UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549


                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT
     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


      Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): September 28, 2004




                            Evergreen Resources, Inc.
             ------------------------------------------------------
             (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)



          Colorado                     001-13171               84-0834147
-----------------------------         ------------        -------------------
(State or other jurisdiction          (Commission          (I.R.S. Employer
      of incorporation)               File Number)        Identification No.)



1401 17th Street, Suite 1200, Denver, Colorado                    80202
----------------------------------------------                 ----------
  (Address of principal executive offices)                     (Zip Code)


                                 (303) 298-8100
              ----------------------------------------------------
              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)



                                 Not applicable
          -------------------------------------------------------------
          (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)


Check  the  appropriate  box  below  if the  Form  8-K  filing  is  intended  to
simultaneously  satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions:

| |     Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17
        CFR 230.425)
| |     Soliciting material  pursuant to Rule 14a-12  under the Exchange Act (17
        CFR 240.14a-12)
| |     Pre-commencement  communications  pursuant to  Rule  14d-2(b)  under the
        Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
| |     Pre-commencement  communications  pursuant  to  Rule  13e-4(c) under the
        Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))







                            EVERGREEN RESOURCES, INC.

                                TABLE OF CONTENTS


                                                                         Page

Item 2.01.  Completion of Acquisition or Disposition of Assets.........    3

Item 3.01.  Notice of Delisting or Failure to Satisfy a Continued
            Listing Rule or Standard; Transfer of Listing..............    3

Item 5.01.  Changes in Control of Registrant...........................    3

Item 9.01.  Financial Statements and Exhibits

            (c)   Exhibits.............................................    4

Signature..............................................................    5

Exhibit Index..........................................................    6




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                            EVERGREEN RESOURCES, INC.


Item 2.01.   Completion of Acquisition or Disposition of Assets

     On September  28, 2004,  Evergreen  Resources,  Inc.  (the  "Company")  and
Pioneer  Natural  Resources  Company  ("Pioneer")  consummated  the merger  (the
"Merger") as set forth in the  Agreement  and Plan of Merger,  dated May 3, 2004
(the "Merger Agreement"),  among the Company, Pioneer and BC Merger Sub, Inc., a
wholly-owned  subsidiary of Pioneer  ("Merger  Sub"). As a result of the Merger,
the Company has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pioneer.

     Pursuant to the Merger  Agreement,  holders of  approximately  43.6 million
shares of the  Company's  common  stock  were  entitled  to elect,  prior to the
completion of the Merger,  among three types of consideration  for each share of
the Company's common stock:  (1) 1.1635 shares of Pioneer common stock,  subject
to  allocation  and  proration;  (2)  $39.00  cash,  subject to  allocation  and
proration; or (3) 0.58175 shares of Pioneer common stock and $19.50 in cash. The
Company's  stockholders  who did not make an election prior to completion of the
Merger were deemed to have elected to receive  0.58175  shares of Pioneer common
stock  and  $19.50  in cash  per  share  of the  Company's  common  stock.  This
represented a price per share of the Company's common stock of $39.00,  based on
Pioneer's  last  reported  sales  price on May 3, 2004  (the date of the  Merger
Agreement) of $33.52 per share.  In addition,  the Company's  stockholders  will
receive  additional cash  consideration of $0.48 per share, which represents the
pro rata gross  proceeds less  transaction  costs from the Company's sale of its
Kansas properties on September 27, 2004.

     The aggregate  number of shares of Pioneer common stock to be issued in the
Merger is approximately 25.4 million and the aggregate amount of cash to be paid
in the Merger is approximately  $871.4 million,  including the consideration for
the Kansas  properties.  The  elections  made and deemed  made by the  Company's
stockholders  to receive shares of Pioneer common stock as Merger  consideration
exceeded the maximum number of Pioneer shares issuable in the Merger pursuant to
the Merger Agreement. Accordingly, the holders of the Company's common stock who
made elections to receive all cash will receive, for each share of the Company's
common  stock,  $39.00 in cash plus the $0.48 cash  payment  with respect to the
Kansas properties,  and holders who made elections to receive all Pioneer common
stock will  instead  receive,  for each  share of the  Company's  common  stock,
0.83746  shares of Pioneer  common  stock and $10.93 in cash plus the $0.48 cash
payment  with  respect to the Kansas  properties.  Pursuant  to the terms of the
Merger  Agreement,  stockholders  who elected to receive,  for each share of the
Company's  common stock,  0.58175  shares of Pioneer  common stock and $19.50 in
cash,  plus the $0.48 per share cash  payment  for the Kansas  properties,  will
receive the form of payment  that they  elected,  and  stockholders  who made no
election will receive 0.58175 shares of Pioneer common stock and $19.50 in cash,
plus the $0.48 payment with respect to the Kansas properties.

     A description of the Merger,  including the related  interests of directors
and  officers  of the  Company  and  Pioneer,  was  previously  reported  in the
Company's  definitive  proxy  statement  filed with the  Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "SEC") on August 30, 2004, on Schedule 14A.

Item 3.01.   Notice of Delisting or  Failure to Satisfy a Continued Listing Rule
             or Standard; Transfer of Listing

     As a result of the Merger, the Company's common stock will be delisted from
the New York Stock Exchange.

Item 5.01.   Changes in Control of Registrant

     As a result of the Merger, a change in control of the Company has occurred,
whereby the Company has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pioneer.

     Pioneer financed the cash  consideration for the Merger through  borrowings
under its $900 million  364-Day Credit  Agreement with JPMorgan Chase Bank and a
syndicate of other banks,  dated as of  September  28, 2004,  the terms of which
essentially  mirror  Pioneer's  $700,000,000  5-Year  Revolving Credit Agreement
dated as of December 16, 2003.

     The  information  described above under "Item 2.01 Completion of Acquisitio
or Disposition of Assets" is incorporated herein by reference.


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                            EVERGREEN RESOURCES, INC.


Item 9.01.   Financial Statements and Exhibits

       (c)   Exhibits

             2.1    Agreement and Plan of Merger,  dated May 3, 2004,  among the
                    Company,  Pioneer and Merger Sub  (incorporated by reference
                    to Exhibit 2.1 to  the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K,
                    File No. 001- 13171, filed with the SEC on May 5, 2004).


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                            EVERGREEN RESOURCES, INC.

                                S I G N A T U R E

Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
Registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                                        EVERGREEN RESOURCES, INC.




Date:   September 29, 2004              By:    /s/ Richard P. Dealy
                                             ----------------------------------
                                             Richard P. Dealy
                                             Vice President


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                            EVERGREEN RESOURCES, INC.

                                  EXHIBIT INDEX


Exhibit No.        Description

    2.1            Agreement and  Plan of Merger,  dated May 3, 2004,  among the
                   Company, Pioneer and Merger Sub (incorporated by reference to
                   Exhibit 2.1 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, File
                   No. 001-13171, filed with the SEC on May 5, 2004).



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