THE BEMIS POOL - Territorial Magazine
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29 TERRITORIAL MAGAZINE The people of Northwest Kansas shape new lives working in the oilfield near Plainville and Hays. THE BEMIS POOL By Barbara Oringderff Discovered in the 1930s, crude oil production from the once-famous Bemis field brought wealth and prosperity to folks in the quiet farming communities in the vicinity of Plainville in Rooks County, Kansas. Spiked by rows of derricks and tank batteries, this is what the country looked like in Northwest Kansas in 1950 when Harlan Lill drove up from Emporia (where he was working in his brother’s newspaper) to look at the Plainville Times. In 1950 Plainville (in Rooks County, KS) had a population of about 2,000. Mr. Lill, who still lives in Plainville today, did buy the Times and operated it with his wife, Dorothy, for many years. (Photograph and information from the Ellis County Historical Society Archives, Hays, KS and Harlan Lill, Plainville.) By the 1950s the Plainville area was reported to have ninety-six producing companies pumping seven million barrels of oil annually. The production from the Bemis Field was one reason that Kansas ranked fifth in the nation in (crude) oil production in 1957. (Information from the booklet, “Plainville Observes the Kansas Centennial” published in 1961 by Harlan Lill, the Plainville Times.) Although production in the Bemis pool had probably already peaked by 1957, a survey taken that year showed that more than 850 men and women were still engaged in some phase of Plainville’s oil industry, with an annual payroll of $4,250,000. (Information and statistics taken from the booklet, “Plainville Ob- serves Kansas Centennial” published and printed in 1961 by Harlan Lill, the Plainville Times. The booklet was compiled by Chuck Selbe and Paul Van Dyke. Our thanks to Allen Simpson, Yukon, OK for loaning us a copy of this booklet. Mr. Simpson started out as a roustabout in the Bemis field in the 1940s, and in 1951 went to work for Stanolind Oil & Gas Co., which later changed their name to the Pan American Petroleum Co. “It was a hard, long day wrapping up what needed to be done in Emporia – so it was after 8’oclock and most of Emporia was shut down for the night when I left. Fortunately it was a cool evening and my car was running good as I headed west and north. I stopped in Great Bend for a quick sandwich, then proceeded toward Plainville. As I approached the Saline River bridge north of Hays, looking off to the east it looked like hundreds of Christmas lights dotted the landscape – and it took a bit to realize they were oil drilling rigs. It was a sight to behold and I slowed to take in the marvelous view. Next it was quite a hill to climb as I entered Rooks County, and it was almost like mountain fresh air as I headed on north toward Plainville. It was after 2:00 a.m. in the morning and I expected the town to be ‘shut down’ for the night, but as I turned onto the main drag cars lined both sides of the street, and I noticed a café “Letha’s Café was still open, so I thought I would get a quick cup of coffee then start looking for a place to stay. Was I surprised when I walked inside and noticed all the booths were full and every stool at the counter was taken. The waitress said if I wanted to wait, something would probably open up. I asked her ‘why the crowd’ and she said a drilling crew was just changing shifts. Overwhelmed by it all, I asked where I might be able to find a place to stay overnight. She said, ‘good luck’, even garages were rented out for the oil people to stay in. then she added, ‘a new hotel’ is being built two blocks on wests and they might know of someplace. With that bit of information, I headed toward the hotel, knowing there probably wasn’t a chance to stay there. When I reluctantly rang the bell, an elderly lady appeared and she gave me the bad news, ‘no room available.’ But seeing my desperate situation (I must have looked exhausted), she said the kitchen area had not been finished yet, but if I wanted to stretch out on one of the booths, she would get a blanket for cover. What was to be just an overnight accommodation turned out to be a two week situation. Fortunately the Times office was just diagonally across the street from the hotel, so it was handy.” Written by Harlan Lill who bought the Plainville Times newspaper in 1950.
Transcript of THE BEMIS POOL - Territorial Magazine
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The people of Northwest Kansas shape new lives working in the oilfield near Plainville and Hays.
THE BEMIS POOLBy Barbara Oringderff
Discovered in the 1930s, crude oil production from the once-famous Bemis field brought wealth and prosperity to folks in the quiet farming communities in the vicinity of Plainville in Rooks County, Kansas.
Spiked by rows of derricks and tank batteries, this is what the country looked like in Northwest Kansas in 1950 when Harlan Lill drove up from Emporia (where he was working in his brother’s newspaper) to look at the Plainville Times. In 1950 Plainville (in Rooks County, KS) had a population of about 2,000. Mr. Lill, who still lives in Plainville today, did buy the Times and operated it with his wife, Dorothy, for many years. (Photograph and information from the Ellis County Historical Society Archives, Hays, KS and Harlan Lill, Plainville.)
By the 1950s the Plainville area was reported to have ninety-six producing companies pumping seven million barrels of oil annually. The production from the Bemis Field was one reason that Kansas ranked fifth in the nation in (crude) oil production in 1957. (Information from the booklet, “Plainville Observes the Kansas Centennial” published in 1961 by Harlan Lill, the Plainville Times.) Although production in the Bemis pool had probably already peaked by 1957, a survey taken that year showed that more than 850 men and women were still engaged in some phase of Plainville’s oil industry, with an annual payroll of $4,250,000. (Information and statistics taken from the booklet, “Plainville Ob-serves Kansas Centennial” published and printed in 1961 by Harlan Lill, the Plainville Times. The booklet was compiled by Chuck Selbe and Paul Van Dyke. Our thanks to Allen Simpson, Yukon, OK for loaning us a copy of this booklet. Mr. Simpson started out as a roustabout in the Bemis field in the 1940s, and in 1951 went to work for Stanolind Oil & Gas Co., which later changed their name to the Pan American Petroleum Co.
“It was a hard, long day wrapping up what needed to be done in Emporia – so it was after 8’oclock and most of Emporia was shut down for the night when I left. Fortunately it was a cool evening and my car was running good as I headed west and north. I stopped in Great Bend for a quick sandwich, then proceeded toward Plainville. As I approached the Saline River bridge north of Hays, looking off to the east it looked like hundreds of Christmas lights dotted the landscape – and it took a bit to realize they were oil drilling rigs. It was a sight to behold and I slowed to take in the marvelous view. Next it was quite a hill to climb as I entered Rooks County, and it was almost like mountain fresh air as I headed on north toward Plainville. It was after 2:00 a.m. in the morning and I expected the town to be ‘shut down’ for the night, but as I turned onto the main drag cars lined both sides of the street, and I noticed a café “Letha’s Café was still open, so I thought I would get a quick cup of coffee then start looking for a place to stay. Was I surprised when I walked inside and noticed all the booths were full and every stool at the counter was taken. The waitress said if I wanted to wait, something would probably open up. I asked her ‘why the crowd’ and she said a drilling crew was just changing shifts. Overwhelmed by it all, I asked where I might be able to find a place to stay overnight. She said, ‘good luck’, even garages were rented out for the oil people to stay in. then she added, ‘a new hotel’ is being built two blocks on wests and they might know of someplace. With that bit of information, I headed toward the hotel, knowing there probably wasn’t a chance to stay there. When I reluctantly rang the bell, an elderly lady appeared and she gave me the bad news, ‘no room available.’ But seeing my desperate situation (I must have looked exhausted), she said the kitchen area had not been finished yet, but if I wanted to stretch out on one of the booths, she would get a blanket for cover. What was to be just an overnight accommodation turned out to be a two week situation. Fortunately the Times office was just diagonally across the street from the hotel, so it was handy.” Written by Harlan Lill who bought the Plainville Times newspaper in 1950.
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AnoilwellintheBemisfieldafteritwashitbyacyclone(tornado)inearly1950.(OurthankstoAllenSimpsonforthesephotosandinformation.Mr.SimpsonworkedforRyanOilCo.intheBemisfieldfrom1948until1951.)“Theseoldunitswerepoweredbyacylinderenginewith6foothighflywheels,oneoneachsideoftheengine.”AllenSimpson.
“RoustaboutsAllenSimpsonandBillWilsonpreparetoadjustwell’scounterweights.”PhotofromtheMay-June1952issueofHorizonsmagazinepublishedbytheStanolindOilandGasCompany. (WealsowanttosayabigthankyoutoAllenSimpson’snephewPaulSimpsonandhiswife,Tina,ownersofTrilibiteTestinginHaysforgettingintouchwithAllenandfortheirhelpinidentifyingphoto-graphs.PaulgrewupinPlainville.)
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Thisbankofcontrolscomprisestheprogram-merwhichcantesteachwellautomatically.Atleft,AllenSimpsonputsawellontest.(PhotofromtheSafety Wisemagazinethatwaspartof thePanAmericanPetroleumCorporation,November,1961.)
A straight view instead of a “worm’s eye view”ofourcoverboys (l to r)FredSchomaker,AllenSimpson,VirgilGross,andElvisRobey.Therea-soneveryone iswearingabeardwas itwastheKansasCentennialandtheygrewthebeardsforthecelebration.ThepicturewastakenatthePanAmerican P.T. camp on the Saline river. (PhotofromtheSafety Wisemagazinethatwaspartofthe Pan American Petroleum Corporation, July,1961.)
AllenL.SimpsonworkedforRyanOil1948-1951.Hethenwent toworkforStanolindOilandGasCompany,whichlaterchangedtheirnametoPanAmericanPetroleumCorporation.Acyclonehadhitthisunit.
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Before the oil boom, George Axelson, Sr. worked for the Plainville Township grading roads with a CAT pull-type grader. After the Bemis pool was discovered he started his own business, Axelson & Sons, and they had tank trucks (they hauled water and crude oil) and later bought a CAT grader and a ditching machine and did dirt work in the oilfield with his sons John, Bob, George Jr., and Ron. (A thanks for photos and information to Bob Axelson, Plainville.)
George Axelson Family
“Daddy” George, Sr. Axelson was proud ofhis1950DiamondTwatertruck.
GeorgeAxelson&Sons1950GMCtrucksparkedinfrontoftheRumseyNo.2well.ThederrickinthebackgroundistheRumseyNo.4well.
George Jr.’s 1938Ford parked atthe old Axel-son homestead,which is locatedon the RumseyLease. The clos-estderrick(atleftin photo) is theRumsey No. 4well.
Bob (left) and GeorgeAxelson with their1956DiamondT truck.That’s the CAT D4Dozeron theback. In1958 this dozer rolledand broke Bob’s backHewasinthehospitalfor 30 days. (Photo-graphs and informa-tion courtesy of theAxelsonfamily.)
George,Sr.dorve this1952GMCtruck.YoucanseethederricksontheRumseyNo.2, No. 3 and No. 4, wells.“When they first drilledthese wells they camein at 4,000 barrels a day.They had to gauge them24 hours a day,” BobAxelsonremembered.
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ThispictureofMabelAxelson,thewifeofGeorgeSr.,wastakenontheRumseyLeasehomesteadin1952.TheirgranddaughterKaren(GeorgeJr’sdaughterposedwithherdogthatwasnearlyabigasshewas!
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JohnAxelsondrovethis1953GMCwatertruck.That’shisdaughter,Pam,standingbyhistruck.
1940sDiamondTtherewasahughhillandtheemer-gencybroke,Bobranafterthetruckandcaughtit.
Axelson40barrelwatertruckintheBemisOilField.
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BobAxelson is checking the chainwhile stand-ing in the bed of George Axelson & Sons 1941Dodge salt water truck. That’s John Axel-son in the white shirt. “He always dressedup, recalled Wendella Axelson, John’s wife.
On the Calahan Lease, Ron Axelson and his cousin NormMasontakeabreak fromputtinganewrearendunder the1948GMCwatertruck.
That’sBobAxelson(workingontheMcCordlease)standingonthedriverssideoftheir1950DiamondTtruck.“I’mtryingtopickupthedozerbecausethetrailerfelloff,”recalledBob.
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The late George “Tuffy” Cain worked forPhillips 66 in the Bemis Field in the 1950s.The truck isapullingunit, (forwaterwells)andalltheworkerscommutedonthattrucktoandfromtheworksite,unliketodayeachworkerhasaseparatepickuptogetbackandforth.Thecrewhadtofinisheachjobbeforetheycouldun-rigandgohome. the truck isa 1936 International single axel. The photois on display at Stahl Products in Plainvillewere“Tuffy”Cainworkedinlateryears.Hisgrandson, Jason Bethel works them now.(Our thanks toGeriStahl for thephotoandinformation.)
Jack Mock was working for Ryan Consolidated Petro-leum in the Bemis Field in the summer of 1949 when a tornado hit the area. “There were lots of derricks down, and one of the well houses fell on top of some cars.” Recalled Mock who still lives in Plainville.
Thewellhouseontopofcars,1948Plymouthand1949Ford.
Wellhouseontopof1948Plymouthfromadifferentview.
1949 TornadoBemis Field
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Picturedhereistheenginehouseovertheelectricmotorsthatranthewells,thetornadodistroyedthem.
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31/2to4ftsq.concretefoundationontherigwerepulledoutoutthegroundfromtheforceofthetornado.
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OneoftherigsintheBemisfieldafterthetornadowentthru.
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Our sincere thanks to Randy Prater, who owns Polymer Services in Pla-inville. Randy, who we have known for many years, was raised in Plain-ville and loves the history of the area. Randy was the driving force behind getting all these folks and their photos together! We couldn’t have done this story on the Bemis Field without your help Randy, and we hope you will enjoy our “scrapbook” as much as we enjoyed put-ting it together.(Barbara Oringderff and Carol Schuetze)
We Apologize! We sincerely apologize to L. D. Davis and his family, and to Al Yost and his family for having their photographs mixed up in our Pioneer story in the last Territorial (Aug, Sept., and Oct., 2008) All the years we’ve used the biographies of the Kansas Hall of Fame inductees, I’ve been afraid that we’d get the pictures mixed up, and this year it finally happened! Some-times we do not personally know the inductees (some are long deceased), but in this case that’s no excuse because we do know both Mr. Davis and Mr. Yost. Again, we are sorry for the mistake and for any inconvenience it might have caused. (Barbara Oringderff, editor/publisher)
Mr.AlYostJr.Mr.L.D.Davis
(left) The information came from a1976Christmascard fromtheMattieBeach House on the Beach Ranch.TheRossandMariannaBeachaddedthe “Mock Place” to their ranch in1975.Thecardwenton to tellabouttherestorationoftheoldstonehouseand wash house for Mattie, RossBeach’smother.
AMockfamilyportraittakenApril19,1933PhotographandinformationfromJackMock.(backrow)AlbertFranklinMock,SamuelAllenMock,JohnErnestMock,ThomasMiltonmock,JamesFrancisMock,MorrisWilliam Mock. (front row) Mary Beatrice Mock-Gardela, Ladora KateKing-Mock,PhillipFrancisMock,CoraAnnMock-Carmichael,FloraMel-vinaMock-Mock.
Jack Mock’s grandfather, Phillip Francis Mock, lived on the original Mock Homestead that is now a part of the Beach Ranch. Ross and Marianna Beach purchases the ‘Mock Place’ in 1975 and Ross’ mother Mattie had the old stone house and the wash house restored to use as a retreat.
