History
The Wild Bunch was an oil-well firefighting and blowout-control operation associated with Butch Davenport, which operated during the 1970s.
Butch Davenport had experience with explosives and oil-well emergency work. A documented operation occurred in 1978 near Point of Rocks, Wyoming, approximately one mile southwest of the Jim Bridger Power Plant.
During this operation, heavy drilling mud was pumped through a Halliburton pump truck to bring the well under control. Butch climbed the derrick to work at the standpipe.
This site preserves photographs, documents, firsthand recollections, and historical information about the Wild Bunch and the people who worked with them.
People
"Butch" Davenport
Founder/key figure associated with Wild Bunch Oil Well Firefighters
Experience with explosives and oil-well emergency work
Documented involvement in the 1978 Point of Rocks gas-well blowout
Howard Grantham
Wild Bunch Oil Well Firefighters
Important member of the Wild Bunch team
Had an explosives background
WC "Sundance" Bell
Executive Vice President, Wild Bunch Oil Well Firefighters
Worked in the Wyoming oil field before and during the Wild Bunch period
Worked as a driller on Parker Drilling Rig 163 south of Green River in early 1977
Photos
Point of Rocks Gas Well Blowout
North Sea Offshore Simulation
Wellhead Inspection Red Desert
Timeline
About
This website is a historical preservation project documenting the Wild Bunch Oil Well Firefighters, the people who worked with them, their oil-field firefighting and blowout-control work, and related photographs, documents, and firsthand recollections.
The site preserves historical material and personal recollections for future researchers, family members, and others interested in oil-field history. It serves as a repository for documentation of the Wild Bunch's operations during the 1970s, particularly their work in Wyoming's oil fields.
Content on this site is intended to honor the contributions of those who worked in oil-field emergency response and to maintain records of an important period in American energy industry history.