H. D. Del Monte Maverick Springs papers, 1918-1978

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Del Monte, H. D.
Title
H. D. Del Monte Maverick Springs papers
Dates
1918-1978 (inclusive)
1918-1941 (bulk)
Quantity
.70 cubic ft. (2 boxes)
Collection Number
07430
Summary
Materials related to federal oil leases on Shoshoni and Arapaho reservation lands, including correspondence with Wyoming political figures, drilling logs, production and marketing data on Maverick Springs crude oil, minutes from Shoshoni and Arapaho Business Council meetings, reports on Wyoming oil, and newspaper clippings.
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.

Additional Reference Guides
Additional Information

Finding aid available in repository.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Harold D. Del Monte (1897-2003), a businessman, settled in Lander, Wyoming, in 1919, where he was in the banking business for ten years before buying the Noble Hotel in 1930. He was very active in Lander and Fremont County civic affairs and worked with the Shoshone and Arapaho tribes to promote development of the Maverick Springs oil field on the Wind River Indian Reservation.

Federal leases for the Maverick Springs oil field were first granted in 1917, and the first successful wells were drilled in 1918. The field produced high-sulphur crude oils, for which demand was low and transportation costs high. Dirt access roads to the oil field were impassable much of the year. In 1927, most of the wells were shut down and capped by the Union Oil Company of California, which had acquired the leases in 1921. By 1937, the leases were controlled by the Ohio Oil Company, Texas Company, Stanolind Oil and Gas Company, and Continental Oil Company.

When the leases came up for renewal in 1937, the Shoshone and Arapaho Councils, with the assistance of the Maverick Springs Committee of the Federated Civic Clubs of Fremont County, chaired by Del Monte, fought to block renewal until assurances were made that the oil field would be brought into production and that roads would be upgraded to ease the transportation problems. Tribal representatives and Del Monte traveled to Washington, D.C., in mid-1937 and again in January 1938 to meet with the Wyoming congressional delegation and Interior Department officials. Limited production was begun, and attempts were made to upgrade roads, but requests for federal road funds failed.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Collection contains materials related to federal oil leases on Shoshoni and Arapaho reservation lands, including correspondence with Joseph C. O'Mahoney, Lester C. Hunt, Frank O. Horton and other Wyoming political figures; drilling logs; production and marketing data on Maverick Springs crude oil; reports and minutes from Shoshone and Arapaho Business Council meetings; printed reports on Wyoming oil; and newspaper clippings.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

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, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Related Materials

Related Materials

There are no known other archival collections created by H. D. Del Monte as of the date of processing.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition Information

The material was donated to the American Heritage Center by Harold Del Monte in 1980.

Processing Note

Processing Information

Processed by Roger Simon, February 2019. Finding aid created by Roger Simon, March 2019.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description
Box
1
Booklets (photocopies)
(1) “Crude Petroleum and Petroleum Products” (1937); (2) “A Survey of the High-Sulphur Crude Oils (Black Oils) Produced in Wyoming” (1932); and (3) “Wyoming Indian” (1938).
1932-1938
Container(s) Description
Box
1
Charts – U.S. Bureau of Mines (photocopies)
1918
Container(s) Description
Box
Correspondence (photocopies)
Box
1
from H.D. Del Monte
1937-1941, undated
1
to H.D. Del Monte
1936-1941, undated
1
to U.S. Representative Frank O. Horton
1939
1
to Wyoming Secretary of State Lester Hunt
1937-1938
1
to Interior Secretary Harold Ickes
1937-1938, undated
1
to U.S. Senator Joseph C. O’Mahoney
1937-1941
1
Assorted
1934-1941, undated
Container(s) Description
Box
1
Lists (photocopies)
Includes lists of acreage, pipeline companies operating in Wyoming, marketed black oil, Hamilton Dome wells, and “Quotations for Road Oil for the Season of 1938.”
1938, undated
Container(s) Description
Box
1
Memoranda (photocopies)
1937, undated
Container(s) Description
Box
1
Miscellaneous (photocopies)
Includes clippings and handwritten notes.
1926-1941, 1971-1978, undated
Container(s) Description
Box
1
Assorted Charts and Maps (photocopies)
Includes structural maps of and a chart of well data from Maverick Springs.
1924, 1938, undated
Container(s) Description
Box
1
Assorted Reports (photocopies)
Includes meeting minutes of the Shoshone and Arapaho Business Council and the Arapaho and Shoshone Indians of Wind River Indian Reservation, documents from the Bureau of Mines and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, documents related to the legal dispute Public Service Commission of Wyoming v. Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad Company & Chicago and Northwestern Railway Company, resolutions, and press releases.
1925-1938
Container(s) Description
Box
2
Assorted Reports (photocopies)
Includes meeting minutes of the Shoshone and Arapaho Business Council and the Arapaho and Shoshone Indians of Wind River Indian Reservation, documents from the Bureau of Mines and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, documents related to the legal dispute Public Service Commission of Wyoming v. Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad Company & Chicago and Northwestern Railway Company, resolutions, and press releases.
1938-1941, undated

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Arapaho Indians -- Economic conditions.
  • Oil and gas leases -- Wyoming -- Fremont County.
  • Oil fields -- Wyoming -- Fremont County.
  • Petroleum -- Wyoming -- Fremont County.
  • Petroleum industry and trade -- Wyoming -- Fremont County.
  • Shoshoni Indians -- Economic conditions.

Corporate Names

  • Continental Oil Company.
  • Federated Civic Clubs of Fremont County, Wyoming.
  • Ohio Oil Company.
  • Stanolind Oil and Gas Company.
  • Texas Company.
  • Union Oil Company of California.
  • United States. Dept. of the Interior.
  • United States. Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Geographical Names

  • Fremont County (Wyo.) -- History.
  • Maverick Springs oil field (Wyo.)
  • Wind River Indian Reservation (Wyo.) -- Economic conditions.
  • Wyoming -- History -- 1890-1918.
  • Wyoming -- History -- 1919-1945.
  • Wyoming -- Politics and government.

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Chapman, Oscar Littleton, 1896-
    • Chatterton, Fenimore, 1860-1958.
    • Day, Gilbert.
    • Driskell, Charles A.
    • Friday, Robert.
    • Greever, Paul H.
    • Horton, Frank O.
    • Hunt, Lester C. (Lester Calloway), 1892-1954.
    • Mondell, Frank W. (Frank Wheeler), 1860-1939.
    • O'Mahoney, Joseph C. (Joseph Christopher), 1884-1962.
    • Schwartz, Harry H.
    • Scott, Floyd M.
    • Scott, Nellie.
    • Stone, Forrest R.
    • Weeks, W. R.