At the eastern edge of the small town of Byron is Byron Memorial Park, a well maintained park dedicated to its heritage and some of the people who have had a hand in creating that heritage. At the western edge of the park is the town's recognition of its oil producing heritage, expressed in a miniature oil derrick, a small well pump and a plaque, describing the first discovery of oil in Byron.
Manufactured by Jensen Brothers Manufacturing of Coffeyville, Kansas, this small pump jack was designed to handle an 1100 pound load while pumping a small well. It has been freshly painted and displayed here in the park.
The area turned out to be a producer of natural gas, though not a significant one, as well as a small but reliable producer of oil. The first shallow wells which were drilled refilled when pumped dry, indicating the presence of a larger reservoir in the area. This spurred further exploration which ultimately produced commercially viable amounts of both natural gas and oil.
COURTESY OF
MONTANA & WYOMING OIL COMPANY
— DISCOVERY OF OIL —
The first oil well in the Bryon area was drilled by Montana & Wyoming Oil Company on the Frank Jones farm. This company is still operating today. This discovery was the beginning of a long and productive oil industry in the Byron area. Stories of this discovery abound. The following is related by Marjorie Jones, a daughter of Frank Jones.
In 1905, one of the neighbors named Smith, strolled over to visit Jones, On the way, he smelled an odor not familiar to him..."You don't suppose it is gas, do you?" said Jones. "I dunno," replied Smith. Jones and Smith and a couple of Jones' sons went to find out. They dug a hole a few feet deep and someone struck a match over the hole and the results were immediate and startling. The gas ignited with a bang and Smith's whiskers were singed. A pipe was placed in the hole and dirt tamped around it to make a conductor for the gas to come from the gravel from which it had be escaping, for no one knows how long. The gas was allowed to burn at the top of the pipe and become the wonder of all the pioneer settlers, who came from miles around to view this wonder."
From the plaque at the site