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        defini•ely  of  related  interest.  For
        C.S.O. No. 4 was the first commercial-
        ly successful oil well completed in Cali-
        fornia ... by  the  California  Star  Oil
        Works  Company,  a  predecessor  of
        ours.
          That  was  back  in  September,  1876
        (the well was theri called Pico No. 4),
        yet  old  faithful  is  still  producing  its
        regular  30  barrels  per  month.
          The plaque was inscribed in part: "It
        was not only the discovery well of the
        Newhall Field but was indeed a pow-
        erful  stimulus  to  the  subsequent  de-
        velopment of the California petroleum
        industry."
          The men who heard this dedication
        were  just  what  their  organization's
        name describes them to be- petroleum
        pioneers- senior members of which had
        been  in  the  producing  end  of  the  oil
        game at least 30 years.            Guy Wiggins examines a  cast iron sheave from  an  old  crown block. That's C.S.O.  (Pico)
          But up there on the windswept Santa   No. 4 i::i  the background, still pumping away after 77 years of valiant service


                                           Susanas, the range of mountains at the   ground of the well itself, the history of
                                           northern end of the San Fernando Val-  the Pico Canyon area, and many of the
                                           ley,  the  plaque was  a  commemorative   people  who  participated  in  the  early
                                           symbol of the real pioneers of the West   drilling and  development work.
                                           Coast petroleum industry. Those men   He also  pointed  out that,  like  most
                                           who had the courage to continue drill-  people everywhere, the greatest inter-
                                           ing after three holes  were abandoned,   est in tracing an historical event lies in
                                           back in the years when "coal oil" and   the  people  themselves- those  who  ac-
                                           axle  grease  were  about  the  only  two   tually performed the deeds.  He talked
                                           products of value.                 about Scofield, and also reviewed some
                                             D.  G.  Scofield  and  C.  A.  Mentry   of  the  early history of our Company.
                                           started drilling in Pico Canyon in 187 5.   Scofield was a young geologist from
                                             The  dedication  of  the  plaque  was   the  Pennsylvania  oil  fields  who  had
                                           conducted  by  Petroleum  Pioneers'   come  to  San  Francisco  to  enter  the
                                           president, B.  H. Anderson of the Con-  marketing  end  of  this  new  business.
                                           tinental Oil, and Paul Andrews of Sig-  But when he  heard  of the  oil  seepage
                                           nal Oil and Gas, Pioneers'  historian.   near  Newhall,  he  headed  south  and
                                             Andrews  traced  some  of  the  back-  acquired  acreage  in  the  well-nigh  in-
                                           ground and aims of the organization in   accessible Pico Canyon.
                                           perpetuating   important   historical   Alex Mentry was a Los Angeles car-
                                           events and milestones in the petroleum   penter,  powerful  and  bearded.
                                           industry.                           All  the materials  had  to be taken in
        Many  typical  old-style  wooden  derricks   In the crowd of a couple of hundred   over  crude  trails  by  wagon  and  sled.
        still  stand  in  Pico  Canyon  near  Newhall   people  who  turned  out  were  several   Snubbing  posts  were  necessary  and
                                       I
                                           Standard Oilers, including Vice-Presi-  helpful  since  later  drilling  was  done
                                           dents Gage Lund and Jules Toussaint.   both in the canyons and on top of the
      ◄ This  bull  wheel was  used  in  hoisting  op-
         erations in cable tool drilling   Toussaint traced  the interesting back-  2000-foot ridges.
         AUGUST  1953                                                                                       9
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