Block 8, Section 31, interest in drilling permit

C. L. Poland owned an undivided 1/10th interest in an old drilling permit in the SW/4 and the NE/4 of Section 31, Block 8, University Lands. My wife is a descendant of Poland. There has been no drilling on that section. Some of his descendants sold their interest to Source Minerals several years ago. Is there still interest in drilling in that area. I’ve noticed that several horizontal wells were drilled in adjoining sections.

Looks like drilling activity in the immediate area has faded away significantly. There are some old 2012-2014 horizontal permits that were never drilled, and there are some producing and shut-in horizontals around you. However, I do not think there will be any drilling on your land for the foreseeable future as operators focus on developing core assets given suppressed oil prices.

This drilling permit arose from an original permit issued in 1923 and is held by production from other wells drilled. It is near Santa Rita #1. Some employees of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient RR acquired the lease at about the time their line had ended about 120 feet from the well. Due to the passage of time, the wife’s fractional interest is quite small.

Thank you for the reply. We’ve just discovered that she may also own part of an undivided 1/10th interest in permit 8019 issued in July 1923 in University Lands block 10, section 13, covering that 640 acres. It appears that there is production there.

What’s your goal with the mineral rights, i.e. sell them, hold them, etc.?

Since this is new information for us, we need to shore up the title chain and check out that current production. Ours are fractional interests in that apparently there are more than 120 descendants of a 1/10th share, if proved.

Do you intend to ask the operator for guidance on how to cure title, and/or do you intend to hire a landman?