The Black Lake Field is located in Township 11 North, Range 6 West in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, on the southeastern flank of the Sabine uplift. Geographically the field is located between Black and Saline Lakes approximately 60 miles southeast of Shreveport and 15 miles northeast of the town of Natchitoches.
This is an area that had defied Operators for years. Prior to 1947 drilling had been restricted to shallow depths, but from 1947 to 1958 six (6) wells were drilled within a 7 mile radius of Black Lake to a depth of 8000 feet or deeper. The first of these deeper tests was the U. S. Forest Reservation #F-135, drilled by H. L. Hunt in January, 1947, in Section 35, T-11-N, R-5-W. Continental Oil Company then drilled three (3) wells, the Pardee #1, Section 30, T-12-N, R-6-W in July 1948; the Bank of Bastrop #1, Section 18, T-12-N, R-6-W in September, 1949; and the Edenborn #1, Section 27, T-12-N, R-6-W in November, 1949. Interest in the area died down until July, 1958, when F.R. Jackson drilled in Section 26, T-11-N, R-7-W the Franklin Realty #1. The Nebo Oil Company followed with the G. H. Monrose #1 drilled in Section 28, T-11-N, R-5-W in December, 1958. Although none of the wells were productive, the wells to the south and southeast had good development of Pettit porosity. This porosity development was not evident in the wells to the north, west, and northwest indicating the possibility of a stratigraphic trap for the accumulation of hydrocarbons.
Placid Oil Company began leasing in the area in the spring of 1963 and after obtaining sufficient acreage Geophysical crews were brought in to obtain seismic information. Based on a combination of seismic and subsurface data, Placid spudded the Edenborn #1 in Section 25, T-11-N, R-6-W on October 3, 1963. After drilling to a depth of 8359 feet the well was abandoned; however, because of the development of the Pettit porosity and the numerous oil shows in the cores, the Edenborn #2 was spudded February 13, 1964, three (3) miles north in Section 12, T-11-N, R-6-W.
The Edenborn #2 blew out while drilling into the Pettit and after spending nearly a month fishing, the well had to be abandoned due to mechanical difficulties in the hole. The rig was skidded 100 feet north and the Edenborn #2-A was completed May 25, 1964, flowing
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