Alpena Oil history

Their newly formed International Mining and Manufacturing Company received Honorable Mention at the 1855 Universal Exhibition in Paris for their product: asphalt.

By 1856 he began to sell the company's land holdings in the "gum beds".

So, instead of chopping and boiling surface soil, in 1858 he tried something new and revolutionary; he ordered workers to dig into the west gum bed, hoping to find a more fluid form of lighting fuel under ground.

While all of this activity was occurring within the Michigan Basin, in August 1859 Colonel Edwin L. Drake drilled the United States' first commercial well in Titusville, Pennsylvania, striking oil at 69 feet.

By 1860, a full-fledged boom began.

Shaw began digging in July of 1861.

The next morning, January 16, 1862, Shaw went back to drilling and one foot later heard a loud crack.

The village of Bloomingdale, in Van Buren County, was established May 23, 1870 along the Kalamazoo and South Haven Railroad.

In 1872, for example, the Mason Lumber Co. of Muskegon reported a "slight flow" of oil at 1,200 feet in a well it was drilling.

The company was formed for the “manufacture and production of electricity and electrical lights to supply the City of Alpena and the inhabitants thereof”. First entries in the construction accounts are dated, November 30, 1881.

Beginning in 1886, when C.A. Baily brought in three Dundee producers at about 550 to 575 feet near Port Huron, each producing two or three barrels a day, there was a small amount of oil production in the Port Huron area.

Vessels entering and leaving The Thunder Bay River still pass “the Sputnik,” yet few know the story of the Alpena Lights, and how Keeper E G Howard valiantly fought to try and save them back in 1888.

However, Howard resigned from lighthouse service on July 1, 1889, to be replaced by John C Wallace, who accepted the transfer to Alpena after serving three years as First Assistant at the Port Austin Reef Light.

In 1890, the Company purchased a 1,300-volt Thompson-Huston Incandescent Lighting Plant.

In 1891, a boiler was purchased and moved to the Richardson Mill Dam (located just below Tenth Avenue) in order to operate it as a steam plant for the production of electricity.

In 1898, a new power house was erected on the north side of the Thunder Bay River at the Richardson Dam.

One person willing to look again was James C. Graves, a chemist by education, who worked for the Dow Chemical Company beginning in 1900.

In 1902, the Alpena Electric Company acquired the Alpena City Water Company including the Hubbard Lake Dam.

In 1905 the Alpena City Water Company water system and shore pump were sold to the City of Alpena and Alpena Power Company Limited was formed, a subsidiary of the Alpena Electric Light Company.

Much earlier the state had passed the Public Domain Act of 1909 that separated surface and mineral rights to state land and reserved for the state "mineral, coal, oil, or gas" rights to any land the state sold.

In 1911 Michigan's first commercial natural gas well began production.

In the fall of 1912, the first generator was installed at Four Mile Dam.

Bram began drilling in March 1913 on the Riley farm south of Mt.

To better differentiate the light from the growing number of lights in the city, the characteristic was changed to occulting white on June 28, 1918.

The Port Huron Field, located in Section 32-T6N-R17E, Port Huron Township, St Clair County, was abandoned in 1921.

A test well was started July 25, 1925 on city-owned property known as Deindorfer Woods on the north side of Weiss Street.

That well, drilled in July of 1926 reported light oil shows and was encouraging enough for investors to OK a second try.

In 1927, Pure Oil Company started a well on the Laura Root farm in Section 18, Greendale Township of Midland County.

Pleasant newspaper noted May 29, 1928 that "Walter Russell and Fred Stilgenbauer helped Pure obtain pipeline right of way to Mt.

The Muskegon Field accounted for 347 well completions in 1929 resulting in 264 oil wells, 23 gas wells and 60 dry holes in the field's peak activity, shielding many a Muskegonite from the effects of the Great Depression that began with the October, 1929 stock market collapse.

Pleasant Times in January of 1930 tells how Fred Sias of Midland leased 10,000 acres of Midland County after checking oil shows found in Dow's #57 brine well in Section 7 of Greendale Township.

On February 11, 1932 the world's first acidizing treatment to stimulate well production was accomplished on the Pure Oil Fox #1, Chippewa Township, Isabella County (in the Mt.

John Murphy, Jim Dunnigan, Lou Aaronson and Danny Miller, with the backing of financial associates, published the first issue of the Michigan Oil & Gas News on June 20, 1933.

In 1934, APC’s main offices were moved to the Campbell Building on North Second Avenue.

In 1935, at Howell in Livingston County a reservoir was discovered in the Salina-Niagaran Formation at Livingston County.

In the midst of all this publicity, Fisher-McCall received their drilling permit for the Wiggins Estate #1 well the last week of July, 1938, with little fanfare.

The result was the fundamental legislation enacted in 1939 that still serves as the basis for the regulation of drilling activity in the state.

In 1941 the played out site found new lease in life as a 13 Bcf capacity gas storage field . American Natural Resources (ANR), parent company of Michigan Consolidated Gas, was among the vanguard in Louisiana Gulf Coast offshore drilling.

Until his death in 1942, Lovejoy's was devoted to the "Pigeon River Project."

The Cedar Field of Osceola County was found in 1943 by Ohio Oil Company.

The Deep River Field in Arenac County, also in the Dundee formation, was a colossal 1944 oil field discovery which would ultimately produce more than 27,281,203 barrels of oil and hold the all-time record to date of 25,200 barrels of oil per acre recovery.

In 1945, when Denny finally returned to Bear Lake, Blarney Castle #2 was renovated and modernized.

Pleasant Country Club became the official home of the Annual MOGA Picnic/Reunion in 1946.

The 1948 Eden Field in Mason County produced about three million barrels of oil from four pay zones between 1,700 and 2,400 feet.

The first Desk and Derrick club was founded in New Orleans, Louisiana in March, 1949 by a group of women, most of whom were employed in the industry, who wanted to learn more about the oil industry and hoped to get acquainted with women doing similar work in other companies.

Drilling commenced on May 15, 1950, on the Albar well.

Montcalm County's Stanton Field, with 960,000 total barrels of oil produced from 340 acres, discovered in 1951.

In 1953, the Thunder Bay Manufacturing Substation was constructed.

The well was begun in May of 1954.

The Peters Field discovery in 1955 of a Salina-Niagaran field that would see over six million barrels of oil and 25 billion cubic feet of natural gas produced from about 2,386 feet from 1,780 acres in Casco Township.

The first of five 34.5 kV circuit breakers (1956 vintage) was replaced at 4-Mile sub.

In 1957, the South Substation was constructed.

The test well, twelve miles northwest of the Perry-Houseknect well, started to make oil from the Trenton in November of 1958, adding the " Albion" portion of the Trend's field name.

The September 30, 1960 edition of the Michigan Oil & Gas News reported 23 active drilling units in Calhoun County, 23 in Hillsdale County and 33 in Jackson County.

The Ira Field produced more than 3.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas from the Salina-Niagaran before 1961 conversion to a natural gas storage field.

The Howell Field would produce no oil but more than 21 billion cubic feet of natural gas before conversion to a natural gas storage field in 1962.

All told, the one well Union 20 Field produced 58,263 barrels of oil and 55.05 million cubic feet of natural gas before being abandoned in 1963.

The 1964-drilled Brazos State Foster 1 well drilled to 12,966 feet in Ogemaw County;

Pleasant's I.W. "Bucky" Hartman, covered only 750 acres but produced 24 billion cubic feet of natural gas from an estimated 52 billion in place before conversion to storage in 1965.

Ray Field was enlarged by Consumers Power to 650 acres with 25 wells and produced 35 billion cubic feet of natural gas (of an estimated 50 billion in place) before 1966 conversion to a storage field.

In 1967, McClure was elected President of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), the first Michigan oilman to be elevated to the highest elected office of that national organization.

Greenville independents Bill and Byron Cook who would open Presque County Niagaran oil and gas operations with their 1968 Draisey 1 well drilled in North Allis Township (near Onaway) to 6,783 foot.

On July 1, 1970, Shell Oil Company announced a major find in the area.

In 1971 Kellum resigned his DNR position to spend all of his time opposing drilling in the area.

Attorney William A. Porter, representing diverse citizens of Otsego County at a Michigan Natural resources Commission public hearing February 18, 1972 expressed the local, pro-development, opinion.

Finally, in October 1973 Michigan's own C. John Miller, Allegan independent petroleum explorer/producer, was elected President of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), the second Michiganian to hold that office.

The first drilling permit for the wildcat Sparke-Eckelbarger-Whightsil 1-8 deep test was issued to McClure Oil Company May 3, 1974 for an 11,000 foot sub-Trenton-Black River hole a mile south of Ithaca.

In April, 1975, drilling reached 13,000 feet, shattering previous depth records.

The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund was created by the legislature through Public Act 204 in 1976.

In 1978 the Norway Substation was constructed.

In 1979 the Bagley Street Substation was constructed.

The controversy finally ended in 1980, with the passage of legislation allowing drilling in the southern third of the Pigeon River State Forest, while banning all drilling operations in the northern two-thirds of the forest for twenty years.

Dick Bolton, fresh from CMU following United States Air Force service, was hired in June of that year to assist Westbrook and edited the publication until 1981 when Bolton left the publication.

Ironically, in 1982 Scott Bellinger, present MOGN Editor, left the Morning Sun to join the Oil & Gas News.

The Onaway Field (later renamed North Allis Field), produced 6,357 barrels of oil and before 1985 abandonment.

In 1986 the Potter Field Substation was constructed.

In 1989 annual Michigan natural gas output smashed previous Michigan records.

On August 31, 1990, all hydro electric generation power plants and associated lands and facilities were sold to Thunder Bay Power Company.

After retirement, he continued as a contributor to the Oil & Gas News until his 1991 death.

In 1993 the Progress Street Substation was constructed to improve power quality and reliability for APC’s customers in Hillman.

In 1994 APC entered into a 30 year agreement to purchase power from Consumers Power Company (now Consumers Energy).

The project was started in 1995 and cost more than $1,700,000.

In 1996 the Central Substation was constructed to eventually replace the lower voltage Ninth Street Substation.

In 1999 the North Industrial Substation was constructed.

In 2000 the M-32 Substation was constructed.

In 2001, the South Side rebuild project, which converted the existing 4,160 volt system to 13,200 volts, was completed.

In 2002, Voltage conversion of the center and southside of the city of Alpena was completed, Central substation in full service at 13,800 volts.

In 2003, Phase one of the SCADA system (remote monitoring & control of substations) was completed, with all substations connected to the Operation center.

In 2004, Hospital substation upgraded with new reclosers, switchgear, and an improved connection to an alternate source of energy from an adjoining distribution circuit with automatic transfer equiptment.

All told, the wellhead value of Michigan oil and natural gas during the Depression years reached about $170,898,990, or $2.274 billion in 2005 dollars.

In 2006, Two more distribution circuits were added to the North Industrial Park substation to better serve the loads there.

In 2009, Replaced two more 34.5 kV circuit breakers at 4-Mile substation.

The replacement of the Industrial tie between Gennrich and Potter Field substations was started in 2010.

The new 40MVA transformer arrived in late March of 2012.

Northeast Substation was completely rebuilt in 2013.