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Maritime Museum Exhibit Entrance

The entrance to the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, featuring a figurehead and diving suit. Photograph by the Santa Barbara Harbor team. A monument in Summerland, California, tells part of the story of the region's history of oil extraction in the following words engraved on a plaque: "To the west within sight of this monument, the first offshore oil production on the Western hemisphere was developed. The Summerland oilfield initially produced from onshore wells, but beginning in 1896, production was extended offshore. By 1899, twenty-two oil companies were operating wells on a total of twelve wharves." The plaque was sponsored by a group known as the Petroleum Production Pioneers, which was composed of retired oil industry workers. Photograph by Sage Gerson. Reproduced with permission of the photographers.