The Greatest Oil Well in the World: The Lakeview Gusher

One strike was so spectacular that not only did it make fortunes, it’s spouting flow of black gold became a tourist attraction. The granddaddy of gushers, the Lakeview Gusher blew past records, and became called “the mecca of the oilfields,” and “the greatest oil well in the world.”

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Script by THG

#history #thehistoryguy #oil

[TheMowgus]

I love that you still walk Willow to the bus every day. She will never forget that. I wish I had the opportunity to be such a positive influence on someone's life. I've always enjoyed your content; but it's heartwarming to see the man behind the name.

[stevekreitler]

As a veteran of drilling rigs, I find this entire story terrifying. Great pains have been taken for many years to prevent this exact sort of thing. It’s amazing that this flow was never ignited. If you’d like to see what could have happened, look up the devil’s cigarette lighter. That one was offshore, fortunately.

[austingallegos]

Omg I'm from taft, I work literally within feet of this place, I listen to you all the time! My jaw dropped when I saw this video, you don't know how excited I am! Oilfield history in california is slowly dying and it's sad to say the least. Thank you very much

[skydiverclassc]

My father worked many years at the Ten Section oil lease (6:14) and told me a few stories of the area. Although my dad was too young to have experienced it, my grandfather, a Standard Oil employee out in Taft, almost certainly would have been one of that "army of men" sent to contain the spill. Keeping it out of the Buena Vista Lake area was of huge importance, as the crop land around that area was owned by Miller and Lux land company, a powerhouse in California business at the time. It's easy to find the site, on Petroleum Club Road, and the Taft Museum has a detailed exhibit on it, as well as the rest of the industry. Well worth a visit if you're there on the right days. Point of side interest. Another later employee of Standard Oil, John Dopyera, began manufacturing a resonating guitar called the Dobro right there in Taft. They moved to Los Angeles soon afterward because, as the phrase goes, "you gotta go hunting where the ducks are."

[owenkittredge]

Thanks for the story, i am retired petroleum geologist and most of oil geos know of the Lakeview #1. Many people do not realized how much petroleum is/was in California. One interesting fact I learned in school is that the Los Angles Basin and other near by basins have more oil per cubic volume due to the stacked pay zones. Now this was 1970s teachings so it may now be changed but LA basin is geologically amazing and complex.

[rockymountainlifeprospecti]

A treat for the kittys from our military boarding home animal rescue! Thanks for sharing, and the excellent content and recommendations!🇺🇸🐾

[glenn]

I used to live near the site, and I've been there several times. Years ago I worked in the oil industry. The old timers on the crew took me out to see the site and spoke of the gusher as one would a legend of old.

[eddydogleg]

Things have changed a lot since the Lakeview Gusher was drilled. What I found most striking is how slow those cable tool rigs drilled. Over a year to drill 680m (2, 100 ft.), the record well I was on we drilled from 830m to 3983m in 124 hours. Thankfully these days if the crew is paying attention a blow out like theLakeview Gusher wouldn't happen.

[mikenixon]

It is amazing what we learn from you, and in an entertaining manner. Thank you.

[billwilson-esyn]

Back then the wildcatters would mark on maps where producing oil wells were located then connect the dots with a line. Then they would guess where on each line they should drill a well.

There were several wild wells that came in as gushers in the giant East Texas Oil Field. Those swallowed up the wood derrick and equipment as the ground became a wide cauldron of violently bubbling petroleum.

I believe the movie Giant starts off with a one man cable drilling operation that hits a gusher. Those took forever to make a hole. Not long ago Exxon drilled a well to a depth of 37, 000 feet then ran a lateral for 5 miles in 36 days.

[nitrogasm]

I'm a diesel mechanic that lives an hour from this site. I go there at least once a year to pay homage to the men that made modern industry possible. It's comparable to a pilgrimage to Mecca.

[johnnyyuen]

Thanks for sharing cameos of your kitty.😊

[Craig-zqbt]

In Wyoming, we had the Miracle of Bitter Creek. The oilfields at Bitter Creek, WY have been there for many decades. Thousands of oil and Nat Gas wells. Back in about 1997, some of the oil wells stopped producing. The assumption being the wells were dry. So, they turned them off and, eventually, started removing the pumps. In about 2012, someone got the bright idea to turn a pump on before removing it. Oil started flowing...and flowing...and flowing.
Other wells started being turned back on. It was referred to as the Miracle of Bitter Creek. Back to pumping like old times.

[scottbowen]

I grew up in Fellows California not far from the Lakeview Gusher. Haven’t been there in many years but the landscape has cleaned itself up.

[kirkstinson]

What a difference from them to now. California is banning diesel trucks and trains. They want no gasoline cars in the roads and yet oil is what built the state

[bretrae]

Another interesting California oil "well" involved two Mojave desert prospectors who weren't having much luck. At home in Los Angeles, they decided to switch to oil. Not being drillers or knowing how to locate a well, they dug essentially a mine shaft in the land most available to them - their own yards - and struck oil! This set off a mini boom of home owners digging "water wells" hoping to replicate their success. Check out Canfield and Doheny.

[wwalkup]

the site is amazing. The original 12" pipe still protrudes from the ground. It is hard to imagine 100, 000 barrels of oil (according to the historical marker at the site) coming out of that a day. That would mean 5.2 MILLION gallons of oil was squeezed thru that pipe every 24 hours! You can see where the oil flowed by following the dried asphaltum.

[choochoo]

You should make a video on the worlds first oil well in Titusville PA...Drake's well.

[rayray]

The west Kern oil museum is a cool little museum to visit if you're ever in the area. Its really not far from the 5 fwy on the northside of Tejon pass aka The grapevine hill. They have limited days and hours of operation so check ahead.

[JimDulles]

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.