Oil
1876 - California Star Oil Works
discovered small amounts of oil in Pico Canyon in Southern California
(35 miles northeast of Los Angeles); Alexander Mentry made first
significant oil discoveries at Pico No. 4; 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.
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 join
company's board; 1900 - acquired by Standard Oil Company
(New Jersey).
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.
1906 -
Pacific
Coast Oilacquired
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.
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.
(ARCO), (Richfield Oil Corporation), Jones, 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.
Robert O. Anderson- CEO ARCO (http://tinyurl.com/drnze)
(Doheny), 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.
(Doheny), 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.
(Doheny), 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.
Edward L. Doheny(http://www.ralphmag.org/1/
doheny290x385.gif)
(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.
J. Paul Getty(http://tinyurl.com/c45wa)
(Julian Petroleum), Jules Tygiel (1996). The Great Los Angeles
Swindle: Oil, Stocks, and Scandal During the Roaring Twenties.
(Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 398 p. [orig. pub.
1994]). Julian Petroleum Corporation; Julian Petroleum Corporation;
Petroleum industry and trade--Corrupt practices--California--Los
Angeles.
C. C. Julian- Julian Petroleum (http://catalog1.lapl.org/cgi-bin/
cw_cgi?fullImage+ 10324+28173+968)
(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.
Armand Hammer
- Occidental Petroleum (http://images.forbes.com/images/
2003/10/17/ hammer_175x175.jpg)
(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."
(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.
Demetrius Scofield (first president
Standard Oil of California in December 1911) (http://tinyurl.com/cwepc)
(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.
Lyman Stewart- Union Oil (http://tinyurl.com/bczz4)
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
http://www.oilmuseum.net/
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
http://www.sjgs.com/history.html