National and State Register
McKenzie Well
Boulder County
The McKenzie Well was the site of the 1901 discovery of the Boulder Oil Field, the first discovery of oil in the multi-state Denver Basin. The field reached its peak production in 1909 with an annual output of 85,000 barrels of oil.
The Boulder Oil Field is one of the oldest producing fields in the West and the second oldest oil field in the state of Colorado. The McKenzie Well, also called the McKenzie #1, was drilled in February 1902. This single remaining well was one of the two earliest commercial producers in the field. It was drilled on the site of the McKenzie #1 discovery after that well suffered a mechanical failure prior to its completion a few months.
National Register
Address
Colo. Hwy. 119 near Independence Rd., Boulder
Site Number
5BL.418