An owner’s guide to mineral rights on the Second Bywaters lease — the #7 producing unit in Wichita County, Texas (Feb 2026), one of the longest continuously-producing leases in Texas (1912 original lease!), operated today by DARA Operating Company.
Quick answer
County: Wichita County, Texas
Field: Wichita County Regular
Producing formation: Gunsight Sand (legacy Electra-Burkburnett pay)
Operator: DARA Operating Company
Wichita County rank (Feb 2026): #7 by oil production
Era: Historic (1912 original lease)
Recovery method: Primary + secondary; long-life mature
Reserve life: long-life mature
The Second Bywaters lease is one of the most remarkable continuously-producing positions in all of Texas oil history. The original Bywaters family lease was signed in 1912 — the same year as the S.L. Fowler discovery that triggered the Burkburnett oil boom. The Second Bywaters position has produced more or less continuously for over 113 years and still ranks #7 in Wichita County by Feb 2026 oil production.
The lease originally produced from the Gunsight Sand — the same shallow, prolific pay zone that drove the entire 1912-1920 Electra-Burkburnett boom. DARA Operating Company took over operations decades ago and has maintained steady production under the Wichita County Regular field designation.
For mineral owners, the longevity of the Second Bywaters lease is meaningful: it’s actuarial proof that some Electra-Burkburnett positions have decades more reserve life ahead of them.
Many Second Bywaters mineral interests are inherited 5-6 generations deep from the original 1912 lease bonus. Common patterns:
Producing royalty interest — small but consistent monthly checks from DARA Operating Company
NPRI / ORRI structures from boom-era 1912-1920 deeds — common and complex
Suspense / unclaimed-funds — with 113+ years of probate transitions, some heirs are unknown to the operator
Out-of-state heirs — especially California, Florida, Arizona, Colorado descendants of the original Bywaters family
Buckhead Energy buys mineral rights and royalty interests on the Second Bywaters lease. Out-of-state owners are common — we handle the entire process remotely with free written offers and no obligation.
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