The Red River formation
Footprint and mineral-owner context for the Red River, drawn from the same state oil and gas commission well records behind our county pages. Every figure on this page is an estimate subject to verification of your specific interest.
Last updated June 2026.
What is the Red River?
The Red River is a producing formation named across 8 counties in Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming, in the Williston Basin and Powder River Basin, with 4,225 active wells on record across those counties.
Free written valuation
What are your Red River minerals worth?
Tell us about your interest and where to send the written valuation. It is free, there is no obligation, and this is an estimate, not an offer. Email is required so we can send your report. Phone is optional.
The Red River shows up in state oil and gas commission well records as a producing formation or pool in 8 of the counties and parishes we cover, across the Williston Basin and Powder River Basin. It is not confined to one basin; owners in different basins hold Red River interests that are valued the same way, on the income the wells actually pay. Across those counties, state records show 4,225 active wells producing, with the heaviest activity in Fallon County, Richland County, Crook County. This page is built from the same public well-record data as our county pages, not a USGS geologic assessment, so it does not carry a play-wide resource estimate the way our larger flagship formation pages do.
Counties in the Red River play
These are the counties and parishes we cover where state commission records show the Red River producing. Each links to that county's own Red River well count and operators, not just the general county page.
What the Red River means for your minerals
A resource estimate for a play is not the value of your acreage. Your mineral and royalty interest is valued on the income your wells actually pay, roughly 36 to 72 times your average monthly royalty check, the same as 3 to 6 times your annual royalty. Where you land in that band depends on your wells decline, the operator, your royalty rate, and any undeveloped drilling upside. For the full method and a free on-screen estimate, see what are my mineral rights worth.
The Red River is not confined to one basin: state records show it producing across Williston Basin , and Powder River Basin . For the basin-wide value bands and the counties we buy in, see each basin's page.
Red River questions
- Which counties does the Red River produce in?
- State commission well records show the Red River producing in 8 counties we cover: Bowman County, Crook County, Dawson County, Fallon County, Richland County, Roosevelt County, Slope County, Wibaux County. See each county's page for the full local well and operator picture.
- How many wells produce from the Red River?
- Across the counties we cover, state oil and gas commission records show about 4,225 active wells tied to the Red River. That figure is a sum across counties from public well records, not a measure of any one owner's interest.
- What is a Red River mineral interest worth?
- A Red River interest is valued the same way as any producing interest: roughly 36 to 72 times your average monthly royalty check. Where you land in that range depends on your wells' decline, the operator, your royalty rate, and any undeveloped drilling upside. This is an estimate, not an offer.
Sources
- North Dakota NDIC / Department of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas Wells (ArcGIS public service)
- Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (WOGCC) active wells (Wyoming GIS Center ArcGIS public service)
- Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation (MBOGC) wells (Montana DNRC ArcGIS public service); county assignment via U.S. Census TIGERweb county boundaries
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