Bakken Industrial Park -- Update -- Williston-Epping Turn-Off -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

A beautiful day in the Bakken. It was supposed to get up to about 80 degrees; it doesn't feel quite that warm. Not a cloud in the sky, and simply a beautiful day.

Even the traffic is relatively light.

These are photos of where the 720-acre Bakken Industrial Park will go north of Williston.

The first two pictures are taken from a couple miles from the east, looking west toward the man-camp. The man-camp is north of the county road leading to Epping, on the east side of Highway 2 north of Williston. Looking to the left (south of the man-camp, I believe, is the 720-acre parcel of land where the industrial park will go.

The next four pictures are taken from US Highway 2: 1) looking north to the man-camp, and then, 2) south to the new Sun Well building that is going up just at the south end of where the industrial park will be. The developer has broken ground for the new 3) Value Place extended-stay inn that will be at the industrial park; one can see 4) heavy equipment that is starting to be pre-positioned.

These four pictures all taken from the same spot:

500-Bed Man Camp in Watford City Nearing Completion -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

This is the kind of story that is easy for one to skip over, but my hunch is that it might eventually be picked up by a national print media, such as Forbes. (Regional links break early and break often.)

The story is a great human-interest story but is also filled with a few interesting data points about the strength of the Bakken.

First Millennium Construction and Millenium Lodging is based out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and caters to the energy industry, but predominantly along the Gulf, and is owned by Nathian Hossley.

It sounds like Hossley was doing well in the south and didn't have much interest in taking operations to the Bakken. It turned out that one of his former Louisiana neighbors, Jarvis Green, an ex-NFL football player with two Super Bowl rings, now living in Denver, Colorado, kept hearing about the Bakken and wanted to get involved in some manner.

Interestingly, Green had majored in engineering at LSU.

Green finally convinced Hossley to let him join the company with an eye toward opportunities in the Bakken.

The company is now taking advantage of one opportunity.

First Millenium is building a 500-person man camp on County Road 35 (14th Street NW), Watford City. It should be completed by November (2011). County Road 35 is exactly one mile to the west of the turn of highway 85 in south Watford City.

For newbies, Watford City:

• is the gateway to the Teddy Roosevelt National Park, north unit,
• right in the center of the Bakken,
• about 50 miles southeast of Williston -- the heart of the Bakken, and
• home of one of the best steak houses in the country.

The man-camp, or lodge, dining facility will bring gumbo and crawfish to the north.

With regard to the cold weather in North Dakota, this is what I found most telling. From the article:

It can be tough to deal with for the first time but Green said he knows what to expect after years in Massachusetts and Denver.

"I've played in 20 degree below weather before," he said. "I played sleeveless. I've done that. I've practiced in that stuff. When I was in New England and it snowed and was below zero, we practiced outside."

Green said the first thing he plans to when winter hits is find a snowboard and head to the biggest hill he can find.

"I can't wait. I'm a snow guy," Green said.

Others with First Millenium won't be so welcoming when the snow comes. Green is looking forward to seeing their reaction.

"I laugh at all the other guys from Louisiana," he said. "I tell them they are going to have some [rough times]."

First Millenium plans to request a permit for a 1000-person lodge next spring (2012), a major truck stop, and more.

In the oil service industry in the Bakken, I would have to agree that truck stops and truck parking areas are needed most, following housing.

Right now, trucks are parked on every vacant lot, every side in the industrial zone, and to the best of my knowledge, there are no truck stops in the Bakken that can meet the demands of the boom. The first new truck stop to be built in the boom appears to be the one going up north of Williston, on a 720-acre parcel of land, right where the kick-off point for the new Williston truck reliever bypass will begin. Construction on that bypass will begin in 2013.

Anyway, I digress. Go to the Williston Herald link to read the full story. As noted above, my hunch is that the story will be picked up by someone in the national print media.

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A couple last thoughts:

A fair number of folks have written about their concerns regarding man-camps, but I think they are a superb answer to a difficult question. Developers are learning a lot about man-camps, and the lessons they learn will be useful for many things, including natural disasters. Just as Wal-Mart is able to get to a disaster area before FEMA with necessary supplies, man-camp developers may find another niche providing emergency housing for folks affected by natural disasters.

In the Bakken, these man-camps are temporary; they will eventually reach a peak, plateau and then decline. They help prevent over-building permanent housing units, a problem that has plagued cities in previous oil booms.

A second thought: I much appreciate the comment "anonymous" sent to me a long time regarding the "cold" in North Dakota. There's a whole nation north of us (called Canada) with worse winter conditions than North Dakota and that country is doing just fine. Interestingly enough, I have not yet met one Bakken truck driver or rough neck who is afraid of the cold, the snow, or the ice. They respect it but don't fear it. I run into many of them at Home of Economy (my favorite store at the moment) buying winter clothes, preparing for the winter. I think there's something about these guys that love the challenge.

New Extended Stay Value Place Hotel To Be Ready For Occupany Next Spring -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

"Anonymous" alerted me to this story earlier in September, see my quick update, September 9, 2011.

Developers "broke ground" for an extended-stay hotel, Value Place Hotel, for the new Granite Peak development north of Williston.

This is about four miles north of Williston, on US Highway, north on "milliondollarway," I might add. It's on the northeast corner of the Epping turning.

It will sit on the 720-acre industrial park-hotel-truck-stop complex, perhaps the largest complex in the area. The entire site is referred to as the Bakken Industrial Park.

"We have found that Williston is an exceptional place to do business. The 'can do, let's get it done' attitude and the cooperation we have experienced from the city and county has truly been refreshing," Chairman and CEO of Nakota Development of Jacksonville, Fla. Arthur Cahoon said.


The Value Place hotel is slated to open in the late spring of 2012. The hotel will feature 124 all-suite efficiency units each containing its own kitchenette. Pre-opening lease commitments are currently being accepted. Suites will be available for a minimum of one week at a time.

Sunday Night -- Wal-Mart -- Williston, North Dakota -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Of course Wal-Mart would not provide the data if asked, but it sure would be fun to see the sales for the Wal-Mart in Williston compared to any Wal-Mart anywhere else.

Sunday evening we had to pick up a few things -- mostly the old light bulbs before only the funny ones are available at $10 apiece -- so we drove out to Williston Wal-Mart. Traffic was heavy, but nothing compared to what it will be tomorrow, Monday, morning. Dad showed me a "secret" way to get to Wal-Mart to avoid the traffic. Water trucks parked wherever there was an open space. The truck stops along the milliondollarway were full of trucks. It's gonna be a lot better when that 720-acre truck stop north of Williston is completed. Wow -- 720 acres -- a section is 640 acres; there's already a man-camp out there getting ready to start building that truck stop / industrial park.

But Wal-Mart parking lot was full, and the check-out lines were long. Dad normally takes his few grocery items to the jewelry counter, but even that counter was busy tonight, so we did the self-checkout thing -- a first for him. Worked great.

Anyway, in the parking lot as we walked in; the first ten cars we passed: Idaho, Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Idaho, Mississippi, North Dakota, Montana, North Dakota. And one without a license plate, just one of those little "just bought" tags up on the rear window. One of the ten North Dakota plates belonged to us. Seven of the ten were pick-up trucks. The "story" in town is that no one lives in Idaho any more; they have all come to North Dakota. (No cars from Wyoming. Interesting.)

It looks like, for the first time in a long time, some of the eight hotels or so, might have some rooms available. Up until now, no rooms have been available in the eight hotels, but advertising on the electric signs suggest there may be some vacancies.

Even By Bakken Standards, This Is a Huge Story -- New 720-Acre Industrial Park -- Major Truck Stop -- Larger Than A Section -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Link here (regional links break early).

Granite Peak Development, Casper, Wyoming, has broken ground on a new industrial park north of Williston, on US 2.

The 720-acre park will be between 56th and 57th street, about five miles north of Williston (at the Epping turn-off). My original posting regarding the site was incorrect. See comment below. A big "thank you" for "anonymous" for pointing out my mistake.

From the operations manager:

"We plan to announce a major truck stop, restaurants and hotels to anchor the property, along with a significant number of oilfield and construction-related businesses locating in this industrial park," [Terry] Metzler said. 

Many years ago the only truck stop in Williston closed down, and there is currently no "real" truck stop, although the Conoco station on US 2 just south of this new industrial park site has been a de facto truck stop. 

The old truck stop west of Williston closed after trucks put on larger fuel tanks and were able to travel between Fargo, North Dakota, and points in Montana without having to stop in Williston.

Even by the Bakken standards, this new 720-acre industrial park with "major truck stop" is a huge story.

For those doubting the Bakken story, ....

By the way, here is the website for Granite Peak Development in Casper.