A Field Guide to Oil in Santa BarbaraMain MenuA Field Guide to Oil in Santa BarbaraA project by the graduate students of the Mellon Sawyer Seminar at UCSB, Fall 2018The 2018-2019 Mellon Sawyer Seminar at UCSB825abd0261ed10262ffe105a408c697a541ff4bf
Oil Monument at Summerland
1media/monument_thumb.JPG2021-06-22T16:16:26-07:00The 2018-2019 Mellon Sawyer Seminar at UCSB825abd0261ed10262ffe105a408c697a541ff4bf326178A 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 photographer.plain2022-01-07T10:57:09-08:00The 2018-2019 Mellon Sawyer Seminar at UCSB825abd0261ed10262ffe105a408c697a541ff4bf