History of Oil Development in Elsmere Area

The Elsmere area comprises about 60 acres in, and just south of, Elsmere Canyon. It was part of the Newhall oil field. Today, the property is publically owned and open for hiking and other activities. But you can still see evidence of the oil activity. Like in the other canyons nearby, you can also still see oil seeps.

Here are some of the first newspapers that I believe were about Elsmere Canyon. The only canyon close to Lyon's Station (which was located at the opening to Eternal Valley Memorial Park) that had, and still has, lots of oils seeps is Elsmere Canyon.


Los Angeles Herald, August 2, 1874

"A few days ago Mr. M. Kraszynski, who lives near Lyons Station, while passing up an arroyo in that locality, discovered thirty-two flowing oil springs within a short distance of each other."

Los Angeles Herald, August 22, 1874:

"In company with Captain Kraszynski of Lyon Station, I yesterday went to see the oil deposits in this vicinity, and was greatly astonished at the splendid show of oil that we saw. The first claims we went to see were the Clara and Danbury, which are located about one mile from Lyon Station, and are undoubtedly the best claims in the district. Riding up a canyon [Elsmere] completely shut in from the outside world by high cliffs, and along a creek covered on either side by dense groves of willows, we soon come to a group of oil springs seven or eight in number all situated within a short distance of each other. We examined them closely; the oil appeared to come from little crevices in the rocks, and flowed a small stream of oil continuously. Continuing our way up the canyon we came to numerous springs, and they kept increasing until the ground was literally covered with oil.

Far up the sides of the mountain and in the gulches, springs of oil were bursting out and it seemed to be everywhere. It was a grand sight amid the wild mountains, to see this immense wealth scattered over the face of the whole mountain and canyon, and forming a chain of springs that extend for many miles through the country. Entering a dense grove of willows, we came to a spring that boiled up a fine stream of oil and would be a splendid place to bore a well. We saw about one hundred and thirty springs of oil within one mile along the canyon. The ground in many places is saturated with it; dig a hole where you may, in a few hours the water will be covered with a scum of oil. The Clara and Danbury claims will yet become famous throughout the country. They are the property of Captain M. Kraszynski, the enterprising discoverer who has constructed an excellent road to the springs, and is constantly discovering new oil deposits in the mountains and canyons in the vicinity of this place. Situated as these springs are, within one mile of the oil refinery [at Lyon's Station], they are the richest and finest located in San Fernando."

Ventura Signal, September 19, 1874:

"Our party consisted of four in number, under the guidance of Captain Kraszynski, who has large interests in the Clara and Danbury claims located there. A carriage drive winds along the foot of the mountains and for some distance up the canyon, where the oil springs first make their appearance. They are almost numberless, the oil spreading over the ground in all directions. This oil has been pronounced by experts to be of the finest quality. We were told the existence of these springs has been known for many years, the oil being bottled for medicinal purposes, without a suspicion of its being petroleum until quite recently. Here, under the branches of lofty trees, amid the silence and loneliness of nature, is one of the greatest resources of wealth of Southern California.

After proceeding some distance up the canyon, as far as the drive would permit, we mounted on little ponies and rode up the narrow defile to the boiling springs, which presented a very interesting appearance. The basins of the springs are several feet in diameter, and in a state of violent ebullition, as diabolical in appearance as the witches' caldron in Macbeth, needing but the presence of Hecate and her wierd band to realize that horrible creation of poetic fancy.

We proceeded up this canyon for some miles, the scenery growing wilder at every turn. Vistas of light broke through the pines that crown the mountains towering above us on each side, several hundred feet. Then the springs increased at every point, the oil oozing through the crevices of the rocks on every side. The here is exceedingly bitter, and the ground fairly covered with the black tarry substance."

Pittsburgh Daily Commercial, October 6, 1874:

"We next day looked at the Great Eastern, Santa Clara, Dunkirk, and Mountain view claims, just east of the hotel. Of these the first two present the most advantages, having plenty of wood, good water and lie just off the stage road. Here are numerous springs of thick, black oil, which oozing out, has formed large beds of brea, similar to those around the Pico and Wyle Springs. No digging has been done here, and no green petroleum is seen on the surface. At several places where the oil and gas bubbles up, the oil is greenish and aniline colors are seen. Capt. M. Kraszynski and A.J. Kraszynski, who keep the hotel and are largely interested in these claims, inform me that there are over a hundred of these springs in the canyon [Elsmere]. We saw a great many but had neither time nor inclination to visit all."

Los Angeles Herald, October 21, 1874:

"Just east of the hotel [Lyon's Station] is a large canyon [Elsmere], well wooded and plentifully supplied with water. The first springs of oil were discovered about half a mile from the hotel, and thence extended for a mile and a half up. Nearly a hundred and fifty have been discovered in this canyon alone. A large number of claims have been taken up here, as well as on the opposite side of the mountains."

Los Angeles Herald, November 20, 1874:

"Though nine years have passed since the first discover of oil was made in California, no one knew or thought of the numerous springs of oil in the canyon [Elsmere Canyon], scarcely a quarter of a mile from the pleasant station [Lyon's Station] presided over by the Messrs. Kraszynski, who have made discoveries of numerous oil springs and have secured a number of the most desirable claims in the District."

Los Angeles Herald, March 28, 1875:

"On the opposite side of the valley and about three miles East of Lyons' Station, excellent oil indication are also found. They are in a deep canyon [Elsmere] and situated similar to the others which we have mentioned. Captain Kraszynski is the original locator of these claims - eight in number - and still retains a controlling interest in them. At several places along this canyon we saw pools where the petroleum rose to the surface and flowed slowly away. On of these, high up on the mountain side, is dubbed 'The Chimney,' and shows remarkably good indications. Another, called 'The Danbury,' shows a surface of petroleum about six feet in circumference and is continually bubbling with the gas which rises through it."

As the articles reported, there were many claims filed in and near Elsmere Canyon. However, there is no indication that there was any work done in the canyon in the 1860's or 1870's. Because of this, the claims became invalid.

Pacific Coast Oil Company (PCO) was incorporated in 1879 and became majority owner of the California Star Oil Works, which owned the Newhall Refinery and oil properties in Pico and other canyons.

In 1889, three claims were recorded for Elsmere Canyon in Book D (pages 205-207) of the records of the San Fernando Petroleum Mining District. They were the Soledad Oil Claim, filed January 31, the Elsmere Oil Claim, filed February 1, and the Pomona Oil Claim, filed February 1. See map near the bottom of this page.

The Soledad Claim consisted of the southeast quarter of section 7, township 3N, range 15W (SBM). This consisted of 160 acres. The Elsmere Claim consisted of lots 3 and 4 and the east half of the southwest quarter of section 7, township 3N, range R15W (SBM). This was about 153 acres. The Pomona Claim consisted of lot 2 and the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter and the south half of the north east quarter of section 7, township 3N, range R15W (SBM). This was about 156 acres.

The first real work in Elsmere Canyon was done by PCO in 1889 with the drilling of Elsmere 1. Elsmere 1 through 4 were drilled between 1889 and 1891. Elsmere 5 thru Elsmere 20 were drilled between 1898 and 1900. What happened between 1891 and 1898 that caused PCO not to drill any wells? There was a depression called the Panic of 1893. The economy didn't start getting better until 1896.

On August 25, 1898, PCO registered a mining claim for the Elsmere Consolidated Oil Mining Claim in the land office at Los Angeles (according to the 1899 patent). The claim consolidated the Elsmere Oil Claim, the Soledad Oil Claim, and the Pomona Oil Claim. The total claim consisted of about 470 acres of land. Then on February 17, 1899, PCO received a patent (see it here) from the federal government for the Elsmere Consolidated Oil Mining Claim. They now owned much of the canyon outright.

In December of 1900, Pacific Coast Oil was acquired by John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company (New Jersey), but was allowed to retain its name. By that time Pacific Coast had laid about 30 miles of 2-inch pipe from Elsmere Canyon to the refinery at Andrew's Junction near the Southern Pacific Railroad station in Railroad Canyon. On July 23, 1906, after a company reorganization, PCO's name was changed to Standard Oil (California). In May of 1911, Standard Oil of New Jersey lost a long-running antitrust suit and was ordered by the Supreme Court to break-up. In December of 1911, Standard Oil of California became a separate company. In 1977 Standard became the Chevron Oil Company. In 2001, they became ChevronTexaco. In 2005, they dropped the Texaco and became Chevron again.

The highest recorded initial production in the Elsmere field was from Elsmere 2, which produced a daily average of 57 barrels (1 barrel = 42 gallons) of oil during the first four days. However, within the first 60 days, production dropped down to about 8 bpd and by 1894 down to 6 bpd. It was still producing 1-4 bpd of oil in 1929 when the well was shut in. It produced for 38 years making it the longest running of the 24 Elsmere wells.

By 1903, only 11 Elsmere wells were still producing. By 1929, only 9 were still producing. On April 20, 1929, the wells in Elsmere Canyon were "shut in" meaning they weren't abandoned, but they were taken off production. The 9 remaining wells were producing a daily average of 2.3 barrels per day, not enough to justify continued production. Between 1891 and 1929 the Elsmere area had produced an estimated 285,000 barrels of oil (Walling, 1934).

Alpine Oil Company drilled wells 1 through 3 in 1900 and 1901 along the west line of Section 12 as offsets to the Elsmere property of Pacific Coast Oil Company.

Santa Ana Oil Company drilled wells 1 through 3 between 1901 and 1903 along the east line of the SE 1/4 of Section 12. Eldridge and Arnold (USGS Bull. 309, 1907) reported the wells high up the north point of Elsmere Ridge.

Prutzman (1913) reports that there were also two other wells drilled in 1900 east of all the Elsmere wells. They were drilled by the California Oil Company and the Graves Oil Company. Eldridge and Arnold (1907) also show the California Oil Company well in the same location as Prutzman. However, Walling (1934) only shows the Graves site but reports it as a California Oil Company well. Both wells were located on east trending ridges above the first main fork in Elsmere Canyon. The California Oil Company well was about 1200 feet deep and barren. The Graves or California Oil well was about 1500 feet deep and also barren. I have found both sites, so there were two wells.

W. L. Watts (Oil and Gas Yielding Formations of California, 1900) reports that in 1900 the Good Luck Oil Company had a short-lived well with traces of oil at 675 feet on a hillside above the Elsmere wells (in the S.E. Corner of Sec. 7) but its location is too vague to pinpoint.

In 1907 (from DOG records and Walling, 1934), E. A. and D. L. Clampitt (see the Clampitt webpage) acquired the properties of Alpine and Santa Ana Oil Companies. They changed the well numbers of Alpine 1, 2, and 3 to Clampitt 5, 6, and 7, and the numbers of the three Santa Ana wells to Clampitt 8, 9, and 10. They re-worked those six wells and were somewhat successfull. They also drilled Clampitt 11, 12, and 13 between 1916 and 1920. In 1943, the wells were leased to Stough & Hutchingson. In 1944, they were leased to the York Oil Company. By 1946, the wells were back in Clampitt hands (Sewell and Jones) and renamed Sewell and Jones 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. The last owners of these wells was the partnership of Leah C. Sewell & Barbara C. Jones, E. A. Clampitt's daughters (and heirs since he died in 1919).

Republic Petroleum Company, Ltd., wells Fink 3 and Fink 4 were drilled as offsets to the north line of the E. A. & D. L. Clampitt property during 1920 and 1921. These were on the low ridge between Elsmere and Whitney Canyon just above (west of) today's road into Elsmere Canyon.

Walling (1934) reports that by the end of 1934, only 7 wells of E.A. & D.L. Clampitt were still active, producing an average of 2.1 barrels of oil per day. According to Ford (in his unpublished 1940 UCLA M.A. thesis), in 1940, 7 wells were operating on jacks. Oakeshott (1958, California Division of Mines, Bulletin 172) reported 6 wells still operating in 1942 yielding about 2 barrels per day each. Winterer and Durham (1962, U.S.G.S. Professional Paper 334-H) reported that in 1949, 6 wells were still pumping. Apparently the Sewell & Jones (the last owners) shut down their last wells in 1950 since there was no oil production reported from them after 1949.

On 3/27/1953, Mike Barkett spudded a well on the north side of Elsmere Canyon on the same low ridge line that the Fink wells were drilled some 30 years before. It was plugged and abandoned on 8/25/1957.

Elsmere 23 was spudded by Standard on 12/12/1953 and abandoned on 1/8/1954. It was a "deeper pool" well. This is a well drilled with the intent of finding a new productive zone beneath an old productive zone. Maybe with the Mike Barkett well nearby they believed there was still some oil in the area, but that was evidently not the case. Elsmere 24 was spudded on 4/30/1959 by Standard and abandoned on 8/15/1959. It was drilled as an "outpost" exploratory well. An outpost well is located on a producing structure but beyond the proven limits, with the intent to extend an old producing zone or discover a new pool. Elsmere 24 was not really in Elsmere Canyon, but on the high mesa south of it with a view of the San Fernando Valley.

In 1975, Standard Oil obtained property just east of the old Alpine wells from Margaret Clampitt Bath. She is (born in 1933 and still alive) the granddaughter of Don and Eunice Clampitt. She told me (by personal email) that "I inherited the Newhall property, and eventually was talked into selling it with drilling rights, which I was reluctant to do, except that I was told that ONLY with those rights included, could I possibly sell it! The 'Margaret Bath' name on the drilling operation was mine (not the Margaret who was Mrs. Ed Clampitt's wife). We knew there had to be some oil left under the property, but several outfits drilled for it, and none found enough to be worth more efforts." Margaret Bath 1 was spudded on 11/21/1979 and abandoned on 11/7/1985 with no production. The best year for Elsmere Canyon was 1954 when production was 992 barrels of oil.

Table of the wells drilled in the Elsmere area