Santa Clarita Valley History In Pictures
> PICO CANYON
Oil Works
Pico Canyon


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Version 1

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Version 2

Pico Canyon oil works at the back of Pico Canyon, the valley between the PCO and CSO hills.

According to local oil historian Stan Walker, the view is to the south. "The first derrick in the foreground is Pico No. 5, then further up the creek is Pico No. 4 (with the pinched-in derrick top). The machine shop is just past No. 4, and then Pico No. 1 is in the distance at left. PCO Hill is on the left and CSO Hill is on the right."

California Historical Society file information reads: "Photograph of California's first commercially successful oil wells in Newhall's Pico Canyon, ca.1885. The tall wooden towers of three oil wells are visible, including one in the foreground, one in the upper right corner and one in the background near the top on the image. The towers are in the bottom of the canyon, the walls of which are densely covered in small bushes. There are several wooden buildings visible, including one in the upper right corner that resembles a barn. There is a dirt path on the side of a hill on the left side of the image that leads to the bottom of the canyon.; The three wells were started in 1876 by Alexander Mentry, Jd.C. Scott, and J.G. Baher. The company was known as the Star Oil Works Co., and the name was later changed to California Star Oil Works Co. F.B. Scofield bought up controlling interest."

(Scofield is Demetrius G., not F.B.)

Further reading:

Pico Canyon / Mentryville Index

The Pico Ghost Camp by Arthur B. Perkins, 1962.

The Story of Mentryville by Leon Worden, 1996 ff.


LW2498: 19200 dpi jpeg from California Historical Society collection in the USC Digital Archive.
PICO OIL CAMP

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CSOW Time Book
1887-1889

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CSOW Stock Certificate 1901

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SCV History Moment

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Early Oil & Gas Production in Calif. (Video 1985)

Standard Oil Co. History to 1929


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Description Jan. 1877

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Description May 1877

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Description 9-26-1882

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Oil Tank Const. & Death 1883

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Mentryville 1885-1891

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CSO Hill 1883

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Oil Works ~1885

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The Pico Field 1890

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PCO Hill ~1890s

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CSO Jackline Plant

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Farrar & Trefts Boiler

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New Boiler 1893?

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Mentryville 1890s-1900s

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Reamer Patent 1900

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Machine Shop 1910

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Machine Shop 1910s

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Natural Gas-to-Gasoline 1913/14

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Mentryville ~1920

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Pico No. 4, 1931

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CSO Jackline Plant

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PCO Jackline Plant Remnants

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Darryl Manzer at Firehouse ~1961

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Darryl Manzer at Field Office ~1961

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Pico No. 4, 1961

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Darryl Manzer, L.A. Times Story 1962

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National Survey 1963

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PCO Jackline Plant Removal 1974-75

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CSO Jackline Plant 1974-75

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A.C. Mentry Blacksmith Forge

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