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| Title | Clarence Iverson #1 oil well and collapsed Loffland rig, south of Tioga, N.D. |
| Date of Original | 1951? |
| Creator | Shemorry, Bill, 1914-2004
|
| Creator Role | Photographer |
| Description | A mass of twisted wreckage was all that was left of the historic Loffland Drilling Co. rig that drilled the Clarence Iverson discovery well. As it was being moved to a new location, a leg collapsed, toppling the derrick and throwing it to the ground in a pile of scrap. |
| General Subject | Oil
Business & Industry
|
| Subject (LCTGM) | Oil well drilling rigs
Petroleum industry
Petroleum workers
Barrels
Snow
|
| Organization Name | Lofflund Drilling Company
|
| Location | Tioga (N.D.)
|
| Decade | 1950-1959
|
| Item Number | 1-70-4-33 |
| Format of Original | Photographic prints
|
| Dimensions of Original | 8 x 10 in. |
| Publisher of Original | Shemorry, William E. (Bill) |
| Transcription | "Collapsed Loffland rig that drilled Clarence Iverson discovery well"--Handwritten on back of photograph. |
| Biography/History | William E. "Bill" Shemorry was a native of Williston, N.D. who began work in the newspaper industry as a newsboy selling the Williston Herald and the Williams County Farmers Press. In 1953, he started to publish the Williston Plains Reporter, which he operated for 25 years before selling to the Williston Herald. Shemorry then began to concentrate on his own writing and photography. In addition to writing many books on the history of Williams County, he also collected photographs of early North Dakota photographers. Shemorry was an active member of the Williston Fire Department, was Civil Defense Chief of Williams County for three years in the 1950s, and was a combat photographer in World War II. Shemorry's photograph of the discovery of oil in North Dakota on April 4, 1951 at the Clarence Iverson No. 1 is one of the most famous oil photographs ever taken, and was published in many national publications. |
| Bibliographic Reference | Description from caption on page 71 of Shemorry's 1991 book: Mud, Sweat and Oil: The Early Days of the Williston Basin. |
| Repository Institution | State Historical Society of North Dakota
|
| Repository Collection | William E. (Bill) Shemorry Photograph Collection 1
|
| Credit Line | State Historical Society of North Dakota, William E. (Bill) Shemorry Photograph Collection (1-70-4-33) |
| Rights Management | Permission to reproduce this image must be requested from the State Historical Society of North Dakota. |
| Ordering Information | To order a reproduction, inquire about the collection, or provide information about an image, please email Emily E. Schultz at eschultz@nd.gov |
| Digital ID | ws170433 |
