The Driller
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
  • EDUCATION
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
  • SIGN UP
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Water
  • Geothermal
  • Construction
  • Environmental
  • Mining
  • All Industry News
  • EQUIPMENT
  • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
  • Consumables
  • Pumps
  • Featured Products
  • VIDEOS
  • Newscast
  • Drill Talks
  • Ask Brock
  • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
  • Drilling Business Insights
  • Reference Desk
  • Sponsored Insights
  • EVENTS
  • Conferences & Demo Days
  • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
  • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
  • Contact
  • Advertise
The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP

Recent Travels

By Howard "Porky" Cutter MGWC
December 5, 2005
The Cutters' adventures in Oklahoma include a trip to an industry museum.

What a surprise! Bess Cutter's 92-year-old mother and sister Mary Kepford's reaction to the unannounced visit.

Recently, Bess and I flew to Oklahoma City where we visited Bess's 92-year-old mother and older sister. Sister Mary and brother-in-law Perry were shocked when we knocked on their door - we didn't tell them we were coming. They took us to see the Oklahoma City Federal Memorial Museum (dedicated to the victims of the Federal Building bombing). While there, they drove us by where Bess and Mary had attended Bible college and where they had worked while going to college.

We then traveled to Edmond, Okla., where we visited an old Failing friend, Julian Stetnish. Julian is 981⁄2-years old and in excellent health. Julian was the manager of George E. Failing's junior ball team during the war and for many years after. We discussed much of George E. Failing's history and I'll be writing about some of those stories in the months to come.

Then we drove to Enid where we attended the annual Cutter family reunion. There were some 55 relatives there but only four with the name of Cutter. Most of the Cutters are farmers or farm-related people and don't travel much. Porky's the world traveler.

While in Enid, I wanted to see the original Failing Drill built by George E. Failing. I understood the original drill had been restored and is on display at the Cherokee Strip Museum in Enid. Unfortunately, the museum is closed on weekends and Mondays. We were only in Enid over the weekend and Monday. What a disappointment that we missed it again!

We then drove to Lubbock, Texas, where I trained for my new sales job for two days. I have a new job traveling and selling an innovative product that has been out there for several years, but like myself, many water supply people don't pay much attention to new products at a well exposition unless it catches their eye, such as a magician or race car and driver. But I don't write about specific products in “Porky's Hole Thoughts.”

The windmill museum collection on display in Elk City, Okla.

We traveled through Elk City, Okla., to see a windmill museum and the oil museum. The Windmill Museum had windmills from the oldest to the newest solar panels. Apparently, the oil museum was gone, but in downtown Elk City, the oil-drilling rig, “Parker Drilling Rig #114,” was on display. This is a large electric oil-drilling rig, complete with everything except the power generators and mud pumps. If you ever get near Elk City, you should be sure to see both displays.

Parker Drill #114 in Elk City, Okla.

Along the way, we saw oil wells being repaired with large pump service rigs and several oil rigs drilling new wells. Halliburton Cementing and Fracturing Co. equipment was in the area. All types of drilling equipment were traveling the highways. There was a lot of oil and gas drilling activity from Enid to Lubbock.

We saw cowboys wearing cowboy hats, cowboy boots and cowboy belt buckles. Most were driving big dually 4-by-4 pickup trucks with flatbeds towing a big horse trailer or a long hotshot trailer (an oilfield term meaning to expedite delivery of oil tools to oil rigs). Most of the cowboys wear their cowboy hats while driving their trucks, on the streets, in the restaurants and they never take them off. I wonder if they wear them to bed?

The trip included a visit to the Oklahoma City Federal Building Memorial.

It was great to be back home in Oklahoma and in the wide-open spaces, but to move back home … I don't think so - not now!

In the coming months, I will be traveling to Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio and Michigan, calling on drillers, pump installers and suppliers and, I'm sure, finding new stories for National Driller. ND

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Howard cutter 200px
Howard "Porky" Cutter, MGWC, is a regular contributor to The Driller. For more Porky columns, visit www.thedriller.com/porky.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • geotechnical drilling rig

    6 Onsite Phrases Environmental Drillers Hate

    Here are six phrases that highlight common frustrations...
    Environmental Monitoring
    By: Jeff Garby
  • Wayne Nash

    Pipe Stuck? Common Causes and Solutions for Drillers

    If you have drilled for any length of time, sooner or...
    Oil & Gas Drilling
    By: Wayne Nash
  • submersible pumps, water well pumps

    Selecting and Sizing Submersible Pump Cable

    This article helps pump installers and servicers decide...
    Pumps
    By: Bob Pelikan
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Manage My Preferences

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the The Driller audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of The Driller or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit
    Sponsored byGeoprobe

    Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

Popular Stories

MainPhotoTwoBrothers.jpg

Two Brothers' Journey Through the Drilling Industry

demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit

Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

AI and Drought Concerns

AI’s Growing Thirst for Water and Power

The Driller Classifieds

COMPRESSORS

EAST WEST MACHINERY & DRILLING IS BUYING AND SELLING AIR COMPRESSORS, AIR BOOSTERS, AIR ENDS & PARTS
Company: East West Machinery

DRILL RIGS

LOOKING FOR LATE MODEL TOPHEADS & DRILLTECH D25'S
Company: Spikes’s Rig Sales

DRILL RIG PARTS

MEETING DRILLERS NEEDS AROUND THE WORLD
Company: East West Machinery

ELEVATORS

SEMCO INC. PIPE ELEVATORS
Company: Semco Inc.

GROUTERS

GROUTING EQUIPMENT - GROUT PUMPS & GROUT HOSE REELS
Company: Geo-Loop Inc.

PUMP HOISTS

SEMCO INC. - BASIC PUMP HOISTS
Company: Semco Inc.

WELL PACKERS

LANSAS PRODUCTS - INFLATABLE WELL PACKERS
Company: Vanderlans Lansas Products

WELL SCREENS

WELL SCREENS & SLOTTED PIPE
Company: Alloy Screen Works

Products

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

By carefully explaining both the underlying theory and the underlying mathematics, this text enables readers to fully grasp the fundamentals of physical and chemical treatment processes for water and wastewater.

See More Products

Subscribe to The Driller Newscast

Related Articles

  • Porky's Travels at 16

    See More
  • Further Travels, More Adventures

    See More
  • Porky's Hole Thoughts: Being a Kid, Porky-style

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • M:\General Shared\__AEC Store Katie Z\AEC Store\Images\ND\new site\water-quality-eng.gif

    Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

  • 1119083621.jpg

    Formulas and Calculations for Drilling Operations, 2nd Edition

See More Products
×

Dig deeper into the drilling and water supply industry!

Build your knowledge with The Driller, covering the people, equipment and technologies across drilling markets.

SIGN UP NOW
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Classifieds
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP