CAT CREEK OIL FIELD

Named for a mountain lion roping incident, Cat Creek Oil Field is located within Petroleum and Garfield counties. Oil was discovered in 1919 northwest of Mosby, Montana. After the discovery, the State of Montana created Petroleum County out of a portion of Fergus County in 1925, making it Montana’s last county to be created. Production peaked in 1922 and continued until the last pump was shut down in the 1990s because the wells were no longer profitable. Today, interest in energy production in the area has reemerged due to promising natural gas deposits. 

University of Montana | Geography Department