University of Wyoming
Downing was an attorney, petroleum pioneer, investor and conservationist from Denver, Colorado. Originally from Illinois, he began practicing law in Denver in 1895 with special interest in cases relating to the oil industry. He later entered the oil industry and became a major developer of the Oregon Basin and Salt Creek oil fields in Wyoming. He served as a corporate officer of the Reiter Foster Oil Corporation, Oregon Basin Oil & Gas Corporation, and the Fremont Petroleum Company.
Throughout his career Downing advocated conservation of oil and gas resources, and was instrumental in the establishment of the Interstate Oil Compact Commission. He also lobbied for creation of the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission, for which he served as chair from 1932 to 1963. While serving on the IOCC and the CO & GCC, he also was member or director of the National Petroleum Council, American Petroleum Institute, Independent Petroleum Association of America, and the Rocky Mountain Oil & Gas Association. In addition he was chair of the Mountain Parks Committee of the Denver Park Commission, which created the parks system west of Denver. Downing married Emma Leet in 1897; they divorced in 1915.
The collection documents Downing's career in the oil industry with emphasis on the Oregon Basin Oil & Gas Corporation and the development of the Oregon Basin, the Reiter Foster Oil Corporation, and the Interstate Oil Compact Commission. The bulk (about 140 cubic ft.) consists of alphabetic subject files (1920s-1950s) containing correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, leases, abstracts. and legal agreements. Numerous files are included on the Oregon Basin, Reiter Foster, the IOCC, the IPAA and API, the Colorado state legislature, and many other corporations and individuals.
Also included are Downing's business correspondence files (about 30 cubic ft.) for 1919-1951, including correspondence with his son, Richard (1898- ). There are also oil well logs (1920s-1930s) of the Midwest Refining Company for wells in many states, and corporate minutes (1893-1941) for the Surety Investment Company.
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.
The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
See also the Warwick M. Downing Papers, 1916-1920 at the Denver Public Library; Denver, Colorado.
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
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