I remember those forests of old wooden derricks and the more recent steel ones in Signal Hill, Long Beach, Harbor City, Lomita, Torrance... The POP, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh of the hit & miss engine was a familiar sound. They disappeared in the sixties.
The whole LA basin looked like that before the 'Hollywood Land' days.
That house on the left may still be there.
The houses were there first. They discovered oil and put the wells all around the houses. They took down the wells and the houses are still there to this day.
In the 20's before they discovered the oil my grandmother went to the movies and won the ticket raffle. She had the choice of a lot on Signal Hill or a set of dishes. She was no dummy, she took the set of dishes.
I met a guy named Wardlow, and asked if he were related to Wardlow Road near Signal Hill. He said his Granpa' sold the land on Signal Hill the year before oil was discovered..
Frank, I hope the dishes are still in the family.
Ralph, Sounds like before there was a Dangerfield there was Wardlow. :-)
I visited an Aunt that lived there in 1939, I don't remember it to much but I do remember the oil well around her house. Have some pictures some where.
Bob