Posted on 05/21/2017 3:10:33 PM PDT by Lorianne
In the 1890s, the small town of Los Angeles (population 50,000) began a transformation driven by the discovery and drilling of some of the most productive oil fields in history. By 1930, California was producing nearly one quarter of the world’s oil output, and its population had grown to 1.2 million. Here are some photographs of California during oil boom in 1920s-30s.
What is amazing is they are still cricket pumps down there pumping away today
there are more photos at the source. Interesting.
Oooh, the horror of it!!!!
Drilling rigs on our beloved beach!!!...The Horror!!!
Back before the West Coast became the Left Coast!
Jack Nicholson’s character in ‘The Two Jakes’ said that oil wells outnumbered palm trees in LA.
It was still prettier back then!
Yup, right down on Magnolia.
I always remember the scene near the end of “Beverly Hills Cop 2” that featured oil wells nearby.
Some of the first memories of going to the beach was the getting tar on your feet. Happened most every time back then.
Hermosa Beach could have allowed him to drill and taken its cut via taxes to help fund schools, etc.
Instead they decided to buy out his rights and leave the oil in the ground.
Now they're busy scrounging around everywhere they can for money and I believe some of the children are being educated in nearby Manhattan Beach.
Hermosa used to be known as the doper capitol of the south bay. Lately they've been the place for 20-somethings to party on weekends. But the good folks of Hermosa want to be Manhattan Beach Part II.
I guess Utopias don't need tax revenues to thrive.
yes ineed
There were still rigs in 1979 on Huntington, Long, and Venice Beach.
There are still working wells, camouflaged, but there.
Might be fun to see if Freepers can find pics of them.
This one is on the campus of Beverly Hills High School, the proceeds help fund the school.
I had forgotten about the tar.Got it on my feet every time at the beach.
I was a roughneck in California oil fields in the 60’s. I was a 17-19 year old Okie. I didn’t work Huntington, but our company did drill some wells there. (Interestingly, in Huntington Beach, there are formations that are so hot, they will boil the mud that is used to drill the hole.) Californians thought that anyone who worked in the oil fields was from outer space.
There’s one similar on Pico. I’ve seen it from the inside. Several different wells, and the drill section moves about.
There’s still a lot of oil down there.
Lived on Brookhurst and Atlanta. Went to Edison HS. In the 70s it was a dream place to grow up.
Built in 1968 by Standard Oil, this 10 story, midcentury modern building on Pico Boulevard is actually a roofless, four-sided enclosure that houses the Packard Well Site. Now owned by PXP, the Packard Well Site consists of 51 oil & gas wells.
There’s still tar on the beaches in santa barbara where there are natural oil seeps offshore. Its gotten worse in the last years because they do less drilling so more pressure builds up from below.
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