Welcome



Overview Posted January 10, 2012, But Shot in 2008



[Note: my goal is to post not less than five new posts each day as well as update as many as ten old posts. When reading today's most recent posting, be sure to scroll down to see all postings for that day. Readers should assume data is only as current as of the date originally posted, but updates are often provided, and production data is updated on old posts when I find them.]


This is NOT an investment site. Do not use this site to make investment decisions.

This site is entirely about the oil industry in North Dakota (with occasional political commentary). There is an oil boom going on in the state of North Dakota. It started about 2004 following incredible results in eastern Montana in 2000. 

My only agenda with regard to this site is education.  The original intent was not to include news about investing and investments, but that is absolutely impossible to do when talking for an extended period of time on the oil industry. So, over time, the site has morphed to include thoughts on investments not only in the Bakken but all oil-producing formations in the Williston Basin. Right now it's subtitled "All Bakken All The Time" but it's very likely that may have to change over time as more formations become more exciting.

I generally post anywhere from three to five stand-alone postings each day, so it is important to scroll down to check out all the news for the day. I also update another five to ten (sometimes more) articles linked on the sidebar at the right or at one of the pages tabbed at the top.

Market Analysis, April 12, 2010.

WSJ: The Bakken Boom, February 26, 2010. 


Overview of the Petroleum Geology of The North Dakota Williston Basin, Heck, LeFever, Fischer, LeFever, undated, probably 2000; data up through 1999

A Brief History of the Bakken: January, 2010.

UND, Julie LeFevre, the Bakken/TFS, May, 2010 (paid subscription required)


The main purpose of this site is educational. Over time, investment analysis has increased (see above). This site is an attempt to provide information about "the Bakken" and to direct folks to the news stories coming out of the North Dakota oil industry. It is very, very superficial in scope. I probably understand about 1 percent of all that goes on in the industry (if that much). I have a poor memory and often make simple mistakes, but will correct them when I become aware of them. I find myself making more typographical errors as the years go by.

[My first site had a fair amount of political commentary, but that commentary seemed to detract from my overall message. That was one of the reasons I started this site, starting completely over. I planned not to add political commentary, but when I saw so much double-speak, and opportunities lost in the current US administration, I was unable to maintain my silence. I will be adding political commentary periodically. Sorry.]

I grew up in Williston, in the heart of the Williston Oil Basin (WOB) and have followed the oil industry my entire life, in a very general way. I invest in publicly traded companies through the stock market, but my investments in WOB are trivial compared to my overall investment portfolio. I own no mineral rights, and have no inside information regarding the WOB. I do talk with people who live there and occasionally receive information second- and third-hand. I do not subscribe to any newsletters. I began subscribing to the NDIC basic subscription service in late 2010.

I enjoy following the activity in the WOB, but am not sure that investing in the oil companies in the WOB is the best way to go; there are many other opportunities in the stock market that might be better. At the current time, of the  Williston Oil Basin-related companies, I am invested in the following, as well as others: BR (COP), CLR, ENB, EEP, and SLB. (I am currently not holding shares in MDU, one of my favorite long-term holdings. I no longer have shares in my favorite company, BNI, because Warren Buffet bought it in 2010. I sold all my NOG during the "bear raid" of 2011.) I trade in and out of these companies with others in the WOB. I would never recommend any companies because  everyone's investment styles are different. I am often accused of being too exuberant about the WOB, and I admit it. I find the oil activity in North Dakota very interesting. It's easy to be negative about things in life, so I tend to over-compensate in some areas by being too optimistic when it comes to the oil industry.

I am definitely a novice at all this, so if something I say doesn't seem correct, it may not be. There are many ways on the web to cross-check "facts."








The largest continuous oil reservoir in the continental United States.
Additional Information

This site should not be used to make investment decisions, although it may be one of several data points to lead you in certain directions. Much of what I write can look factual, when in fact it is opinion or my general understanding of the issue. Over time, I assume this site will evolve, based on reader feedback. As expected, it was hard not to have op-ed pieces, and some have already been added.

About the site's name. The friends of my "old" Million Dollar Way blog know that the name of the site has nothing to do with money -- at least not directly in terms of me or investing. When I was growing up, the road leading out of Williston was known as the "Million Dollar Way" because of the automobile dealerships and businesses related to the oil industry.

The "Million Dollar Way" was my road out of town to an exciting life. This "Million Dollar Way" blog is a new road leading me to new destinations.

Analysis of the Bakken, 2006. "Bakken shale may prove to be productive."

Videos of Williston, North Dakota

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This blog seems to be optimized for Firefox/MacOS. I find errors in formatting when I check the blog on Internet Explorer browsers; perhaps they are older versions of Internet Explorer.

Updated: January 16 2012. (Not all information updated.)
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