Brief History of Oil Development in Wiley Canyon (with historic well photos)

This topo map shows all the well sites in Wiley Canyon. The red square in the middle is the location of the bench where the trail turns to the west. The red circle is the location of the oil seep that is right next to the trail and leaks across it.

The following early ownership history of the Wiley (and Towsley) oil claims is also summarized in a chart here. Sources are given in the chart.

On March 18, 1865, Henry C. Wiley, as the discoverer, filed two 1000 foot claims in the records of the Los Angeles Asphaltum and Petroleum Mining District, with a copy recorded later in the Los Angeles County Recorders Office. He called his claim the Wiley Lead and it contained what was called Wiley's Springs and was located in the soon-to-be-named Wiley Canyon. On the same day, Darius Towsley (also spelled Tousley) and Myron E. Everts, as locators, each took one 1000 foot claim on the Wiley Lead just north of Wiley's claim. In those days, the discoverer could file for two 1000 square foot claims and any other locators could only file 1000 square foot claims.

On March 27, 1865, Myron E. Everts quit-claimed all his rights to both the Wiley (and Towsley) Lead and to Henry Wiley for $100.

One of the first newspaper articles mentioning the wells in Wiley Canyon come from the Sacramento Daily Union of March 31, 1865:

"At Wiley's Wells, about ten miles from San Fernando, there are more than one hundred springs on both sides of a creek, where the petroleum exudes out of the stratum of sandstone and decomposed slate which pitch down toward the creek, and runs off with the water for more than a quarter of a mile, and sinks into the sand or evaporates, without leaving any hard brea. I am told that several hundred gallons of petroleum are discharged from these springs daily. It floats off on top of the water till both sink or disappear."

The following map was surveyed on April 28, 1865. It shows Touseley [sic] Gulch (Towsley Canyon), Wiley Gulch (Wiley Canyon), Arroyo Rincon (South Fork of the Santa Clara River), and East Branch of Arroyo Rincon (Gavin Canyon). This is a part of the Wiley Canyon sketch map from the Solano-Reeve collection, Maps, Huntington Digital Library. Full map can be seen here.

The Daily Alta California of June 13, 1865 reported a favorable assay of the Wiley Springs petroleum. It was "equal to the best imported oils in illuminating power." The Wilmington Journal of February 10, 1866, reported that Dr. Vincent Gelcich met with Wiley at his home on January 31, 1866. In 1864, Wiley had leased a ranch from Jose Ygnacia Del Valle (Los Angeles County Recorder's Office Records - Leases, Book 2, pp. 171-172) that in November of 1868 would be purchased by Sanford Lyon (Los Angeles County, Book 11 of Deeds, pages 534-535) and become Lyon's Station. After resting there, Gelcich and Wiley proceeded to Wiley Springs, where Wiley gave him a tour of the work going on. There were about 50 springs, many enlarged four to six feet deep to collect the oil.

On March 7, 1866, Darius Towsley sold 1/2 interest of his claim on the Wiley (and Towsley) Lead to Sylphina Rushmore of San Francisco for $75. Wiley and Rushmore would agree that Wiley owned 3/4 and Rushmore owned 1/4 of each claim.

Then on March 12, 1866, Towsley sold his remaining 1/2 interest on the Wiley (and Towsley) Lead to Henry C. Wiley in consideration of the satisfaction and settlement of all claims and accounts which Wiley claimed against him and also for one horse.

On June 18, 1866, Stephen F. Peckham visited the canyons (Geology, Volume II, The Coast Ranges, Appendix F, Examination of the Bituminous Substances Occurring in Southern California, by S.F. Peckham, June, 1866, p. 68, Cambridge, Mass., John Wilson & Son, University Press, 1882) Peckham reported that the Wiley Springs Oil Company had been operating both the Wiley and the Towsley Canyon claims since August of 1865. In Wiley Canyon, Peckham reported that there was a 175-ft deep well producing a very small quantity of oil. There was also a 180-ft long tunnel and three others were just started. He also reported that the two claims had produced 260 barrels of oil since August of 1865. The superintendant of all the work going on was Mr. Rushmore. Was he related to Sylphina Rushmore, the owner of 1/4 interest? Seems likely because the 1880 U.S. Census for San Francisco has an Albert, age 57, and Sylvania Rushmore, age 53. Albert was the brother of Sylvania and his occupation was a contractor. Sylphina could easily have been misspelled as Sylvania.

A 175-ft deep well could have only been drilled using a steam engine. That depth is just too much for kicking down with a spring pole. This was probably the first use of a steam engine in the San Fernando Petroleum Mining District.

Los Angeles Semi-Weekly News of July 6, 1866, reported that the "Wiley and Tously springs are progressing famously under the energetic management of Mr. A. Rushmore. At the Wiley springs, there are two drifts running into the banks, one of which is about 170 feet and has two air shafts; the average product of this drift is some 60 @ 70 gallons daily and the oil is of very excellent quality."

The Fourth Annual Report of the State Mineralogist (For the Year Ending May 15, 1884, California State Mining Bureau, Sacramento, 1884, p. 297) says that specimens of oil from Wiley's Spring was displayed at the Paris Exposition of 1867. It also says that around 1869 a spring-pole well was put down at Wiley's Spring.

Sometime between 1866 and 1872, Sylphina Rushmore must have sold her 1/4 interest to Wiley (I haven't been able to locate the document) because on January 18, 1872, Wiley leased the Wiley and Towsley Oil Springs to Samuel B. Caswell, John F. Ellis, and W.P. Davis for one year with a monthly rental of fifty dollars. They were going to work both petroleum springs. The Fourth Annual Report of the State Mineralogist also says that in 1868, a Mr. Davis leased Wiley Springs and collected seepage oil which he shipped to the Metropolitan Gas Works in San Francisco for about a year. Based on the date of the lease, Davis was there in 1872 not 1868. On the third of October, 1872, Wiley filed suit over unpaid rent and refusal to vacate the premises. On October 19, Wiley won by default because the defendants failed to appear or answer the suit and on October 23, Los Angeles County Sheriff Rowland removed the three defendants from the property.

On August 7, 1878, Wiley sold 1/4 interest in the Wiley Oil Claim to S.B. Caswell for one dollar. On the same day, Wiley also sold 1/4 interest in the Wiley Oil Claim to Mary L. Ellis for one dollar and other valuable considerations. The next day, Wiley again sold 1/4 interest in the Wiley Oil Claim to Joseph Wiley, his son, for one dollar. On August 15, the four owners filed for a patent on what they called the Wiley Petroleum Mine (Los Angeles Herald, January 1, 1889). There are no records of the patent ever being approved. Not needing a patent, on January 15, 1879, the four owners (H.C. Wiley, Joseph Wiley, S.B. Caswell, M.L. Ellis) sold the Wiley Oil Claim to Charles N. Felton. He would eventually receive a patent on October 6, 1891. Felton had been obtaining leases since 1877 with the apparent intent of controlling all the California oil industry. On February 19, 1879, he, along with his partners, incorporated the Pacific Coast Oil Company in San Francisco with the intent of developing his growing oil interests. PCO then went after the California Star Oil Works in Pico canyon, which he eventualy obtained.

In early June of 1879, Charles Mentry started to put up rigs in Wiley Canyon. Drilling was slow and in between 1882 and 1883 only one other well was started. In 1884, the Wiley 4 well pumped 2 barrels per day from 1275 feet, becoming the first well with a record of production.

By 1889, two of their six wells in the canyon yielded only about 13 barrels per day (bpd) of oil. It was lighter than the Elsmere Canyon oil, but heavier than the Pico Canyon oil.

Between 1889 and 1893, a pipeline was run from Pico Canyon to Newhall.

In 1909, it was reported (see article below) that a rotary rig was tried in the drilling of Wiley 17. All wells at that time were being drilled by cable tool rigs. How well the rotary performed was not later reported, but the well was unsuccessful. By about 1920, virtually all wells were drilled by the rotary method.

Also in 1909, Standard (the owners of PCO since 1900) drilled Wiley 18 to 1528 feet. It produced 83 bpd during the the first 8 days. It was deepened in 1913 and pumped 89 bpd. In 1910, Wiley 19 had a record initial production of 109 bpd.

From 1910-1912 Wiley 25 was drilled to 3835-feet, the deepest well ever drilled in the canyon. No commercial oil was found and it was abandoned.

In 1934, R. W. Walling (Summary of Operations, California Oil Fields, Twentieth Annual Report, Vol. 20, No. 2, Oct., Nov., Dec., 1934, "Newhall Oil Field") reported of the 29 wells drilled, 8 were still producing a daily average per well of 1.7 bpd.

In 1940 the wells were shut down. The 9 wells still producing averaged less than 1 bpd per well.

In 1956, Wiley 31 was drilled and abandoned.

The best year for Wiley Canyon was 1933 when production was 5,822 barrels of oil (California Oil and Gas Fields, Volume II, Southern, Central Coastal, and Offshore California, Division of Oil and Gas, Publication No. TR12, Sacramento, 1991).

Table of the wells drilled in Wiley Canyon