I’ve had problems getting a hold of anyone with Marathon Oil Company. I have an oil & gas lease signed by my great grand parents for a federal unit in Northwest Wyoming. The lease was originally signed in 1930 and updated in 1935. The first lease was in effect for one year and the second lease was in effect for five years. The most prevalent words at the top of the lease in bold type are Oil & Gas Lease followed by the discription of the land and the size was about 47 acres. Further down in the lease two paragraphs are lined out on the copy that Marathon sent me. The two paragraphs suggest the lease is for oil only. The Big Horn Basin is known as the Saudi Arabia of Natural gas. They have been producing oil & gas from this field for many years without any contract with my family. There are only two wells that were drilled on that particular 47 acres. The first well was drilled in 1973 which is 38 years after the 1935 lease lapsed and the second well which is the only horizontal well in the unit was drilled in 1985 some 50 years after the 1935 lease had lapsed. My dealings with Marathon have had to go through Merit Energy because there has been no way to get in touch with Marathon. Merit’s title people tell me that the unit agreement supersedes the 1930 and 1935 leases. I don’t believe they are paying anyone else for their gas or condensate as well. I’m also aware of several othe wells that have been drilled on my mineral rights in the Garland field.