Bakken/Williston Basin Data, History & Stats

In 1946, Amerada Corporation started exploring the basin. They began drilling at a promising lease 30 miles northeast of Williston, North Dakota. After four years of testing and mapping, on April 4, 1951, the Amerada Hess Corporation Clarence Iverson #1 well struck oil on the Nesson Anticline. Large fields were not discovered in North Dakota until the 1950s, when the basin started to develop into a significant oil-producing area.

In Billings County’s Red River Formation, oil was found in 1968. The highly successful output was driven by the Red River discovery as well as the Bell Creek Field discovery. The Red Wing Creek Field, a complicated geological structure with a pay section that was 1,000 feet thick was found in 1972. A year later, because the Arab Oil Embargo was implemented, exploration increased, and the Billings Anticline complex, Mondak field, and the Knife field were discovered. Finally, production began in the Bakken with the discovery of the Dickinson Lodgepole Field along with the discovery of the Red River “B” Pool in Bowman County. Production reached its high in 1986, although in the early 2000s, there was a noticeable increase in production thanks to the introduction of horizontal drilling methods, particularly in the Bakken Formation. Despite a decrease in rig counts during Covid, production has been increasing in recent years.