas formations dataset (CSV)
2,276 wells target the Las Animas Arch in Kansas, worked by 292 active operators, per KCC well-header records (as of 2026-08-24).
By well count, the most active Las Animas Arch operators in Kansas are Murfin Drilling, Gore Oil Company, Downingnelson Oil, Berexco and Ritchie Exploration. The full ranking is in the table on this page.
Operators filed 110 drilling permits targeting the Las Animas Arch in the last 24 months, and there are 4 drilled-but-uncompleted (DUC) wells awaiting completion — a live measure of current activity, per KCC records.
Operators filed 110 new drilling permits targeting the Las Animas Arch in Kansas over the last 24 months, with 4 drilled-but-uncompleted (DUC) wells awaiting completion. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Las Animas Arch drilling, per KCC records (as of 2026-08-24).
Las Animas Arch activity in Kansas currently spans 2,276 wells on record and 292 active operators, led by Murfin Drilling, Gore Oil Company, Downingnelson Oil, Berexco and Ritchie Exploration, with 110 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months — refreshed monthly from Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) well-header records (as of 2026-08-24).
The most active Las Animas Arch counties in Kansas are Rawlins, Thomas, Cheyenne, Sherman, Sheridan.
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 Las Animas 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.
Get a free written offer based on your specific tract, operator, and the current Las Animas Arch activity in your area.
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Formation: Las Animas Arch
State: Kansas
Total wells: 2,276
Active operators: 292
Permits 24mo: 110
Last refresh: 2026-08-24