Vertical Red River Test Staked North of Medicine Lake

Sheridan County, Montana

Stephens Production (Stephens) of Denver has wiped the dust off a northwestern Williston Basin prospect permitted by the company almost five years ago. Originally staked in later part of 2011, Stephens has repermitted the Thuesen #7-9, sw-ne 9-32n-56e, Sheridan County.

Spotting in the southern portion of the county approximately 3 miles northeast of the small community of Medicine Lake, Mont., and 9 miles west of the North Dakota border, this vertical wildcat is proposed as an 11,300’ Red River test.

The closest establish Red River production to the renewed Thuesen #7-9 is roughly 3 miles to the south at Medicine Lake Field, a multi-pay oil pool. Discovered in 1979, this reservoir has yielded more than 4.4 mmbo and 2 bcfg and currently has output from the Red River in the 11,100’ range. Other productive formations within this field are the Duperow, Gunton, and Winnipegosis.

Stephens’ staking is a southwestern offset to the Leslie Anderson #1, se-nw 9-32n-56e, a vertical multi-pay prospect drilled in 1979 by Sun Oil. Bottoming in the Red River at a depth of 11,250’, this well was given an IPF of 200 bopd, 156 mcfgpd, and 14 bwpd from Red River perforations at 11,128’–11,158’. Other zones that produced some oil were the Nisku and Gunton. Log tops noted for this venture are the Bakken at 8,780’, Nisku at 8,976’, Winnipegosis at 10,140’, Gunton at 10,843’, and the Red River came in at 10,985’ beneath a KB elevation of 2,080’.

Having produced more than 75.5 k bo, 145.6 mmcfg, and 415 k bw, the Leslie Anderson #1, which was incorporated into Medicine Lake Field, was declared depleted in 2008 and was abandoned. Operatorship of the test was transferred to Basic Earth Science Systems in July 1995.

The most recent vertical activity in the immediate area was a dry hole drilled in 1982. Located almost a half-mile northeast of the repermitted Thuesen #7-9 and operated by Farmer Union Central Exchange (Cenex), the Anderson-Thuesen #13-3, sw-sw 3-32n-56e, bottomed in Red River at a depth of 11,361’. Three drillstem tests were conducted in this wellbore, one each in the Winnipegosis, Interlake, and Ordovician. The Winnipegosis interval at 10,170’–10,196’ yielded 380’ of mud and 7,421’ of salt water with a trace of oil. The second test, run in the Interlake between 10,312’ and 10,342’, had a pipe recovery of 1,660’ highly oil- and gas-cut water cushion, 200’ of gas- and oil-cut water emulsion, 3,255’ gas- and oil-cut water cushion, and 600’ of salt water.

The final DST in the Anderson-Thuesen #13-3 was conducted in the Red River “C” interval from 11,148’ to 11,206’, where 2,000’ gas-cut water cushion, 186’ of oil with 200’ of gas- and oil-cut muddy water emulsion, and 1,427’ of mud-cut salt water were noted. No production casing was run, and the attempt was abandoned in 1982.

Previous exploration in this township was performed by Salt Lake City–based Sinclair Oil and Gas (Sinclair) at a horizontal well roughly 1.5 miles northwest of Stephens’ renewed Thuesen #7-9. Reaching a true measured depth of 18,698’ with a bottom hole landing in the se-sw 10-32n-56e, the Chisholm #1-3H, nw-nw 3-32n-56e, was completed for an IPP of 160 bopd, 100 mcfgpd, and 460 bwpd from the horizontal Bakken interval at 9,429’–18,698’. Incorporated into Elm Coulee Northeast Field, this producer has cumulated more than 52.7 k bo, 49.9 mmcfg, and 213.8 k bw.

Sinclair had planned two tests from the same pad but only drilled one—the Chisholm #1-3H, allowing the permit for their second prospect to expire.

The closest Bakken production to Sinclair’s Chisholm #1-3H is some 6 miles to the north, where Legacy Reserves Operating has a small lateral well at the Riva Ridge #0607-2H, nw-ne 6-33n-56e. Assigned to Elm Coulee Northeast Field, during September 2015 this test averaged 14 bopd, 9 mcfgpd, and 40 bwpd.

Following its discovery in 2007, Elm Coulee Northeast Field has yielded more than 30.2 mmbo and 26 bcfg from the Bakken.