launched with a staff seven, minimal working interest production and an estimated value of approximately six million dollars (share price of $0.38/share).  When sold to the Williams Companies last year for $2.8 billion (share price of $76.32), Barrett Resources had developed 2.1 TCF proven reserves and 3+ TCF probable/possible reserve upside and was producing 341 MMcfpd.  The company's performance earned Barrett Resources Corp the #1 ranking during July 2001 in Oil and Gas Investor for Wealth Creation from 1990-2000. 

     Bill Barrett, along with Chief Operating Officer Frank Keller, company President Fred Barrett and Chief Financial Officer Bob Howard, in January began assembling a highly-experienced senior executive team of managers and technical personnel, all of whom have long historical track records of past successes.  The newly-formed Bill Barrett Corporation recently closed financing on approximately $107.5 million from management, private equity investors and institutional and private investors.  In addition to the initial financing, Bill Barrett Corp. secured certain provisional commitments totaling an additional $175 million from its private equity investors; Warburg Pincus was lead investor along with Goldman Sachs Capital Partners and JP Morgan Partners.  Additional private equity financing was provided by State Farm Insurance, Colorado PERA and Palantir Capital.

     The Corporation recently invested $73 million acquire several proven producing natural gas properties in the Wind River Basin of Wyoming, a region of considerable past experience and success for several members of management of the new company.  Currently, it is also working to acquire two other projects, one in the Uinta and another in the Powder River Basin.

     Barrett said the company's focus will be primarily on finding gas at low costs in the Rocky Mountain basins in the U.S. with an emphasis on acquiring proved reserves with substantial exploration upside to the company. 

     He has seven children and sixteen grandchildren with wife Louise, his wife for over 53 years.

     Early in the author's career he worked extensively on the Cottage Grove Sandstone in northwestern Oklahoma.  His first prospect resulted in the discovery of East Avard, likely more through luck than skill.  East Avard (Sections 29 through 32, T26N R14W) has produced ~7.5 BCF and ~22 MBO to date, predominately from a single well.  Keying off of this success and assuming the next discovery would be easily forthcoming, the author developed a large reserve Cottage Grove Prospect south of Alva (Woods County) around the common corners of T26-27N, R13-14W.   After five wells were drilled over five years in five different sections and with four different operators, a further discovery proved elusive!

     Even though unsuccessful at finding additional Cottage Grove reserves, a great deal was learned by the author over the course of eradicating the prospect.  Yes, there is a great deal of philosophy and psychology that must be brought to bear by both geologists and operators in their often ill-fated attempts at unraveling Mother Nature.  The author shall bear his soul in these regards in the hope of benefiting his fellow geologists.  A chronological and thorough discussion of the twists and turns, the wheeling and dealing of land, legalities and geology will be presented.