Ernest Exploration
Operator of record for 26 catalogued wells across 1 state. Every well below links to its full registry page.
At a glance
Ernest Exploration is the operator of record for 26 catalogued U.S. oil & gas wells in 1 state. 2 (8%) are active, 24 (92%) plugged & abandoned. Its largest concentration is in Illinois, with 26 wells (100% of its portfolio).
Wells operated
26
Active
2
Plugged
24
Orphaned
0
Portfolio by state
| State | Wells |
|---|---|
| Illinois | 26 |
Well mix
- Oil wells
- 10
- Gas wells
- 1
- Shut-in
- 0
- Active share
- 8%
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Claim Ernest Exploration to keep this portfolio accurate — verified operators can correct well statuses and add plugging documentation.
Claim your operator profileWhere does Ernest Exploration operate?
Ernest Exploration's catalogued wells are spread across 1 state: Illinois (26). Its 26 Illinois wells are 0.0% of the 174,478 catalogued in that state — its largest share of any state. Counts cover only states whose registries WellCensus has ingested with operator names; wells in Nebraska and Texas (location indexes) and in states without a registry ingest are not yet attributed to any operator.
How many of Ernest Exploration’s wells are active, plugged or orphaned?
8% of Ernest Exploration's catalogued wells are active, 21 percentage points below the national share of 29%. 92% are plugged & abandoned, against 47% nationally. None of the wells filed under this name is flagged as orphaned.
What kinds of wells does Ernest Exploration operate?
By product class, 10 (38%) are oil wells and 1 (4%) gas wells; nationally the shares are 43% and 17%. The deepest of its wells with a published depth is Hon Unit 1 in White, IL at 4,200 ft. The wells listed below sit in White (IL), Wayne (IL) and Edwards (IL).
Notable wells operated by Ernest Exploration
| Well | API # / state ID | Status | Type | Location | Operator | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hon Unit 1 | 12-193-30532 | Plugged & abandoned | Oil | White, IL | Ernest Exploration, Inc. | 4,200 ft |
| Bunnage Frank 1 | 12-191-30521 | Plugged & abandoned | Oil | Wayne, IL | Ernest Exploration, Inc. | 4,000 ft |
| Yohe Ralph 3 | 12-191-30368 | Plugged & abandoned | Other type | Wayne, IL | Ernest Exploration, Inc. | 3,991 ft |
| Williams, Larry etal 1 | 12-193-30462 | Plugged & abandoned | Other type | White, IL | Ernest Exploration, Inc. | 3,500 ft |
| Hon Spencer 1 | 12-193-30417 | Plugged & abandoned | Other type | White, IL | Ernest Exploration, Inc. | 3,465 ft |
| Fewkes, Herschel 2 | 12-047-22875 | Plugged & abandoned | Injection | Edwards, IL | Ernest Exploration, Inc. | 3,390 ft |
| Madding, C. N. A-1 | 12-191-31876 | Plugged & abandoned | Other type | Wayne, IL | Ernest Exploration, Inc. | 3,363 ft |
| Yohe etal "B" Lse. 1 | 12-191-31674 | Plugged & abandoned | Other type | Wayne, IL | Ernest Exploration, Inc. | 3,350 ft |
| Madding, Conrad 1 | 12-191-30087 | Plugged & abandoned | Oil | Wayne, IL | Ernest Exploration, Inc. | 3,342 ft |
| Longbons 1 | 12-047-22874 | Plugged & abandoned | Oil | Edwards, IL | Ernest Exploration, Inc. | 3,334 ft |
| Atwood-Taylor Unit 1 | 12-191-30294 | Plugged & abandoned | Other type | Wayne, IL | Ernest Exploration, Inc. | 3,318 ft |
| Dalton, Chas. F. 1-SWD | 12-191-30208 | Plugged & abandoned | Injection | Wayne, IL | Ernest Exploration, Inc. | 3,313 ft |
Deepest first where depth is published. See all 26 wells →
Frequently asked questions
How many wells does Ernest Exploration operate?
Ernest Exploration is the operator of record for 26 catalogued oil & gas wells, with the largest concentration in Illinois (26). Only wells in states WellCensus has ingested are counted.
How many of Ernest Exploration's wells are still active?
2 of Ernest Exploration's catalogued wells are active; 24 are plugged & abandoned.
In which states does Ernest Exploration operate wells?
Ernest Exploration is the operator of record for wells in Illinois (26).
Does Ernest Exploration operate mostly oil or gas wells?
10 of Ernest Exploration's catalogued wells are oil wells and 1 are gas wells; the rest are injection, service or unclassified wells.
What is Ernest Exploration's deepest well?
Among wells with a published depth, Hon Unit 1 in White, IL is the deepest at 4,200 ft.
Where Ernest Exploration's wells are
About this data
Source: State oil & gas regulator registries (operator of record as filed, exact-normalized across states) plus the USGS United States Documented Orphaned Well Database (2026), as published October 10, 2026 — WellCensus refreshes it monthly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: WellCensus, “Ernest Exploration — well portfolio”, https://wellcensus.com/operators/ernest-exploration-97730 (data as of October 10, 2026).
Dataset updated . Operator portfolios are resolved from raw state registry filings (exact-normalized names; subsidiaries stay separate).