History in North Dakota and the Bakken
Written by Fort Union from the public sources listed below; bracketed numbers refer to that list.
A Kansas wildcatter in the Bakken
Slawson Exploration is part of Slawson Companies, based in Wichita, Kansas. The company says it began with its first strike in Wichita in 1957 and has drilled more than 4,000 oil and gas wells in 10 states [1]. Its website says Slawson helped pioneer development of the Bakken in North Dakota and Montana using horizontal drilling techniques that were then new to the industry and remains active in the Bakken as well as California, the Rockies, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas [1].
Fort Berthold and Lake Sakakawea
Slawson is best known to North Dakota owners for its Fort Berthold Indian Reservation work. In a March 10, 2017 release, the Bureau of Land Management said it had completed its environmental analysis for a Slawson Exploration proposal to drill the first 8 of 11 wells from a single pad on private land within the reservation near Lake Sakakawea, reaching federally managed minerals by horizontal drilling [2]. The BLM said the federal minerals were leased to Slawson at the end of 2008 into 2009, that Slawson applied for the permit in 2011, and that the North Dakota Industrial Commission estimated the operation would add about 220 jobs once in production [2]. The pad was about 800 feet from the lake, with production facilities three-quarters of a mile away [2].
Slawson's own overview separately describes a Torpedo Project of 11 wells on a single pad in Mountrail County [1]. The overview also says Slawson became the first exploration company in North Dakota to use liquefied natural gas to run drilling rigs, which it says reduces carbon emissions by 30 percent compared with diesel [1].
Current standing
The Department of Mineral Resources' 2026 top-ten slide lists 'Slawson Exploration Company, Inc.' tenth, with 9.32 million barrels (3.4% of North Dakota production) through August 2026 [3]. The DMR's active-rig list, as read on October 25, 2026, showed one Slawson rig, on a Williams County well [4]. Slawson's official site gives its headquarters address and phone, a division order inquiries mailbox on its contact page, and a separate exploration contact for royalty and working-interest owners; both appear on our index card [1]. Slawson's headquarters is in Wichita.
Relevant news and sources
The sources this history was drawn from, in the order they are first cited. Links were checked when this page was built.
- Slawson Exploration overview — Slawson Companies, read Oct 25, 2026. Company statements.
- BLM Completes Environmental Analysis to Drill Oil Wells near Lake Sakakawea — U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Mar 10, 2017.
- Director's Cut, October 2026: Top 10 oil producers in ND (slide 18) — ND Department of Mineral Resources, Oct 20, 2026. Year-to-date oil production through August 2026.
- Active Drilling Rig List — ND Department of Mineral Resources, read Oct 25, 2026. Live page that changes daily; counts quoted here are as read on Oct 25, 2026.
Logos are trademarks of their respective owners and are used here only to identify each company; their use does not imply affiliation with or endorsement by Fort Union Minerals. Ranking basis: 2026 year-to-date oil production through August, million barrels; source: North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, Director's Cut (October 20, 2026), slide 18.
