Historic Louisiana

Among the projects Texaco took over was a
drilling operation in the East Hackberry Field,
which Texaco completed as a producing well
on November 13, 1929. Texaco also discovered
production on a large tract owned by Botany
Bay Lumber Company in St. Landry Parish.
Production by the Company on properties
covered by The Louisiana Land & Exploration
Company contract accelerated, producing
considerable quantities on six additional
properties. These included the Dog Lake
Field, Lake Pelto Field and Lake Barre Field,
all in 1929; Four Isle Field and Bay St. Elaine
Field, both in 1937.
In addition, the Company discovered three
other prospects—Lafitte in Jefferson Parish,
Golden Meadows in Lafourche Parish, and
Paradis in St. Charles Parish.
As is the case in oil exploration on land,
geophysical crews use seismic exploration to
find promising geological trademarks in
Louisiana’s marshes and offshore. In these
areas, oil and gas are usually found trapped in
salt domes. The exploration crews detonate
small explosive charges or use special trucks to
tamp the ground to create subsurface sound
waves that are recorded on seismographic
equipment. From the scores of sound wave
data produced, specialists estimate the chance
of finding oil in a specific area.
Even the most advanced seismographic
data can provide only a guide. The only way
to be sure oil and gas lie thousands of feet
below is to drill, and in Louisiana’s coastal
marshes, this involved some unusual
challenges. Texaco, which was among the first
oil companies to attempt drilling in water in
South Louisiana, worked out practical
methods of meeting these challenges.
Between 1928 and 1932, Texaco drilled in
these areas by erecting derricks on
foundations created by driving pilings into
the lakes and swamps, a costly procedure.
Records show that over twenty percent of the
time spent on wells in the early days in South
Louisiana was consumed in operations that
were unrelated to drilling or completing the
wells. This was the time required to construct
foundations, move in equipment, set up and
dismantle the rigs, and move out.
HISTORIC LOUISIANA
82