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PICO (CSO) OIL WELL (Pico Canyon, - ·Mentryville)
Oil seepage was discovered in this area as early as 1865. Sanford Lyon and his
associates punched down a well by "spring-pole" method at the head of Pico
Canyon. There were many who had claims in this area. Col. R. S. Baker, C. D.
Scott, and Alex Mentry obtained a lease from Lyon in 1873. They drilled three wells
by spring-pole, punched down a hole near Lyon's well and got six barrels of oil per
day. Mentry hurried to Los Angeles to file for a 25-acre claim lease (this being
under gold mining) public domain. Following wells #1 and #2, well #3 was a dry
hole. Well #4 was first drilled in 1876 to a depth of 300 feet for an initial flow of 30
barrels per day. Later in the same year the well was deepened to 617 feet, using
what was perhaps the first steam rig employed in oil drilling in California. Records
show that it commenced pumping on September 26, 1876. The casing size 5 & 5/8.
This, the first commercially productive well in California, was financed by D. G.
Scofield, who later became the first president of Standard Oil Company. In the
year 1885, CSO #4 was deepened again, on May 20th to the depth of 1,030 feet. It is
still productive after 100 years. The success of this discovery led to the con-
struction of the State's first refinery, nearby. The two, oil production, plus
refinery, were indeed a powerful stimulus to the subsequent development of
California's petroleum industry. The well site is both a State and Federal Land-
mark.
The man who drilled the well was Charles A. Men try, who came to California in
the 1870's after having to his credit 42 wens in the Titusville field.