- 5 weeks ago
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Short filmTranscript
00:00The Buck and Oil Boom, where there's a big cost to making big bucks.
00:06It pays well, but it sure takes a toll on you.
00:09These guys spend more time with one another than they spend at home with their own families.
00:13When you're up here and you're working $100 a week?
00:15It's not a good place to drag a woman to.
00:17No.
00:17She wasn't a full-time mom and a full-time wife.
00:20She'd be very successful at the whole clothing thing.
00:23You are so stupid!
00:25Words hurt!
00:25You're living a whole different lifestyle out here for sure.
00:28Oh, Jesus!
00:30You're just kind of being rude just to be rude.
00:32He was being so nice.
00:32I just thought he was the nicest guy ever.
00:35Here comes the chaos.
00:36Oh, Lord.
00:38I'm gonna break, I'm gonna break mine, gonna break my rusty cage.
00:46I'm gonna break, I'm gonna break mine, gonna break my rusty cage.
01:00Tioga, North Dakota.
01:01Tioga, North Dakota.
01:02A rainstorm has just blown through this stretch of the Bakken oil fields, and now the parting
01:07clouds are revealing a new fixture on the prairie skyline.
01:11This is Patterson UTI RIG 286, a $25 million technically advanced showpiece that has yet to drill a single hole, but that should change today.
01:23We got it rigged up and was actually ready to start drilling on Sunday, but we got a lot of rain Saturday and Sunday on up into Monday.
01:32And the state had closed all the county roads, so I couldn't get my directional tools in.
01:39I couldn't get my case in, so we had to wait until they could lift the load restrictions on the road.
01:45The Bakken boom is stressing rural roads to the limit.
01:48Originally built for small populations and farm vehicles, the old roads are barely holding up under the strain of oil industry trucks.
01:56Add heavy rain to the problem, and everything can grind to a halt.
02:01286 is being leased by Liberty Resources, and every minute it's not drilling is lost revenue.
02:07Nearly two days? That's $100,000 just to sit here waiting on them to lift the load restrictions so we can get equipment in.
02:18A week ago, this patch of land was bare.
02:21Now, 286 is ready to drill two miles down and another two miles out.
02:28Hey, do you know how much more we like being ready to have a safety meeting?
02:32Doug Thornton is Liberty's drilling coordinator here.
02:34For the next five months, his job is to oversee drilling at all seven wells on this location.
02:42We're ready to sit in action.
02:43From me all the way down to the floor hands.
02:47Expectations are high for this new rig, but Doug's first priority is orienting a crew that has little experience working together.
02:55They're all just getting together for the first time.
02:58This is a brand new rig to everybody.
03:00They're still trying to learn some of the features as well as me.
03:04It's going to take a little while for everybody to get in the groove.
03:06I know a lot of y'all's not used to working with one another, trying to find out one another's strengths and weaknesses as a crew.
03:12I know that's going to take some time.
03:14If we take our time and we do it right from the beginning, the speed will come later as y'all come together as a crew and understand how one another works.
03:22Over the years, Doug's broken ground with a lot of new crews on sites all across the country.
03:28Oil runs in his veins.
03:30I guess you could say I was born in it.
03:32My family's chased their eggs all over the United States and South America.
03:37I've raised a family, a wife and four kids, and I can't say that we've ever really wanted for anything.
03:44The work's always been there, and the oil field's been good to me.
03:47I can explain time.
03:50That's not a problem.
03:51Why somebody got hurt, why something got tore up, or why we spilled anything, I can't come up with enough excuses.
03:59Because at the end of the day, whatever excuse I give, it should have never have happened.
04:03So let's just take our time, do it right.
04:07I know we can do it.
04:08I know we can do it.
04:38Ray's parents are arriving from California.
04:41Ray's parents have never been to the Bakken.
04:43They've never been to North Dakota.
04:45We're going to try to keep it friendly.
04:47Show them the best that the Bakken has to offer.
04:51Now you guys know that you're going to have to tone down the language in front of Papa and Grandma,
04:56because you know how that upsets them.
04:59Roger and Pauline Sr. have lived in California for most of their lives.
05:04Until Ray and Deanna moved their family to North Dakota, Ray's parents were always close by.
05:13They even lived under the same roof when times got tough.
05:16Mom has always been just the stellar housekeeper, cook, you know, mom extraordinaire.
05:23Can't get enough of you kids.
05:25Will we get an open house?
05:26I feel like I could never live up to that.
05:30Dad's had a rough time with some surgeries this year.
05:33He's on the rebound now, and it's good to see him able to travel out here.
05:39Ray's parents don't like all the shenanigans.
05:42There's a lot of noise.
05:43There's a lot of talking.
05:44There's a lot of insanity.
05:45I do not expect this to be two weeks of bliss at all.
05:49Now I gotta say, it's payback time.
05:58Back at the house, Pauline and Roger are barely unpacked before the chaos rears its head.
06:04The door to the cap.
06:05You are the one that opened it.
06:06You are so stupid.
06:08Mariah.
06:09Like I said, words hurt.
06:12Words are so hurtful.
06:13It's definitely a challenge.
06:17Living a whole different lifestyle out here for sure.
06:21Our grandparents, we had like a very unique bond because we've lived with them for a lot of our lives.
06:28The night before they were leaving, the night they left, this is what the car looked like.
06:32When the economy slumped in 2008, Ray and Deanna moved their family into his parents' home in Rancho Mirage, California.
06:39They didn't have any choice.
06:40They lived with us.
06:41It was hard to find work there.
06:42She was an interior decorator.
06:44The company that he was working for went out of business.
06:47They just couldn't find anything that was enough money to support their family to move out on their own.
06:53And that's why they stayed with us as long as they did.
06:56With money running low and no sign of economic recovery in California, the seniors moved to the Bakken, where the economy is growing five times faster than the rest of the U.S.
07:06It wasn't long before the family that couldn't afford a home of their own was able to purchase a brand new $300,000 house in Williston, North Dakota.
07:15It was a happy day.
07:17It was a sad day.
07:18It was a sad day.
07:19Happy for them.
07:20Sad for us.
07:21The seniors aren't the only family to leave their loved ones behind in search of a better future in the oil boom.
07:27But picking up her old relationships left off can be harder than expected.
07:32Tony Miller is an oil worker who's struggling to find balance.
07:39Originally from Wyoming, Tony moved to the Bakken three years ago.
07:43Before the oil field, I was a carpenter for 12 years.
07:46I don't want days off.
07:48I just work.
07:48You know what I mean?
07:49For single men, working long hours in an area with very few single women comes at a price.
07:55Tony makes around $100,000 a year in the oil field and drives both a Corvette and a new pickup.
08:02But he's reached a major crossroads in his life.
08:05I personally don't have any kids.
08:07I don't have a wife.
08:08Absolutely, it'd be nice with the right person.
08:11I am 35 years old, so I personally wouldn't want to be sitting in a wheelchair playing catch with my kid.
08:17But if it's going to happen, it better happen soon.
08:23You're good.
08:24Tony's desire to start a family may soon become a reality.
08:28He's arranged a date this week with an old flame.
08:32While helping his friend Derek Dove move, Tony explains his hopes for the upcoming reunion.
08:38My lady friend, Ashley, I'm going to pick her up in Minot.
08:40It's a girl I met when I was in Jackson, and I think I was 25.
08:46Things didn't work out for certain reasons.
08:48She ended up moving down to Denver to work for a credit card company.
08:50And we didn't talk for a long time, for almost three years.
08:53And out of nowhere, she called me up.
08:56And since then, we became friends.
08:58We hang out every once in a while.
09:00How often is she busy?
09:02First time?
09:03Yeah, this is the first time she just came to visit me.
09:05I was in for a treat.
09:06Absolutely.
09:09When we first came up here, there were no girls.
09:12No, not at all.
09:13It was bad news.
09:15It's not like it's good news now, but the odds have changed.
09:21Beggars can't be choosers.
09:24Take what you can get.
09:26I love Bud Light.
09:26What are you talking about?
09:27No, no, no.
09:28I'm talking about the girls.
09:29Oh.
09:30And honestly, when you're up here and you're working 100 hours a week, 100 plus hours a week,
09:35um, what girl is going to stick with you through that?
09:48Here comes the chaos.
09:50Oh, Lord.
09:50Why is it so heavy?
09:54Oh, wow.
09:55Cindy's got the wine.
09:56It's only day two of Roger and Pauline Sr.'s visit to North Dakota,
10:00and they're already learning what it's like to be a Boomtowner.
10:05Oh, my God.
10:07The bag is broken.
10:09Life is chaos in this house.
10:12It is totally crazy.
10:15What's our fault?
10:16That is a thing that I...
10:17Summer.
10:17Oh.
10:18Come on, gun.
10:19I think I got the chicken.
10:20Come on, Grandma.
10:21Scoot on in.
10:22Yeah?
10:22I'll sit in here.
10:23Sit right here.
10:24Sit and eat, Mom.
10:25Huh?
10:25Sit and eat.
10:26The seniors used to make a point of eating together nightly.
10:29Now, work schedules, particularly Ray's, who supervises oil production on 14 wells, have made family
10:36dinners like this comparatively rare.
10:38In a few months, all four children will be adolescents.
10:4216-year-old Logan is already causing his family concern.
10:46Yep.
10:46He's trying to get out.
10:47I got my mask on.
10:49Logan is a very strong-minded, strong-willed person.
10:52He has his own set of rules.
10:55He kind of does his own thing, acts up a little bit sometimes, a little overbearing, but he
11:01really cares about his family.
11:03If you drink that, I will cut off your arm.
11:06Is that him?
11:07I don't, Kylie.
11:08As usual, Ray Sr. is never far from work, though his job in the oil field provides a
11:13quality of life the family never knew back in California.
11:17Working for Big Oil means big responsibility.
11:20To add to his long hours, Ray's position as a pump supervisor requires him to be on call
11:25around the clock.
11:27Tonight is no exception.
11:29See, 400 barrels.
11:32That's, uh, yeah, I'll be able to make it.
11:34Recent rains have washed out roads, and oil truck traffic across the region has been
11:39affected.
11:40Ray's company must now play catch-up, and they're not waiting for morning.
11:45Road restrictions, yeah.
11:46He looks stressed, so I think we should all leave.
11:48It's the one thing that bothers me, because I think they need to start showing more respect
11:52to their parents, because they are their parents.
11:54They're trying to do the best they can, and a lot of times they come home and they're tired
11:57and they're irritable because they have had a busy day or they've had a lot of things
12:01on their mind.
12:02Except, no, you got to do it like this.
12:03Ray has to leave immediately, and he'll likely be gone all night.
12:09Living in the Bakken means making work a priority, a sacrifice not every member of the senior
12:14family agrees with.
12:16I am thankful for what he's done for us.
12:19He has provided for us every step of the way.
12:21But I'm sure that him coming home exhausted and tired certainly deterred me from wanting
12:27to follow in his footsteps.
12:29See, this pretty face does not belong in an oil field.
12:33So each morning before school, eldest son Logan is busy preparing for his own future.
12:40I want to become a psychiatrist, and the reason why I want to become a psychiatrist is just
12:45to kind of explore the field of the mind and kind of figure out why we do what we do.
12:54Logan's escape plan is to attend an out-of-state college, and competitive swimming is his way
12:58of stacking the deck in his favor.
13:01You can be a 4.0 and get in, yeah, but, you know, I'm not fantastic.
13:05You know, I've got a 3.5 right now, which isn't terrible, but if I letter each year in swimming...
13:09Logan practices at the newly constructed ARC, a $75 million recreation facility that speaks
13:16to the progress of the boom.
13:20It's kind of a little bit of a stress reliever in a way.
13:22A lot of people use it for therapeutic reasons.
13:24I guess I may be able to throw my name under that belt because I just kind of swim, and
13:28I become laid back, and I'm just, you know, everything just becomes a little bit easier
13:31in life.
13:33I don't know.
13:33I've just been a little bit angrier because I've been snapping a little bit more.
13:36I don't know if it's just the stress from school, just kind of stress just released
13:40from school, but, yeah, I've had a little bit of an attitude.
13:43Logan, school day.
13:45Get out.
13:46Logan's new attitude has led to a rash of rebellious behavior at home, particularly
13:50directed towards his father.
13:52Get up, sit down, damn.
13:54He's challenging me to where it's almost like, hey, I want to fight you kind of a challenge.
13:59It's begun to affect the entire family.
14:02Your being honest is being kind of a bully.
14:05Whatever.
14:05So stop.
14:06I'm investing 110% in all my kids, but I can't have one tainting the waters for the
14:13other three.
14:15Logan has been well-behaved as of late, and the family hopes the next outburst will wait
14:19until after the grandparents leave.
14:26Sean Banks is a family man and a part-time oil worker.
14:30But his real passion is spreading the word of God.
14:36His evangelizing often takes him to this church-run soup kitchen, where new arrivals from every
14:41corner of the country come in search of a fresh start.
14:4490% of our guests, that's what we call them, are gentlemen that have come in to find the new life, whatever it is.
14:54You hear it all over the news, come to Williston, there's jobs, there's jobs, there's jobs.
14:58But it doesn't say that there's housing or affordable housing.
15:03Williston's unemployment rate is less than 1%, so it's no wonder job seekers are flocking there.
15:08But with inflated living costs and rental rates higher than in New York and San Francisco,
15:14Bakken veterans advise newcomers to arrive with a plan for food and housing.
15:18This church helps provide for those who don't.
15:21Father God, Lord, we thank you for today.
15:23The secondary thing is to feed people.
15:26We don't just want to tell people about Jesus.
15:28We want them to know we love them, we care about them, we're concerned that they've fallen into hard times.
15:34Katie, did you ever find a place for your trailer?
15:36No, we're still looking, we're still looking for work.
15:39What are you trying to do for work?
15:41I'm certified in welding, but being I have a felony on my record, it's hard for me to get jobs around the oil field.
15:49Josh, you got work out here?
15:51I've been looking.
15:53I just got out of jail.
15:54It's all good, I've been to jail.
15:56Trying to stay sober.
15:57Good for you.
15:58So, here's my point.
16:00The only one who can wipe away your sins...
16:04The man upstairs.
16:04...is Jesus.
16:05But remember...
16:06But while Sean counsels others, his own problems remain close at hand.
16:12The Bible says that if a man can't provide for his family, that he's worse than a non-believer.
16:17It says that if a man won't work, don't let him eat.
16:20Sean only works part-time in the oil field, and he's just barely making enough money to support his family of four.
16:27Boy, it'd be nice to have more money than we do, but, you know, we gladly serve the king.
16:32We're going to feast, we're going to feast, and then we're going to feast some more on the word of God.
16:38So, while Sean spreads the word and volunteers at the soup kitchen, his wife, Brooke, is busy cooking up her own plan to bolster the family finances.
16:47It's a clothing boutique online for women.
16:49It has accessories and clothes and all the fun stuff.
16:52I was starting to get into a college for fashion, and then Sean proposed, and then we got married, and then I moved out here.
17:00Brooke's entree back into the fashion world is called Northern Belle Boutique.
17:05She just got a license to purchase clothes from wholesalers.
17:07Now, she'll sell those clothes to the ladies of the Bakken through the boutique's Facebook page and out of her house.
17:14The legal stuff and the sales tax stuff and all that can be a little overwhelming at first, but I think I'll get the hang of it pretty quick.
17:21If Brooke can get the hang of it, Northern Belle could be the answer to the bank's financial problems.
17:26It could get big if the Lord allows that.
17:29This state of the art rig in Tioga, North Dakota, is about to drill for the very first time.
17:45The better the technology gets, the faster these wells will go.
17:49Four years ago, these were taking 26, 30-something days to drill, and now these companies are getting them down where it's like 12 to 14 days.
17:59A drill bit consisting of man-made diamonds is attached to a powerful motor that is capable of adjusting the rotation, the direction, and weight of the drill.
18:09Just above, a series of high-tech sensors provide an ongoing, real-time survey of the well as it's being drilled.
18:16Everything is controlled from here.
18:19Ten years ago, this would actually be called a driller's console.
18:22Now, this is called a cyber chair.
18:24This is where the driller operates the entire rig.
18:27It's basically like playing a video game.
18:30The driller controls the weight, speed, and direction of the drill string.
18:35You know, it's a science for the driller.
18:37As you get down to, like, a sandstone where it starts getting hard,
18:41then we'll slow the rotary down and add more weight to it to push through it.
18:47This rig is breaking ground for the very first time.
18:50Once drilling begins, fluids are pumped down the hole to lubricate and cool the bed.
18:57This mud then returns to the surface with the drill cuttings.
19:00As that fluid comes up, it's bringing cuttings back up out of the hole from where that drill bit is cutting into the dirt,
19:08and it comes over shell shakers.
19:10The shell shakers have screens on them that'll shake the cuttings out,
19:14and it lets the fluid go back into the pits where we can reuse it.
19:18Once a section of the well is drilled, steel pipe casing is inserted and cemented in place.
19:23When all the casing is down hole, the hydraulic fracking team will take over.
19:30Using high-pressure pumps, they'll fracture the shell with liquid and sand,
19:34liberating the oil so that it can go into production.
19:37When it goes to frack, they shouldn't have to do anything but come in here and rig up their equipment.
19:44The pad is just like we found it, except it's got well heads on it.
19:48Liberty employs cutting-edge drilling and fracking techniques
19:51that can make these wells the most productive in the entire region.
19:55While the average Bakken well produces 500,000 barrels of oil in its lifetime,
20:00each of the seven wells on this site could produce a million barrels.
20:04But that capacity will only be reached if Doug and his team get it right.
20:15So here's kind of what we're going to do today.
20:18What we're going to do is we're going to do a little bit of recon work.
20:20Jerry Knowles has spent decades in the oil industry,
20:23but he's never seen anything like what's happening in the Bakken.
20:28North Dakota really represents a once-in-a-lifetime thing.
20:32It's an event.
20:33And it's one of the few times that within our lifetime we'll ever see this level of growth
20:38and activity in such a concentrated area.
20:41And that's really what sets it apart from anything else that's occurred anywhere else in the world.
20:46Jerry is the CEO and Technical Director at Coilchem, a company that develops oil and gas technology,
20:54including the recycling of wastewater from well sites.
20:57Documents.
20:58Son-in-law Justin Heake works for Coilchem's Texas office.
21:02He's probably one of the smartest guys in the oil field that I know and take everything he tells me to heart.
21:10This is his first time to the Bakken, and so it's an opportunity for him to really see this area
21:16and what a true boom and bust market looks like.
21:19Justin is now part of Jerry's family, and it's an oil family.
21:23Jerry knows well the rewards the industry offers
21:26and is trying to capture his piece of the Bakken's billion-dollar chemical business.
21:31But life in the oil fields isn't always easy.
21:34Does it pay well?
21:36Yeah, it pays well, but it sure takes a toll on you.
21:39It takes a toll on your family life, and it takes a toll on everything else.
21:44The challenge is to be able to find balance within that.
21:47Part of that balance comes from the tremendous opportunities found in this boom.
21:54The Bakken has really changed the landscape,
21:57and it's really moved us closer to energy independence.
22:02It isn't long before Jerry and Justin arrive at North Dakota's famous badlands.
22:08The area that we're in right now is the Little Missouri grassland,
22:12but I wanted to show you something.
22:13You know, not only is this extremely beautiful in the way that this is laid out,
22:17but when you look at this rock formation, when you look at these cutaways,
22:22this provides you with a very good visualization
22:25as to what a shale reservoir actually looks like.
22:29Now, if you can imagine we're at a depth of 10,000 feet,
22:33that's what you would see down hole.
22:34It gives you a good visualization
22:36as to how that band would run across a large landmass.
22:42I've never seen an oil field this big.
22:45Drill sites everywhere, fracking going on.
22:49It's a man who could stay busy and provide for his family for a long time in this area.
22:58The Badlands are impressive at any time of year, even in winter.
23:02Environmental blogger Jim Foogley has been here many times.
23:06His passion for the area grows stronger with each visit.
23:09I was state tourism director for eight years,
23:12and obviously that deepened my concern for the Badlands.
23:15That's where we want to send our tourists,
23:17that we send them to Medora, to Theater Roosevelt National Park.
23:22Today, Jim is a political blogger,
23:24and a lot of his focus is on the Badlands and the boom.
23:28The Badlands right now are right there on the other side of this fence.
23:32The reason we're taking the circuitous route to the park
23:37is I wanted to show up the oil development right on the park boundary.
23:42While the park is protected from development,
23:44the federal grasslands just outside the park boundary is not.
23:49Government's telling us we should protect and enjoy them.
23:52The problem is, of course,
23:53that probably the minerals underneath this federal land are privately owned,
23:57and the mineral owner has a right to go in and get them.
23:59The mineral ownership trumps the surface ownership.
24:04Jim has journeyed to the town of Medora
24:06to meet with Eileen Andes,
24:08chief of interpretation of public affairs
24:10for the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
24:13This area is within, it's less than a mile from our boundary.
24:17Yeah, I can see three new well sites there.
24:20Those roads are going there.
24:21It looks to me like there's a half a mile,
24:24probably from...
24:25It's pretty close.
24:26At the most, from the park boundary.
24:27Right.
24:28That's crazy.
24:32Though new drilling and fracking technologies
24:34have drastically decreased the amount of land used for oil production,
24:38signs of the boom can be seen outside the park's borders.
24:43When I was up on Buck Hill last summer,
24:45I stood there and I could see something like two dozen flares from Buck Hill.
24:50And I said,
24:50my God, this is Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
24:53What if he were here today and saw those flares surrounding the park?
24:55He wouldn't like that very much, I don't think.
25:01Ready?
25:01Yeah.
25:02Okay.
25:03Let's go.
25:05Tony Miller has invited former girlfriend Ashley Hutchison
25:08to visit him from Denver, Colorado.
25:11It's Ashley's first trip to the Bakken.
25:13I was a little surprised, you know, when we walked in.
25:16The atmosphere was beautiful.
25:18Because males hold 90% of oil field jobs,
25:22there are far more men than women in the Bakken,
25:24making dates like this a rare sight.
25:27Sake, sake.
25:28Oh my God, no more, no more, no more.
25:34Really?
25:35Shut your mouth.
25:37Enough.
25:37I have to go home with him.
25:39No, thank you.
25:40I'm good.
25:42That was all you got?
25:43Weak.
25:45I'm fine.
25:47I haven't been in a relationship as seriously as me and Ashley.
25:54There's times we didn't get along great,
25:56but that goes with any relationship.
26:00And the three years that we spent apart was huge.
26:04It wasn't like I still didn't think about her.
26:06I'm very happy that you came to see me.
26:10You do mean a lot to me.
26:11So I'm giving you bullsh**t.
26:13I am.
26:14Tonight was amazing.
26:18Whatever happens, happens.
26:20Regardless of where it stops or starts or ends,
26:24I love you to death.
26:26You mean the world to it.
26:27I love you, Tony Jo.
26:31Tony is one of the most genuine people that I've ever known.
26:36He always has my back no matter what.
26:39And there are very few people in life that you can,
26:42or that I can say that about.
26:44It's taken him a while to get to a place in life
26:47where I think he's truly happy with who he is.
26:49And he's very work-oriented.
26:52That is what makes him happy.
26:54That's what he wants to do with his life.
26:56Hello?
26:58Hey, I got all that.
27:04No, no.
27:05I got, I got all the cheap tools with me.
27:11Well, they are the cheap tools.
27:14He'll be here for a while.
27:15He's doing really well with his career.
27:17I'm very happy for him.
27:19I'm very proud of him for that.
27:20But I'm pretty happy in Denver.
27:22Cheers to you.
27:23I thought I got another shot of sake,
27:28but you shut me down.
27:29What the is going on?
27:31Yeah.
27:32One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, done.
27:38Yeah.
27:39You're a horrible shot.
27:40You only get an eight for that.
27:41You suck.
27:42How long have you been here?
27:44A year.
27:44I would have fired you.
27:46You're saying.
27:47You literally had to knock it all over your face.
27:50That's why I would have fired him.
27:53All right, here you go.
27:55Come on.
27:56Thank you very much.
27:58We appreciate it.
27:59Thank you, sir.
28:00When you get a little bit better, we'll come back.
28:02Oh, yeah.
28:03All right, all right.
28:04Perfect.
28:06You're such a dick.
28:08You want me to do nice?
28:12We're just such different people than we used to be,
28:14and obviously it didn't work out the first time,
28:15so I don't know what it would be like the second time.
28:19I definitely don't want to put my eggs in any basket
28:23that it's not a sure thing.
28:26You're just saying you can't be too nice.
28:28You can't be too nice.
28:30You let him think he's good, you lose.
28:33Deep in the North Dakota winter,
28:44Jim Foogley and ranger Eileen Andes
28:46are making a pilgrimage to the site
28:48of Theodore Roosevelt's legendary Elkhorn Ranch.
28:52They find the road leading to it
28:53shows common signs of the oil boom.
28:55I'm seeing more development
29:00every time I come out to the Elkhorn.
29:02It's surprising.
29:04It seems like there's a change every time I come out.
29:07Wow.
29:08It's a new drilling pad, I'd say.
29:11I don't think I've ever seen one at this early stage.
29:14They're just getting going.
29:16Huh.
29:17That's something.
29:18Yeah, it's pretty close to the road.
29:20It really is.
29:21It's right on the road.
29:24Huh.
29:25Well, you know, TR,
29:27he wouldn't like the way it looks right now.
29:28I mean, he was a, you know, a wise use guy.
29:32He believed in multiple use,
29:33but he wouldn't like this.
29:38What Roosevelt liked
29:39was a small valley along the Little Missouri River.
29:42It was here that the 26th president
29:44developed his deep appreciation
29:46for the American West and conservation.
29:50This landscape looks pretty much
29:53the way it did when Roosevelt was here.
29:56You know, lots of people forget that,
29:57but it's been 130 years,
29:59and I bet it hasn't changed a bit.
30:01He said,
30:02I never would have become president
30:04were it not for my time in Dakota.
30:07Because of his time here
30:09and his experiences
30:10and what he heard and saw,
30:12he set aside over 230 million acres of land
30:15as president.
30:16Isn't that amazing?
30:17Including five national parks
30:19and 18 national monuments.
30:22In this remote and protected area,
30:24the boom is almost invisible.
30:27Almost.
30:28Most of the skyline hasn't changed.
30:31There is that one oil well south of here.
30:34It was put in a while ago
30:36during a time when development wasn't as heavy.
30:41You can't let up.
30:42You can't turn your back.
30:44You always have to work at it
30:46because if we lose a place like this,
30:49if we lose the possibility of experiences
30:52like we have at the Elkhorn,
30:55once they're gone, they're gone,
30:56and we can't get them back.
30:58Turn your chin to the shoulder a little bit more.
31:08Perfect.
31:09A fashion shoot is the last thing
31:11you'd expect to find in the Bakken.
31:13A place for coveralls
31:14and fire-resistant workwear
31:15is the standard attire.
31:17The guys are just wearing their FRs
31:19and all their oil-filled stuff.
31:22Well, the girls,
31:23they're wanting to shop.
31:24Have you turned around for me real quick?
31:26The boom has brought high salaries
31:28and many women have disposable income.
31:31The average oil field worker in the Bakken
31:33makes over $110,000 a year.
31:36Brooke's hoping some of that income
31:37goes towards women's clothing.
31:39I really want to be able to serve the girls
31:41here in Williston to be able to shop
31:43and the boom does it all
31:45just because then people can afford clothing.
31:48Brooke's opening an online boutique
31:50to help bring in a little extra income
31:51for her family.
31:53And the clothing on these models
31:55will soon be for sale
31:56on her brand-new website.
31:57I followed and bought
31:59from several online boutiques
32:00and finally I'm like,
32:02I should just start my own.
32:04It's Brooke's first attempt
32:06at running her own business.
32:07For now, husband Sean
32:09is on the sidelines.
32:10But he has clear beliefs
32:12about roles and responsibilities.
32:14I'm super proud of Brooke.
32:15She's super talented
32:16and if she wasn't a full-time mom
32:19and a full-time wife,
32:21she'd be very successful
32:23at the whole clothing thing.
32:24A little bit less of a tug right there.
32:27The Bible says that
32:28if a man does not provide for his family,
32:30he's worse than an unbeliever.
32:33It's our conviction
32:34that God hasn't made her shoulders
32:36broad enough to carry that weight.
32:38The money that she makes
32:39off of the clothing
32:40will never be used
32:41to support the family.
32:42That's my gig.
32:44Come on up here, bubs.
32:45As a part-time oil worker and pastor,
32:49Sean knows nothing about fashion.
32:52But if Brooke's company
32:53becomes successful,
32:54he will make it his business.
32:57Literally.
32:58Maybe I would have to transition
32:59to be the person overseeing things
33:02and Brooke could buy the clothes.
33:04Beautiful girls.
33:05But Brooke may have a different plan.
33:08The best case would be
33:10that Sean could be full-time
33:11evangelizing, pastoring,
33:13and that he could just be
33:14my main guy
33:15that can go run
33:16to the post office
33:17in the mornings for me.
33:18Okay, and then grab arms.
33:20Yep.
33:22Awesome.
33:24Brooke's first duty is to Jesus,
33:26then to me,
33:27and then to the kids.
33:29I'm sure a lot of people
33:30will hear this
33:31and think that I'm chauvinistic
33:33or whatever else it is.
33:35And I would just encourage those people.
33:37We're just trying
33:38to live by the scripture.
33:46It's Roger and Pauline Sr.'s
33:48last day in North Dakota,
33:50and emotions are running
33:51especially high today.
33:53Logan!
33:53It's all gone.
33:54Trust me.
33:55What's wrong, buddy?
33:56Logan.
33:58What did you have?
34:02A minor incident
34:04between the two boys
34:05has sparked a fight,
34:06and it's escalating quickly.
34:08Dylan's upset for some reason.
34:09Yeah, that was me.
34:11What do you mean
34:11that was you?
34:12He was being a fanny,
34:14if you will.
34:15I was just trying to get in.
34:17Yeah, but like,
34:18I opened up the door
34:19and he wouldn't let me through,
34:20so finally I forcibly opened the door.
34:22This is like 10 minutes ago.
34:24I'm sure he said mean things.
34:26I didn't say any mean things.
34:27Grandma was there.
34:28Did I say any mean things?
34:29You shouldn't show it.
34:30Yeah, that's not good.
34:31Logan's a pretty good kid.
34:33He doesn't get in trouble, really.
34:34He just is kind of a jerk sometimes.
34:39That's just being a bully.
34:40No, he's not stealing, Logan.
34:42Okay.
34:44We raised a bully.
34:45What?
34:46Whoa.
34:47Say it again.
34:48So what are you going to do?
34:49Logan!
34:50The day I feel like
34:51I've got to hit you
34:52is the day that you're
34:53going to be out of the house.
34:54Trust me.
34:55Sooner than you think
34:56if you keep going down this road.
34:58Whatever.
35:01Not a bully.
35:03I chalk it up
35:04to being 16 years old
35:05and learning
35:06and he's kind of learning
35:07the hard way right now
35:09because he's pushing his limits
35:10and he's pushing them too far.
35:12It's disheartening, son.
35:13You're disheartening.
35:14You're ignorant
35:15and you don't understand
35:17and you weren't there.
35:18I could go on.
35:19The one short two-minute thing
35:22where I disrespected my father,
35:24just a hair.
35:26I was out the next day.
35:27I went and lived with my sister
35:28and shortly afterwards
35:29I joined the Navy.
35:30You guys don't get it.
35:32Literally.
35:32Logan!
35:32It was a three-minute thing.
35:34Yeah, I do.
35:35I try to talk it up to you.
35:37It's so not difficult
35:38to understand.
35:39He just wouldn't let me
35:40in through the door.
35:41I got upset
35:42and then I pushed him
35:43because he wouldn't let me
35:44in through the door.
35:45Right, but Logan.
35:45Who started it?
35:46Who started it?
35:48Stop.
35:48But you keep doing it
35:49over and over and over.
35:51Okay.
35:51When you do something
35:52over and over and over,
35:53what is that called?
35:54It's called pretty much stupidity.
35:56No, it isn't.
35:56It's actually called insanity.
35:58It's disrespectful.
35:59It's mean.
36:00You don't talk to your mother
36:01or dad that way.
36:03You definitely don't
36:03talk to your brother.
36:06Let's get ready
36:07to go to the airport.
36:08Let's go.
36:08We're going to the airport.
36:10Roger, let's go.
36:13I'm definitely ready to go.
36:14Done.
36:16I don't care about Logan.
36:17He can stay here.
36:18He's very disrespectful.
36:19We're not leaving Logan.
36:21He's not staying here alone.
36:23Get in the back, guys.
36:25Load up, girls.
36:39The senior family's
36:40dropping off Ray's parents
36:41at the Williston airport.
36:43A fight between Logan
36:44and the rest of the family
36:45is still fresh.
36:47Oh, I mean,
36:49I obviously don't feel
36:50good about it.
36:51I wish I could go back
36:52and tell myself
36:53not to do anything stupid.
36:55Like, if it was yesterday
36:56or the day before,
36:57like, that wouldn't have been
36:58like a big deal.
36:59Heck, my grandma
37:00would have already
37:00forgotten about it
37:01and nobody would have cared
37:02and that would have been it.
37:04But, gosh, like,
37:05on their last day
37:06we had to just fight.
37:08So they're going to have
37:08a negative connotation
37:10on this trip
37:10because I was a jackass.
37:12We didn't want them
37:16to go back to California.
37:18It was, like,
37:19a very emotional moment.
37:20So we were all, like,
37:21bawling and everything.
37:24Though boomtowns
37:25offer the promise
37:26of wealth and riches,
37:27the people who choose
37:28to participate
37:29are often forced
37:30to make difficult decisions.
37:32Being separated
37:33from loved ones
37:34is one of them.
37:35It is hard
37:37being so far apart
37:39and I miss the,
37:41I guess,
37:42the friendships
37:43with them both.
37:44Well, we are going
37:45to miss you all.
37:46We've had such a good time.
37:47It has been nice.
37:49Lots of drama always.
37:51It wouldn't be your family
37:52if it wasn't.
37:54It's a 1,500-mile flight
37:56to Palm Springs,
37:57about four and a half hours.
37:59That's a long haul
38:00for 86-year-old Roger Sr.
38:03It was also tough
38:05seeing Ray's dad
38:06here this time
38:07because he was
38:08very fragile.
38:11And, um,
38:15I don't know.
38:15I don't know
38:16when the next time
38:16is we're going to see him.
38:20He's had some close calls
38:21with some of the surgeries
38:22he's had
38:22and I think he realizes
38:23he needs to make sure
38:26that the kids know
38:26how much he loves them.
38:35Hey, babe,
38:41I'm going to check my sales
38:43real quick, too.
38:47Brooke Banks'
38:48online clothing boutique
38:49is only days old
38:50and it's already generating
38:52interest and sales.
38:54Potential is huge
38:55for Facebook boutiques
38:56and online boutiques.
38:57everybody pretty much
39:00is on Facebook
39:00and girls love
39:02seeing things
39:03in their newsfeed.
39:03They love seeing, um,
39:05people put together
39:06outfits for them.
39:07But, and she's wearing
39:08them with heels
39:09and I have another girl
39:10who's wearing them
39:10with gladiator sandals.
39:12Gladiator sandals.
39:13They're sandals
39:14that are called
39:14gladiator sandals
39:16that women wear.
39:17Mm-hmm.
39:19Sean and Fashion
39:20are...
39:20what?
39:23Are you making fun
39:25of me in the picture?
39:25No, I just don't know
39:27the hipster pants,
39:29I guess, obviously.
39:30They are a hipster.
39:30They're $1,000
39:31and we've been up
39:33for four days.
39:35Our best first giveaway
39:36already reached
39:37$4,286.
39:39That's good.
39:41I'm going to take you.
39:42Okay.
39:43Okay.
39:43He will always make sure
39:45that he is the provider
39:46of the family.
39:47He is obviously
39:48the head of this company,
39:50but he lets me
39:51do the picking
39:52of clothes out.
39:53But Sean's role
39:54in the company
39:55has been a matter
39:56of much debate.
39:58Would I be the president
39:59or would you be the president?
40:00I would be the president.
40:01You'd get to be vice.
40:03Vice president.
40:05If that was the...
40:05The big P.
40:06The big P?
40:07With a little V?
40:09No, I'm the big P.
40:11Oh, okay.
40:12So, yeah,
40:13whatever,
40:13whatever that takes.
40:14Yeah.
40:15So.
40:16The godly woman
40:17in Proverbs 31,
40:18she buys and sells
40:20and does a whole bunch
40:21of things.
40:22She's a very industrious woman.
40:23So the Bible
40:24has no problem with that,
40:26but the responsibility
40:27is on the man.
40:28And it's really cool
40:29because God's ways
40:30are the best ways.
40:31And when Sean loves me,
40:34I want to respect,
40:35honor, and submit.
40:37It works hand in hand
40:38to where we're just
40:39loving each other more,
40:41respecting each other more,
40:42and that's what
40:42we desire to do.
40:44He's not like this guy
40:45that's like,
40:46submit, submit,
40:48like, whack, whack,
40:49like, and...
40:49It comes across that way
40:51in the 21st century.
40:52Yeah.
40:52And we get that.
40:53The word submit in general.
40:54Yeah.
40:54But Jesus said
40:55in every marriage
40:56that there would be struggles.
40:58Even so,
40:59Sean's concern
40:59about the future
41:00of Brooks Boutique remains.
41:02If I felt Northern Bell
41:04was taking away
41:05from what God
41:05has designed the family
41:06and Brooks' role to be,
41:08then we'd have to,
41:09we'd have to stop.
41:10We'd have to take
41:10a serious look back on it.
41:24Tony and Ashley
41:25continue their date
41:26with drinks at a local bar.
41:28I do love Ashley.
41:30I would want Ashley
41:31to move up here.
41:32Only time can tell
41:33what's going to happen
41:34between us.
41:36If I'm going to make
41:36the kind of sacrifice
41:38that it requires
41:38to have a successful
41:40relationship,
41:41then I need to make sure
41:42it's with somebody
41:43that's worth sacrificing
41:44those things for.
41:45With males outnumbering
41:47females in the Bakken
41:48by a wide margin,
41:50competition for any woman's
41:51attention can be fierce.
41:55I've had a lot of whisking,
41:57a lot of vodka tonight.
41:59We were approached
42:02by an elderly gentleman
42:04who was just making,
42:07you know,
42:07sort of conversation.
42:08I'm the type of person
42:12that can pretty much
42:13talk to anybody.
42:14Sunday night,
42:15Lilliston.
42:16It's my first time here,
42:17so I've got to make
42:18the rounds.
42:19Come on, Wyoming.
42:19You've got to get out more.
42:22When they come up
42:22and they're instantly friendly,
42:24it's almost a red flag for me.
42:26She's out.
42:27I am.
42:27She's with me.
42:28That's out.
42:28It's as out as it gets.
42:30This is a...
42:30You can follow us
42:31if you want.
42:32It's up to you.
42:33Where are you going?
42:34We're going to the strip club.
42:35You want to follow?
42:35You can join.
42:36You can follow
42:37in a close second.
42:39So close that
42:40I don't want to know
42:41you're there.
42:42Talking is one thing,
42:43but when they won't go away,
42:44it gets a little annoying,
42:46and you should have respect
42:47for the guy
42:47and his girlfriend
42:48or friend
42:49or whoever she may be.
42:50You stand around
42:51and keep talking
42:52and talking,
42:52and someone's going
42:53to get frustrated
42:54sooner or later.
42:55I've lived here long enough
42:56I'm not dealing
42:57with anyone's bulls**t.
42:59I'm just being honest with you.
43:00I'm just being
43:00on Southern Hospitality.
43:03Tony Joe.
43:04Shall we step outside
43:06for a minute?
43:07Absolutely.
43:07All right.
43:08Billy, thank you for the beer.
43:09It was nice to meet you.
43:11Cheers.
43:12Y'all behave while me.
43:13We will.
43:13We will.
43:14While me?
43:15Yes, sir.
43:17What the f***?
43:18Listen,
43:19you have no clue
43:20what happens in this town.
43:22No f***ing clue.
43:24You were just kind of being rude
43:25just to be rude.
43:25I wasn't being rude
43:26to be rude.
43:27He was being nice,
43:29and that's how it happens,
43:30and that's how
43:30the whole naive part
43:32comes into perspective.
43:34He was nice.
43:35He was buying me drinks.
43:36He was being so nice.
43:37I just thought he was
43:37the nicest guy ever.
43:39And then what?
43:40Yeah, and then what?
43:42And then I shut up
43:42the f*** down
43:43because I don't trust anybody,
43:45and you cannot trust anybody.
43:47The oil field brings
43:48the lowest class of people.
43:50That is, hands down,
43:51the God's honest truth.
43:52Well, I don't distrust anybody
43:54until they give me a reason to,
43:55and quite frankly, again,
43:56I was in a safe situation.
43:58I was fine.
43:58I don't think there's
43:59any call to be rude.
44:02I'm not putting up
44:03with anybody's f***ing bulls***.
44:05I'm not allowing anybody
44:07to become friends with me
44:08at the bar for any reason.
44:11That sounds like
44:11a really f***ing lonely life.
44:12It is a lonely life.
44:13It's horrible.
44:17And it is what it is.
44:18It is.
44:19My measure of success
44:23is just get married,
44:25buy a house,
44:26f***ing have a white picket fence.
44:27That's the dream,
44:28you know what I mean?
44:29And if that dream comes true,
44:30then so be it.
44:32But it doesn't always work out like that.
44:35Still love me?
44:36It's 2 a.m.,
44:45and Patterson UTI
44:46Rig 286
44:47is 12 hours
44:48and just a few hundred feet down
44:50into a project
44:51that will drill seven wells
44:52on this site
44:53in five months.
44:56These wells could turn out
44:57to be the most productive
44:58in the Bakken,
44:59so the pressure's on
45:00for this new crew
45:01and consultant,
45:02Doug Thornton.
45:03All these crews are doing pretty good.
45:05Now we've kind of got
45:06some of the kinks worked out.
45:08Over time,
45:08it's going to get faster
45:09as they learn
45:10how to work with one another.
45:13Yeah, they all got to get along
45:14because they're going to be together
45:16for a long time.
45:18These guys out here
45:19spend more time
45:20out here with one another
45:22than they spend at home
45:24with our own families.
45:26For Doug Thornton,
45:28oil rig camaraderie's
45:29been a way of life
45:30since he can remember.
45:33It's something that gets
45:35in your blood
45:35and kind of stays there.
45:37It's just a way of life.
45:38It's something you get used to.
45:41You take pride in
45:42and you live it every day.
45:45When I was small,
45:47my dad used to take us kids
45:49out to the rig with him.
45:50To walk out of his trailer
45:52and just look,
45:52it was just a wow feeling.
45:55It still is.
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