Austin Burgess with the Central Wyoming Trails Alliance is putting together plans for rebuilding and repairing the Cottonwood Creek Dinosaur Trail out at Lake Alcova.  He is interested in speaking and providing information about the project, and any input he might get from local geologists and paleontologists. 

Lunch cost:

WGA and SPE Members: $25

WGA and SPE Non-Member: $30

WGA Student Member: $10

You may learn more about the Central Wyoming Trails Alliance here:

https://www.centralwyomingtrails.org/

The Science Zone, located at 222 E. Collins in Casper, will be hosting a free family STEAM night focused on nuclear energy. Please contact The Science Zone Director Steven Schnell at 307.473.9663 for further information or if you have questions.

SALT CREEK FIELD REVISITED

Abstract

Mark Milliken

WGA, May 9, 2025

Salt Creek Field is located about 40 miles north of Casper, WY. It is currently under CO2 tertiary recovery operations by Contango Resources LLC, whose field office is in Midwest, Wyoming. WOGCC production in 2024 was 3 MMBO and 36 MMBW. Cumulative WOGCC production is 744 MMBO.

Salt Creek is the largest of several asymmetrical Laramide-aged oil-bearing structures aligned along a blind reverse fault system extending roughly 62 miles southeast to the Big Muddy uplift near Glenrock in the Powder River Basin

Salt Creek represented several firsts in U.S. oil filed history. It was once one of the largest fields in the U.S. if the not the world. It was one of the first U.S. fields to be unitized and electrified.

With nearby discoveries in the late 1880s, Salt Creek quickly expanded. Soon it was served by a railroad, a “super highway,” and several pipelines and refineries. Several reservoirs have produced, but most production then (as now) came from the 1^st and 2^nd Wall Creek Sandstones of the Frontier Formation. Unitized operations began in 1936 with Midwest Oil Company as operator.

In 1924, there were 200 labor camps and towns housing 59,000 people. Midwest camp was the largest at 17,000 population. Daily oil production was about 132 MBOPD. The field could have produced more, if not for the limited capacities of pipelines and refineries. Refined Salt Creek gasoline was being shipped to Europe by ocean tankers.

The field went into decline during the depression and World War II. Waterflooding began in the mid-1950s, offering a glimmer of hope. After building a CO2 pipeline from Baroil, WY, Anadarko Petroleum restored Salt Creek’s fortunes with a significant tertiary recovery project in 2004. Despite the engineering challenges of a 117-year oil field, and geological challenges of unpredictably discontinuous reservoirs, Contango continues to carry on the operations and history of Salt Creek Field.  

Bio:

The Tate Field Conference features a day of speakers on Saturday and two days of field trips. Saturday evening includes a dinner and Keynote Speaker.

For full information please scan the QR code.

14th Annual Gene R. George Memorial Golf Tournament

The WGA's annual Pioneer Picnic honors 50- and 60-year members of the Wyoming Geological Association.