Montana Technological University helped plug Montana’s first oil well, located in a remote wilderness area along Kintla Lake in Glacier National Park.The approxSkip to main content
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Montana Technological University helped plug Montana’s first oil well, located in a remote wilderness area along Kintla Lake in Glacier National Park. Photo: Montana Tech press release
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, Mont. — Montana Technological University helped plug Montana’s first oil well, located in a remote wilderness area along Kintla Lake in Glacier National Park.
The approximately $1 million project, completed in August, aimed to reduce methane emissions and prevent potential environmental contamination from the abandoned well.
The well dates back to 1901, when the Butte Oil Company began drilling in the area before Glacier National Park was established. The operation encountered several setbacks before the well caught fire and was abandoned.
More than a century later, a survey detected gases leaking from the well, prompting the National Park Service to pursue plugging operations.
Montana Tech helped oversee the project, with Assistant Professor of Petroleum Engineering David Reichhardt serving as principal investigator. The university coordinated with the National Park Service and Liquid Gold Well Services of Cut Bank, which completed the plugging work.
The remote location presented significant logistical challenges. The well sits approximately six to seven miles from Kintla Lake Campground in an area without road access.
Crews used a Black Hawk helicopter to transport drilling equipment, cement pumping units and other machinery to the site. Equipment had to be disassembled into smaller loads, requiring approximately 24 helicopter trips to move machinery in and out.
Former Montana Tech Associate Petroleum Engineering Professor Mary North-Abbott and Petroleum Engineering Department Head Todd Hoffman also assisted with the project. North-Abbott was on site for all of the plugging work, from mobilization through the plugging and demob to site restoration and GNP field inspection. Dr. Todd Hoffman was present for portions of the plugging work.
The work was completed in August, addressing environmental concerns surrounding the historic well while preserving the surrounding wilderness.
To learn more, read the full release here.
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