Lewis Haines (Lew) Wentz ~ Ponca City, OK
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 36° 42.203 W 097° 04.651
14S E 671726 N 4063690
Shy introvert that left his mark on a community.
Waymark Code: WM72NJ
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 08/24/2009
Views: 14
Sculptor of Statue: Jo Saylors
County of Statue: Kay County
Location of Statue: 6th St. & Grand St., city hall lawn, Ponca City
Plaque Text:
LEWIS HAINES (LEW) WENTZ
(1872-1949)
Philanthropist
Oil Man
Donor:
Wentz Camp,
Wentz Pool
Wentz Municipal Golf Course
Ponca City, Oklahoma
Founder:
The Society For Crippled Children
University of Oklahoma Student Loan Fund
Oklahoma State University Student Loan Fund
" He Always Gave"From Wikipedia:
Lewis Haines Wentz, (Lew Wentz) born in Tama, Iowa on November 10, 1877, was an essential factor in opening up the oil fields of Oklahoma. Reared in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Wentz was too poor for college and started out by organizing a semi-professional baseball team and was a playing manager. His second business venture happened when he was coaching high school baseball and campaigning door to door for the GOP when he rang the bell of the very wealthy John G. McCaskey. McCaskey had made a huge fortune in the sauerkraut business and had recently become an investor and President of the 101 Ranch Oil Company located on the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch property in Ponca City, Oklahoma. Wentz soon went to work for McCaskey in his sauerkraut operation.
In 1911, Wentz at the age of 34, was sent to Ponca City, to check on McCaskey’s investments with the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch and E. W. Marland’s 101 Ranch Oil Company. He was present on June 11, 1911 when that company’s first oil well “Wilie-Cries-For-War” came in. Shortly thereafter, McCaskey gave Wentz a chance to join the 101 Ranch Oil Company as Company Secretary.
Through his association with the 101 Ranch Oil Company Wentz became interested in the oil business and in a few years, with money provided by McCaskey and another partner, Joesph M. Weaver, Wentz began gathering lease land in Northwest Kay County and soon the McCaskey-Wentz Company was developed.
The Company’s leases covered a wide range around Ponca City. Early strikes were at the Mervien Oil Field east of Kildare, next came a lease in the Three Sands area near Tonkawa.
In 1924, after McCaskey’s death, Wentz began to seriously develop the Three Sands fields. The McKee lease in the sands was one of the best producers in north central Oklahoma.
Three years later Wentz bought out his partners and formed the Wentz Oil Corporation that by the end of 1927 was making $1 million a month. He was then one of the seven richest men in the nation, having reported taxable income among the top seven individuals reporting in 1927. This ranked him with Henry Ford, J. D. Rockefeller and J. P. Morgan.
If you wish to read more about Mr. Wentz, you may do so at these sites:
Ponca City Tid-Bits , Legends , Lew Wentz