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Jerome T. Bishop papers, 1883-1989

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Bishop, J. T. (Jerome Travis), 1907-1999
Title
Jerome T. Bishop papers
Dates
1883-1989 (inclusive)
1945-1967 (bulk)
Quantity
25.60 cubic ft. (32 document boxes, 1 F24 box, 36 MPT map tubes, 1 MPL map tube)
Collection Number
10681
Summary
Oil and gas property lease checks, plats, maps, geologic studies, exploration program and yearly operation reports, and administrative files documenting the career of this Skelly Oil Company, Rocky Mountain Division, district landman.
Repository
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu
Access Restrictions
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
The creation of the EAD-version of this finding aid was made possible through a grant from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission.
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Historical Note

Jerome Travis “J.T. or Jerry” Bishop was a district landman for Skelly Oil Company’s Rocky Mountain Division in Casper, Wyoming. He was born April 30, 1907, to pioneer family Marvin L. and Leone A. (Hathaway) Bishop. He grew up in Casper and then attended the University of Nebraska. In 1942, he married Mary E. Hilsmann in Kimball, Nebraska. They had two daughters, Mary and Susan.

During World War II, Bishop served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and was a captain in the Reserve Officers Association. Prior to the war, he was employed as a landman for Ohio Oil Company (Marathon). He joined Pacific Western Oil Company after returning from the service as a division landman and manager. Pacific Western later merged with Skelly. In 1962, Bishop became an independent landman.

Bishop served on the organizational committee of the American Association of Petroleum Landmen, founded in Denver in May 1954, and was honored with a lifetime membership in that organization in 1973. He was also an original member of the Casper Petroleum Club, a charter member of the Wyoming Petroleum Landmen’s Association, and a member of the Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Association. Jerome T. Bishop died in Casper January 25, 1999, at the age of 91.

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Content Description

The Jerome T. Bishop papers contain information about oil and gas leases on properties in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming that were recommended to Skelly Oil Company’s Rocky Mountain Division for leasing. The oldest actual document is dated 1923. Documents listing dates prior to 1923 are copies of old surveys. Series I, Properties, is arranged by state, county, and then by specific property within each county. The files include acreage checks, lease submittals, applications, plats of lease blocks with lease and lessor information, unit agreements, and geologic reports and studies.

Series II contains Skelly Oil Company reports. Yearly operations reviews and exploration program reports describe seismic, gravity, magnetometer, surface, and photo-geologic work, as well as core drilling. Exploitation reports describe wildcat and field extension wells, and field drilling. There is also information on personnel and budgets. Seismic results reports describe reasons for shooting an area, results obtained, how the data would be useful in guiding future seismic work, and recommendations for holding or releasing company leases on or near seismic properties. The remedial and drilling work reports describe proposed “Work Over” and “Plug and Abandon” jobs to have been performed, by well and nature of work. There are also drilling obligation reports and annual reports of the geological and land departments summarizing the activities and expenditures of those departments.

The administrative and miscellany files in Series III contain a notebook of lease summary sheets detailing a property’s description, lease data, title information, etc., by lease number. This series also includes information on oil and gas filings in Wyoming and Colorado, various state and federal regulations, a small amount of general correspondence, meeting materials, and a transcript of a speech given by Lester C. Hunt to the U.S. Senate in 1950 on a bill to amend the Natural Gas Act. Series IV contains member directories of the Casper Petroleum Club, Wyoming Association of Petroleum Landmen, and Wyoming Geological Association, as well as a Rocky Mountain Sales and Service Directory, and Hank Seale Oil Directories of the Rocky Mountain and Central United States.

Series V contains files about the formation of the American Association of Petroleum Landmen, which Bishop helped organize. The final two series both contain maps that primarily document lease ownership. (The dates listed for some of these specific maps are federal, county, and state record take-off dates, not base map construction.) Series VI contains flat and/or folded maps, foldered by state. There is an interesting Wyoming map of Oil and Gas Fields with historical facts. It shows Air Mail plane routes, overland trails and cutoffs, stage stops and Pony Express roads, and military forts and camps. Series VII contains oversized maps. Box 33 contains flat and/or folded maps, foldered by state. The remaining boxes contain rolled maps, grouped by state.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Preferred Citation

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Jerome T. Bishop papers, 1883-1989, Collection Number 10681, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Administrative Information

Related Materials

Related Materials

There are no other known archival collections created by Jerome T. Bishop at the date of processing.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition Information

Mary E. and Susan L. Bishop donated their father’s papers to the American Heritage Center in March 2000, November 2003, and December 2003.

Processing Note

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Ronda Frazier in December 2003.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Mines and mineral resources--Colorado.
  • Mines and mineral resources--Montana.
  • Mines and mineral resources--Utah.
  • Mines and mineral resources--Wyoming.
  • Oil and gas leases--Colorado.
  • Oil and gas leases--Montana.
  • Oil and gas leases--Utah.
  • Oil and gas leases--Wyoming.
  • Petroleum--Prospecting--Colorado.
  • Petroleum--Prospecting--Montana.
  • Petroleum--Prospecting--Utah.
  • Petroleum--Prospecting--Wyoming.

Corporate Names

  • American Association of Petroleum Landmen.
  • Skelly Oil Company.
  • Wyoming Association of Petroleum Landmen.

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Hunt, Lester C. (Lester Calloway), 1892-1954.

Processed by Ronda Frazier
2003;2006

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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