Alamitos oil well facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alamitos #1 |
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Alamitos oil well #1 1921
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| Location | Signal Hill, California |
| Built | 1921 |
| Designated | May 1, 1957 |
| Reference no. | 580 |
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The Alamitos oil well #1 is a famous oil well located in Signal Hill, California. It marked the beginning of the huge Long Beach oilfield. This spot is also sometimes called Porcupine Hill.
Alamitos #1 is so important that it was named a California Historical Landmark (No. 580) on May 1, 1957. The oil found here in 1921 became known as the "black gold" of Southern California.
Discovering Oil at Alamitos #1
Drilling for the Alamitos #1 well began on March 23, 1921. The drilling team was led by O.P. "Happy" Yowells.
On June 23, 1921, at 9:30 a.m., something amazing happened. The drill reached about 2,765 feet deep. It hit oil that was trapped underground. This oil was under a lot of pressure from natural gas.
The Big Gusher
When the drill hit the oil, the pressure was so strong that it caused a "blowout." This means oil shot 114 feet into the air! The tall structure used for drilling, called a drilling rig, even collapsed from the force.
A new, clean well was quickly drilled nearby. It started producing oil just two days later, on June 25, 1921. Alamitos oil well #1 was very productive. It pumped out 600 barrels of oil every day. Before it ran out, it produced a total of 700,000 barrels of oil.
The Long Beach Oilfield
Before Alamitos #1, another company, Union Oil Company, had drilled near Signal Hill in 1917 but found no oil. It was Royal Dutch Shell Oil Company that drilled Alamitos Well #1 and found the huge oil gusher.
Alamitos Well #1 led to the discovery of one of the richest oil fields in the world. This was the Long Beach oilfield. By 1984, this oilfield had produced over 1 billion barrels of oil. The Long Beach oilfield is still active today and continues to produce oil. In 2002, it pumped out 1.5 million barrels of oil.
Marker
You can find a special marker for this California Historic Landmark. It is located at the northeast corner of Temple Avenue and Hill Street in Signal Hill. The marker tells the story of this important well:
NO. 580 WELL, ALAMITOS 1 – One of the world's most famous wells. Started on March 23,1921, it flowed 590 barrels of oil a day when it was completed June 25, 1921, at a depth of 3,114 feet. This discovery well led to the development of one of the most productive oil fields in the world and helped to establish California as a major oil producing state.
