The Gas That Wouldn't Burn

The flame went out because of nitrogen. When University of Kansas chemists analyzed the Dexter gas, they found it was about 72 percent nitrogen and only 15 percent methane, a mix that would not burn, and they found helium in an inert residue of the gas. Hamilton Cady and David McFarland then tested wells across Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma and in 1907 published their finding that helium could be extracted from natural gas. Cady, born at Skiddy, Kansas, later consulted for the Bureau of Mines on the government's helium plants.

What the plaque says

The Gas That Wouldn't Burn Natural gas in this locality was first found in 1903 at Dexter, five miles north. The town, envisioning a prosperous future, advertised its discovery far and wide. Crowds gathered to see the well fired, then watched in dismay as the roaring gas blew out every flame brought near it. For two years it was scornfully called "wind gas." Then analysis revealed that it contained almost two per cent helium. This primary discovery of helium in natural gas is credited to Professors H. P. Cady and D. F. McFarland of the University of Kansas. Helium was first used in balloons during World War I. For a few years, beginning in 1927, a privately owned commercial plant at Dexter supplied gas for Navy dirigibles. Later, valuable uses developed in industry. In the 1950's, demand soared when helium became essential to the operation of nuclear reactors and ballistic missiles. Though Dexter's well no longer produces, the torch that wouldn't burn lighted the way to a multi-million dollar industry. Erected by Kansas Historical Society & State Highway Commission

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Etzanoa — 16 mi
  The ancestral Wichita town on the Walnut River that Spanish soldiers called the Great Settlement in 1601, located again by archaeologists at Arkansas City and opened to visitors in 2026.

More markers nearby

• Cherokee Outlet — 19 mi