Where we buy
Powder River Basin
The Powder River Basin is the quiet one: a stacked column of oil targets under open Wyoming rangeland, developed later than its neighbors — which means more of its value sits in what hasn’t been drilled yet.
The rock, in plain English
How the Powder River Basin really works.
The modern play targets a stack of formations — Niobrara, Turner, Parkman, Sussex, Mowry and others — with horizontal wells, mostly across Campbell and Converse counties. The same section of land can hold value at several depths, which is unusual and easy to underprice.
This is a younger horizontal play than the Bakken or DJ. Development came in waves, and large stretches of the basin are still lightly drilled. For an owner, that cuts both ways: more upside in the ground, but more uncertainty about when — and whether — a rig reaches your unit.
The basin also carries its history: decades of older vertical production and the remnants of the coalbed-methane era. Plenty of owners hold a mix of small legacy checks and undrilled horizontal potential, and the two deserve to be valued separately, not averaged.
What moves the money
What a fair offer in the Powder River Basin accounts for.
These are the lines we’ll walk you through before any number goes on paper.
Stacked-pay math
Multiple targets under one tract can multiply well counts. An offer that prices your acres on a single zone may be ignoring the rest of the column.
Permits and rigs nearby
In a developing basin, an active permit a mile away changes value meaningfully. We track them, and we’ll tell you if we see one coming.
Federal-mineral neighborhoods
Much of Wyoming’s mineral estate is federal, and private acres interleaved with federal units can see slower permitting. Where your tract sits in that mix affects timing.
Legacy versus future value
Old vertical or CBM checks tell you little about horizontal potential. We price the tail and the upside as separate line items, in writing.
On the map
Counties we see most.
Where the Powder River Basin files usually come from — though we read every county in the basin.
- Campbell
- Converse
- Johnson
- Sheridan
- Crook
- Niobrara
- Weston
By state
Selling rules differ by state line.
Pooling, title quirks, and taxes follow the state — our state guides cover them.
Want a number to anchor on first? The value estimator has the Powder River Basin’s rule-of-thumb ranges built in, and the hold vs. sell comparator uses its decline assumptions. No email required for either.
No pressure, ever
Whenever you’re ready — even if that’s never.
Tell us a county and a name — we’ll do the the Powder River Basin homework at our cost and walk you through what you own, whether or not you ever sell.
No automated calls. No mailers with sight drafts. No follow-up unless you ask for it.
Rather talk to a person? (970) 444-7374or email hello@eldoradomp.com