His Life and Death of an Oilman: The Career of E. W. Marland (1951) was his only biography; it recounts a notable figure of the oil boom who also served as governor of the state.
In 1911, Wentz at the age of 34, was sent to Ponca City, to check on McCaskey's investments with the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch and E. W. Marland's 101 Ranch Oil Company.
In 1910 he was approached by John G. McCaskey, a social acquaintance from Pittsburgh and E. W. Marland, President and founder of the 101 Ranch Oil Company of Ponca City, Oklahoma that was on the verge of failure having run out of money after drilling seven wells and only having found natural gas.
William C. Marland 24th governor of West Virginia (1953-1957) and West Virginia Attorney General (1949-1952)
Persons who lived and worked near Whizbang during its heyday included oilmen E.W. Marland and Frank Phillips and future actors Ben Johnson, Jr., a cowboy and rodeo star, and Clark Gable who worked as a roustabout in the oil fields.
In 1928, E. W. Marland, founder of Marland Oil Company (later to become Conoco) and at that time one of the wealthiest men in the world, commissioned twelve miniature 3-foot sculptures that were submitted by US and international sculptors as models for the Pioneer Woman statue.