Kansas Oil and Gas

Eureka! The “ka-thump” ka-thump” of oil rigs forms the industrial heartbeat of the Great Bend region. Oil exploration began here in 1886, financed by a group of Great Bend speculators. By 1930, it was estimated that the county received more than $20 million annually from the oil and gas industry. Oil pumps dot the landscape along throughout the region and remain an important contributor to the regional economy; in 2006, more than 3,200 oil wells and 177 gas wells operated in Barton and Stafford counties.

Learn about the history of local oil and gas production at the Kansas Oil & Gas Hall of Fame and Museum, 5944 W. 10th Street. For more information or tour scheduling call (620) 793-5742 or (620) 792-7033.