Comments on: Strange Geographies: OIL! in L.A.

By: Chellis

Chellis — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:14:11 +0000

Neat! What a great article on LA. I’ve seen these oil rigs on the way to LAX, but didn’t know that they were producing this much oil. Thanks for the info.

By: Bettie

Bettie — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:29:37 +0000

I would suggest you read Oil! By Upton Sinclair.

Actually about Oil in LA during the 1910-1920s.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 02:10:13 +0000

The Beverly Center is also above a well – the building was built in that funny shape to accommodate the drilling.

By: Ben Loescher

Ben Loescher — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:44:43 +0000

Great photos and a fascinating topic.

Incidentally, Oil in LA be also be the subject of an exhibition at The Center for Land Use Interpretation opening in the middle of September.

By: John

John — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:49:04 +0000

Three of these man-made oil drilling islands are named Grissom, White and Chaffee in honor of the three astronauts killed in the Apollo 1 fire. A fourth island is named for Theodore Freeman, an Air Force test pilot chosen as an astronaut in 1963 but who was killed while piloting a T-38 jet when it crashed at Ellington AFB. These islands are beautiful at night, and local legend has it people have mistaken them for off-shore hotels.

By: shell

shell — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:11:40 +0000

My mother went to Montebello high school, the Montebello oilers. You find oil derricks all over if ur looking for them, like in the beautiful Brea canyon in north orange county.

By: Jeff Duke

Jeff Duke — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:08:59 +0000

To enjoy the real beauty of the off shore Long Beach oil islands you need to see them at night. They are lit in bright colors and have a 60′s mod look. You can find pictures on Flickr and google.

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:12:32 +0000

I had a friend that was working on a picture book he called Stairs to Nowhere. He had taken several photos of staircases that either were still standing after the house they were part of had collapsed or stairs that were boarded up for some reason or another. He tried to find out the stories behind the stairs as well. That might be an interesting topic for you. I don’t think he ever finished the book or at least found a publisher. I wrote a poem for the introduction though, but didn’t keep a copy dang it.

By: Devin Greaney

Devin Greaney — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:49:12 +0000

Didn’t Randy Newman write a song about this Oil of L A?\n
great post!

By: steve

steve — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:31:24 +0000

Sure enough, if you look at Google maps, you will see the 4 man-made islands in San Pedro Bay. Very neat-o!