Statements of Operation - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Operating Revenues:
Oil and Gas Sales	$ 5,418,164	$ 7,641,006
Lease Bonuses and Other	872,974	809,980
Total Operating Revenues	6,291,138	8,450,986
Operating Costs and Expenses:
Production	2,140,756	2,601,044
Exploration	429,210	584,705
Depreciation, Depletion, Amortization and Valuation Provisions (Note 10)	2,719,899	7,091,552
General, Administrative and Other	1,580,776	1,640,115
Total Operating Costs and Expenses	6,870,641	11,917,416
Loss from Operations	(579,503)	(3,466,430)
Equity Income in Investees (Note 7)	22,800	38,275
Other Income, Net (Note 11)	299,592	70,278
Loss Before Income Taxes	(257,111)	(3,357,877)
Income Tax Benefit (Notes 2 & 6)	(172,886)	(1,472,545)
Net Loss	$ (84,225)	$ (1,885,332)
Per Share Data (Note 2):
Net Loss, Basic and Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ (0.53)	$ (11.89)
Cash Dividends (in dollars per share)	$ 5	$ 10
Weighted Average Shares Outstanding, Basic and Diluted (in shares)	158,107	158,557