Summerland Oil & Gas Production
The Piers at Summerland Housed the First Offshore Oil Wells in
the Nation and Possibly the World
Source: National Geographic February, 1920
http://www.hubbertpeak.com/history/ng20feb.htm
Oil and gas exploration
occurred in the Summerland area in the mid-to-late 1800s as prospectors
sought to exploit these resources. Early wells did not produce oil
and gas in satisfactory quantities. However, prospectors kept trying
and in 1886 Henry L. Williams completed the area's first successful
onshore well,
leading to the discovery of the Summerland field. Approximately
40 productive wells under various owners followed as production
from the Summerland field
represented the first major production of oil and gas in Santa Barbara
County. Over time, prospectors noted that the wells nearest the
ocean were the best producers.
In 1894, Henry L. Williams drilled two wells on the beach. He drilled
another in 1895 with encouraging results. These results led Williams
and others to consider the possibility of pursuing offshore deposits.
They constructed piers from the shore seaward and drilled wells
from them. This drilling activity led to the discovery of the Summerland
Oil Field (offshore area) in 1896. This is the first offshore field
developed in the nation, and possibly the world, by means of drilling
offshore wells from piers.
Twenty-two companies built fourteen piers before the end of the
Century. By 1902, there were approximately 412 wells on these piers,
though many were already haphazardly abandoned as they flowed for
only a short time. By 1920, only a few of these wells were still
active. Though the majority of production activities from the Summerland
piers lasted for only approximately 25 years, the lessons learned
and technology created there helped to advance the petroleum industry.
References:
National Ocean Industries Association. About Offshore
Oil and Gas (internet document). http://www.noia.org/info/history.asp
Sollen, Robert. An Ocean of Oil: A Century of Political
Struggle Over Petroleum Off the California Coast. The Denali Press,
1998
Galloway, James M. Santa Barbara-Ventura Basin Province.
Minerals Management Service (internet document). http://www.mms.gov/omm/pacific/offshore/na/pdfs/sb_vb.pdf
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