Pioneer Oil Refinery facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pioneer Oil Refinery |
|
|---|---|
Pioneer Oil Refinery in 1880
|
|
| Location | Newhall, Santa Clarita, California |
| Built | 1876 |
| Designated | March 6, 1935 |
| Reference no. | 172 |
| Designated | December 11, 2020 |
| Reference no. | 100005942 |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
The Pioneer Oil Refinery was a very important place in California's history. It was the first successful oil refinery built in the state, way back in 1876. This refinery is so old and special that it's now a California Historical Landmark (number 172). It was given this honor on March 6, 1935. Later, in 2020, it was also added to the National Register of Historic Places.
You can find the Pioneer Oil Refinery in Newhall, Santa Clarita, California. This area is part of Los Angeles County. The refinery is located at 23864 Pine Street. It's known as the oldest existing oil refinery in the entire world! A railroad line, the Lang Southern Pacific Station, used to help move oil to and from the refinery.
Building the Refinery: A Look Back
The Pioneer Oil Refinery was built by a company called California Star Oil Works. This company later became part of Standard Oil of California. Eventually, Standard Oil of California joined with other companies to become Chevron. Chevron still owns the land where the Pioneer Oil Refinery stands today.
The refinery stopped working in 1884. After it closed, some of its original parts were moved. Some pieces went to museums, where people can still see them. Other parts were bought by private collectors.
What You Can Still See Today
Even though it closed a long time ago, some important parts of the refinery are still there. You can see the large kettles that were used to refine the oil. Refining means turning crude oil (raw oil from the ground) into useful products. At this refinery, they made kerosene and benzene. Kerosene was used for lamps, and benzene was used for things like cleaning.
You can also see an old wooden drill tower at the site. This tower was part of the equipment used to get the oil out of the ground. Chevron, the company that owns the land, sometimes offers tours of this historic site. It's a great way to learn about how oil was processed long ago.
Historic Markers and Recognition
There's a special sign, called a marker, at the Pioneer Oil Refinery. It tells visitors about the site's history.
The marker says:
- "NO. 172 PIONEER OIL REFINERY - In 1875 the Star Oil Company, one of the predecessors of the Standard Oil Company of California, drilled its first Pico Canyon well, which yielded about one hundred barrels per day. The discovery resulted in the erection of the first commercial oil refinery in California the following year."
The Pioneer Oil Refinery is also recognized as a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. It's listed as site number 8. This means it's considered an important example of mechanical engineering history.
