McKenzie Well

The McKenzie Well (also known as McKenzie #1) is an oil well site in Boulder, Colorado. The Boulder Oil Field was discovered on this site in 1901, making it the oldest oil-producing site in the entire Denver Basin, and one of the oldest in the western United States. The first producing well on the site was drilled in 1902. Peak production at 85,000 barrels was reached in 1909.[1]

McKenzie Well
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Colorado State Register of Historic Properties
The McKenzie Well site with defunct equipment.
Location	Near Independence Rd. and CO 119, Boulder, Colorado
Coordinates	40°2′36″N 105°14′27″W
Area	0.4 acres (0.16 ha)
Built	1901[1]
NRHP reference No.	04001553[2]
CSRHP No.	5BL.418
Added to NRHP	January 26, 2005

A modern well (built in the 1960s) sits on the site of the original discovery; nothing remains of the original machinery.[3]

The McKenzie Well site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties.[4]

References

1. "Colorado State Register of Historic Properties - list". History Colorado. Archived from the original on 10 March 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
3. Pettem, Silvia (July 7, 2017). "Boulder County History: A century ago, oil industry excited the locals". dailycamera.com. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
4. "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form". npgallery.nps.gov. Retrieved 7 April 2019.

External links and references

• Grace Hood, Eye of the beholder: Oil well takes its place in Boulder's history, Boulder Weekly, 3/31/2005