After a positive recommendation in 1913 from the U.S. Department of the Interior, a discovery well was drilled in 1916, probably by the Merritt Oil and Gas Company, yielding 26 barrels of oil per day. An oil boom ensued, with oil wasted into the North Platte River through poor preparation. The community of Parkerton was established at the field, with its own train station. The population peaked at 2500 in 1923, but Parkerton was mostly deserted by 1935.
