Oil
September 26, 1876 - Pico No. 4, first commercially successful oil well in the western United States
June 1865 - Union Mattole Oil Company made its first shipment of oil from the North Fork of the Mattole River, approximately three miles east of Eureka, CA (Humboldt County) to a San Francisco refinery; California's first drilled oil wells that produced crude to be refined and sold commercially.
September 26, 1876 - Charles Alexander Mentry (30) drilled first commercially successful oil well in western United States for California Star Oil Works at depth of 617 feet in Pico Canyon (‘Pico Number 4’) in Santa Clarita area of Southern California (35 miles northeast of Los Angeles); Frederick Taylor, native of New York, kerosene distiller, became involved with company; Demetrius Scofield, junior partner; 1877 - Mentry put in charge of drilling, later made superintendent; longest producing oil well in world (1876-1989).
September 10, 1879 - Charles N. Felton, Lloyd Tevis, George Loomis formed Pacific Coast Oil Co. in San Francisco; acquired assets of California Star Oil Works (Newhall Refinery and oil properties in Pico Canyon in Los Angeles); George Loomis first President; Taylor and Scofield joined company's board; 1900 - acquired by Standard Oil Company (New Jersey).
1886 - Oil discovered near Puente (about 20 miles east of Los Angeles)
October 17, 1890 - Lyman Stewart and Wallace Hardison (Hardison & Stewart Oil), Thomas Bard (Sespe Oil, Torrey Canyon Oil) merged properties, formed Union Oil of California in Santa Paula, CA; 1901 - only Stewart remained; moved offices to Los Angeles; 1914 - Will Stewart (son) took over; March 1922 - fended off hostile takeover from Shell Oil; 1925 - more than 400 service stations on West Coast; February 28, 1950 - registered "76" trademark first used January 2, 1932 (gasoline, lubricating oils and greases, and diesel fuel oils); 1965 - merged with The Pure Oil Company (lL), from regional to national status with operations in 37 states; 1983 - reorganized, became operating subsidiary of holding company, Unocal Corporation; 1985 - fended off takeover bid by Mesa Petroleum (T. Boone Pickens, Jr.); April 2005 - acquired by ChevronTexaco Corporation for $17 billion.
1892 - Edward L. Doheny, unsuccessful gold and silver prospector, and Charles A. Canfield, his mining partner, struck oil in Los Angeles along Glendale Boulevard between Beverly Boulevard and Colton Avenue; set off major land boom; April 20, 1893 - Doheny discovered oil at State and Patton Streets at a depth of about 200 feet - first free-flowing oil well ever drilled in the city of Los Angeles.
1905 - Richfield Oil Corporation, named after a oil production plant at Richfield Station in Orange County, CA, founded in Los Angeles, CA; 1917 - opened first service station opened in Los Angeles; 1945 - leading producer of high-octane fuels; in receivership; late 1950s - hit the first commercial oil well in Alaska; shipping fleet carried crude oil from Alaska to refineries in California; 1966 - merged with Atlantic Refining Co. (Philadelphia, PA), renamed Atlantic Richfield; renamed Arco; chairman, Robert O. Anderson, president, Thornton F. Bradshaw; 1999 - merged with BP Amoco.
1906 - Pacific Coast Oil acquired assets of Standard Oil Company (Iowa), changed name to Standard Oil Company (California); 1911 - Supreme Court forced spin-off of company [one of 34] from Standard Oil Trust under Sherman Antitrust Act; December 1911 - Denetrius Scofield first president of company; 1926 - reincorporated as Standard Oil Co. of California, or Socal.
January 1, 1909 --Lakeview Oil Company began drilling in Midway-Sunset Oil Field in Kern County, CA; March 14, 1910 - discovered oil at 2,440 feet, Lakeview Gusher Number One, largest American oil gusher ever discovered; produced 9 million barrels of oil in 18 months.
1913 - George Franklin Getty (made fortune with Minnehoma Oil Company) lent money to Jean Paul Getty (son, 21) for oil investment; 1916 - incorporated Getty Oil Company; 1930 - J. P. Getty became President of George Getty Oil Company.
1956 - Pacific Western Oil Corp. (PWO) changed name to Getty Oil Co.; 1984 - acquired by Texaco.
1966 - Richfield Oil Corporation (founded 1905), Atlantic Refining Company (incorporated 1870) merged, formed Atlantic Richfield (ARCO); after 1892 - eastern company of Standard Oil Trust until Standard Oil Group dissolved in 1911); 2000 - Arco acquired by British Petroleum (BP).
1984 - Standard Oil Company of California merged with Gulf Oil; largest merger in U. S. history at time; name changed to Chevron Corp.
October 9, 2001 - Chevron, Texaco merged, formed ChevronTexaco; May 9, 2005 - name changed to Chevron; August 10, 2005 - acquired Unocal $17 billion.
2007 - Chevron’s Kern River Field (San Joaquin Valley) celebrated its 2 billionth barrel of (began production in 1899).
(ARCO), Charles S. Jones; Foreword by Robert O. Anderson (1972). From the Rio Grande to the Arctic; The Story of the Richfield Oil Corporation. (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 364 p.). Richfield Oil Corporation.
(ARCO), Kenneth Harris (1987). The Wildcatter: A Portrait of Robert O. Anderson. (New York, NY: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 180 p.). Anderson, Robert O., 1917- ; Atlantic Richfield Co.--History; Businessmen--United States--Biography; Petroleum industry and trade--United States--History.
(ARCO), Paul E. Patterson (1999). Hardhat and Stetson: Robert O. Anderson, Oilman and Cattleman. (Santa Fe, NM: Sunstone Press, 206 p.). Anderson, Robert O., 1917- ; Atlantic Richfield Co.--History; Businessmen--United States--Biography; Petroleum industry and trade--United States--History.
(Chevron), Robert Spector (1995). On Course: Chevron's Century at Sea. (Documentary Book Publishers Corporation, 80 p.). Chevron Corporation -- history; Chevron Maritime. 1895 - Launch of George Loomis, world's first steel-hulled tanker; investment, risk, growth over span of 100 years.
(Getty), J. Paul Getty (1941). The History of the Oil Business of George F. and J. Paul Getty from 1903 to 1939. (Los Angeles, CA: J. Paul Getty, 501 p.). Getty, George Franklin, 1855-1930; Petroleum industry and trade--United States.
(Getty), Ralph Hewins (1960). The Richest American: J. Paul Getty. (New York, NY: Dutton, 404 p.). Getty, J. Paul (Jean Paul), 1892-1976.
(Getty), J. Paul Getty (1976). As I See It: The Autobiography of J. Paul Getty. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 360 p.). Getty, J. Paul (Jean Paul), 1892-1976.
(Getty), Russell Miller (1985). The House of Getty. (London, UK: M. Joseph, 361 p.). Getty, J. Paul (Jean Paul), 1892-1976; Getty family; Businessmen--United States--Biography; Millionaires--United States--Biography; Petroleum industry and trade--United States--History; Rich people--United States--Biography.
(Getty), Robert Lenzner (1986). The Great Getty: The Life and Loves of J. Paul Getty, Richest Man in the World. (New York, NY: Crown Publishers, 283 p.). Getty, J. Paul (Jean Paul), 1892-1976; Businessmen--United States--Biography; Millionaires--United States--Biography; Petroleum industry and trade--United States--History; Rich people--United States--Biography.
(Getty), Steve Coll (1987). The Taking of Getty Oil: The Full Story of the Most Spectacular--& Catastrophic--Takeover of All Time. (New York, NY: Atheneum, 528 p.). Getty family; Getty Oil Company; Petroleum industry and trade -- United States -- History.
(Occidental), Bob Considine (1975). The Remarkable Life of Dr. Armand Hammer. (New York, NY: Harper & Row, 287 p.). Hammer, Armand, 1898-1990.
(Occidental), Joseph Finder (1983). Red Carpet. (New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 372 p.). Businesspeople--United States--Biography; United States--Commerce--Soviet Union; Soviet Union--Commerce--United States.
(Occidental), Armand Hammer, with Neil Lyndon (1987). Hammer. (New York, NY: Putnam, 544 p.). Hammer, Armand, 1897- ; Businessmen--United States--Biography; Capitalists and financiers--United States--Biography; Statesmen--United States--Biography; United States--Relations--Soviet Union; Soviet Union--Relations--United States.
(Occidental), Steve Weinberg (1989). Armand Hammer: The Untold Story. (Boston, MA: Little, Brown, 501 p.). Hammer, Armand, 1897- ; Businessmen--United States--Biography; Millionaires--United States--Biography; Rich people--United States--Biography.
(Occidental), Carl Blumay with Henry Edwards (1992). The Dark Side of Power: The Real Armand Hammer. (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 494 p.). Hammer, Armand, 1897- ; Businessmen--United States--Biography; Capitalists and financiers--United States--Biography; Statesmen--United States--Biography; United States--Relations--Soviet Union; Soviet Union--Relations--United States.
(Occidental), Edward Jay Epstein (1996). Dossier: The Secret History of Armand Hammer. (New York, NY: Random House, 418 p.). Hammer, Armand, 1897- ; Businesspeople--United States--Biography; Capitalists and financiers--United States--Biography; Statesmen--United States--Biography; United States--Relations--Soviet Union; Soviet Union--Relations--United States.
(Petroleum Development Co.), Dan La Botz (1991). Edward L. Doheny: Petroleum, Power, and Politics in the United States and Mexico. (New York, NY: Praeger, 202 p.). Doheny, Edward L. Edward Laurence), 1856-1935; Industrialists--United States--Biography; Petroleum industry and trade--United States--History; Petroleum industry and trade--Mexico--History.
(Petroleum Development Co.), Margaret L. Davis (1998). Dark Side of Fortune: Triumph and Scandal in the Life of Oil Tycoon Edward L. Doheny. (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 339 p.). Doheny, Edward L. (Edward Laurence), 1856-1935; Industrialists--United States--Biography; Petroleum industry and trade--United States--History; Petroleum industry and trade--California, Southern--History; Petroleum industry and trade--Mexico--History; Teapot Dome Scandal, 1921-1924.
(Petroleum Development Co.), Martin R. Ansell (1998). Oil Baron of the Southwest: Edward L. Doheny and the Development of the Petroleum Industry in California and Mexico. (Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press, 302 p.). Doheny, Edward L. (Edward Laurence), 1856-1935; Industrialists--United States--Biography; Petroleum industry and trade--California, Southern--History; Petroleum industry and trade--United States--History; Petroleum industry and trade--Mexico--History.
(Pico Canyon), Gerald G. Reynolds (1985). Pico Canyon Chronicles: The Story of California’s Pioneer Oil Field. (Newhall, CA: Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society, 46 p.). Petroleum industry and trade --California --Pico Canyon --History; Oil fields --California --Pico Canyon --History.
(Signal Hill), Ken Davis and the Signal Hill Historical Society (2006). Signal Hill. (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub, 128 p.). Historic buildings --California --Signal Hill --Pictorial works; Petroleum industry and trade --California --Signal Hill --History --Pictorial works; Signal Hill (Calif.) --History --Pictorial works; Signal Hill (Calif.) --Biography --Pictorial works; Signal Hill (Calif.) --Buildings, structures, etc. --Pictorial works; Signal Hill (Calif.) --Economic conditions --Pictorial works. June 23, 1921 - Royal Dutch Shell Oil Company hit first gusher near Long Beach, signaled start of one of most productive oil fields in world; area was so dense with derricks during mid-century, earned the moniker "Porcupine Hill."
(Signal Oil and Gas Company), Walker A. Tomlins (1964). Little Giant of Signal Hill: An Adventure in American Enterprise. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 258 p.). Signal Oil and Gas Company.
(Standard-CA), Gerald T. White (1976). Formative Years in the Far West: A History of Standard Oil Company of California and Predecessors through 1919. (New York, NY: Arno Press, 694 p. [Reprint of 1962 ed.]). Standard Oil Company (California); Petroleum industry and trade--California--History.
(Union Oil), Frank J. Taylor and Earl M. Welty (1950). Black Bonanza; How an Oil Hunt Grew into the Union Oil Company of California. (New York, NY: Whittlesey House, 280 p.). Union Oil Company of California.
(Union Oil), W.H. Hutchinson (1965). Oil, Land, and Politics; The California Career of Thomas Robert Bard. (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2 vols.). Bard, Thomas Robert, 1841-1915; Union Oil Company of California.
(Union Oil), Earl M. Welty and Frank J. Taylor (1976). Sign of the 76: The Fabulous Life and Times of the Union Oil Company of California. (Los Angeles, CA: The Company, 424 p.). Union Oil Company of California.
T.K. Clark (1983). Regional History of Petrolia and the Mattole Valley. (Eureka, CA: Miller Press, 191 p.). Clark, T. K.; Petrolia Region (Calif.) --History; Petrolia Region (Calif.) --Biography.
Kenny A. Franks and Paul F. Lambert (1985). Early California Oil: A Photographic History, 1865-1940. (College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 243 p.). Petroleum industry and trade --California --History.
Paul Sabin (2005). Crude Politics: The California Oil Market, 1900-1940. (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 307 p.). Teaches U.S. History (Yale University) and Serves as Executive Director of the Nonprofit Environmental Leadership Program. Petroleum industry and trade--Political aspects--California--History--20th century; Petroleum industry and trade--Government policy--California--History--20th century; Energy policy--United States--History--20th century. Struggles in legislature, courts over property rights, regulatory law, public investment during pre-World War II California determined shape of state's petroleum landscape.
William Rintoul (1976). Spudding In: Recollections of Pioneer Days in the California Oil Fields. (San Francisco, CA: California Historical Society, 240 p.). Petroleum industry and trade --California --History.
Gerald T. White (1968). Scientists in Conflict; the Beginnings of the Oil Industry in California. (San Marino, CA: Huntington Library, 272 p.). Petroleum industry and trade--California.
Daniel Yergin (1991). The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power. (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 877 p.). Chairman, Cambridge Energy Research Associates. Petroleum industry and trade--Political aspects--History--20th century; Petroleum industry and trade--Military aspects--History--20th century; World War, 1914-1918--Causes; World War, 1939-1945--Causes; World politics--20th century. Winner of 1992 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction.
Business History Links
California Oil Museum
Museum tells the story of the black bonanza that created wealth, work, and prosperity for generations of Californians. Operated by the City of Santa Paula Community Services Department, the Museum highlights the inner workings of the state's black gold industry through interactive displays, videos, working models, games, photographs, restored gas station memorabilia, and an authentic turn-of-the-century cable-tool drilling rig.
California Oil Museums
