Placerita ‘White Oil’: A Crude Wonder
Placerita “white oil” was showcased at the 1876 Philadelphia World’s Fair. (Webmaster’s note: No, it wasn’t. It was discovered in 1899.) It was as clear as kerosene and able to burn 100 times longer than conventional oil. One can only imagine it caused quite a stir.
Oil production in Southern California started in the Newhall area around 1850, when natural oil seeps were crudely distilled and used as “burning oil” at the San Fernando Mission.
A quarter-century later, nearby Mentryville, some six miles east of downtown Newhall, was home to California’s first productive oil well, while the state’s oldest refinery was located off of Pine Street and produced 20 barrels of refined product a day.
But the phenomenon of Placerita white oil, a see-through form of crude oil coming straight out of the ground, is rare and occurs only in small quantities. Experts who examined it in a 1974 study for the county of Los Angeles called it “a unique geologic oddity.”
It is 83 percent gasoline and, according to local historians, it used to be put directly into early engines to make them run.
George Starbuck grew up in the vicinity of the natural seeps. As a teen-ager, Starbuck said, he would take a 5-gallon can to his great uncle Tom Walker’s white oil well, fill it up and pour the oil directly into his Model A Ford. Starbuck’s grandfather, whose cabin was nearby, built a contraption on top of the well that separated the white oil from water and natural gas.
Starbuck said he was not the only one catching freebies off the well. Others in the area knew about it and would fill up their tanks.
Just try putting crude oil in an old Model A and see how far it runs.
Close to the Placerita white oil well, another well was drilled that hit natural gas. Starbuck’s grandfather laid pipes that hooked into the natural gas line. The gas was used to light natural gas lamps in the home and burned 24 hours a day.
Starbuck distinctly remembers the peculiar natural gas smell in the home because the burners from the stove were kept on around the clock, too.
While the natural gas and white oil occur close to each other, it is not clear how they are related, if at all.
One could say Placerita white oil was refined by nature. The movement of the oil from the original source through the fine sands and clay of the San Gabriel Fault Zone created a natural filtration system for the clear, kerosene-like oil, according to the county study.
Only a fraction of the original crude oil moved from the sedimentary rocks into the cracks and crevasses within the “Placerita schist” (crystalline rocks) along the Placerita Fault.
Scientists have reasoned that the movement of the oil through the crystalline bedrock, creating the natural filtration system, was unusual.
Placerita white oil is still bubbling up today on the grounds of the Placerita Canyon Nature Center. source
White Oil Seep Do You Smell That?
1. White Oil Seep Marker
What you are smelling is a pool of bubbling white oil. This very rare geologic feature of translucent petroleum has been filtered by nature. This special resource originates from deep within the earth in the Placerita Schist basement complex of rocks. Geologists have theorized that the oil traveled along the San Gabriel Fault Zone where it was filtered through various layers of sediments to get to its highly refined state. The oil is said to burn longer and brighter than kerosene and early local residents could pour it directly into their Ford Model T and Model A cars for fuel.
The Southern California oil industry started in the Newhall area in the late nineteenth century. In 1898 James Evans filed a patent on a mining claim which gave him title to the Placerita Canyon property. Evans then leased the land to the New Century Oil Co. to drill for oil. Imagine how surprised the oil drillers were when in 1900 the well started gushing white oil rather that the expected black gold! In 1901, the company entered a sample of crude oil into the Pan-American Exposition held in Buffalo, New York, which was the
Newhall near Santa Clarita in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Unfortunately, the oil wells did not perform as expected and in 1902 New Century Oil went bankrupt while drilling additional wells. The company’s stock dropped from $1.00 per share down to $0.02 per share. By order of the court, all of their oil equipment assets were seized and auctioned off by the Sheriff.
Frank Walker
In the following years, Frank Walker (1886-1971), grandson to James Evans, inherited this Placerita Canyon property and used it as his primary residence along with his wife Hortense Reynier and their twelve children. Walker invented a contraption which allowed him to separate the water, white oil, and natural gas from the abandoned well. This enabled the family to capture the oil in a storage drum and route the natural gas directly to their cabin’s kitchen stove and lantern.
Erected 2013 by Placerita Canyon Nature Center. A significant historical year for this entry is 1898.
Location. 34° 22.515′ N, 118° 26.96′ W. Marker is near Santa Clarita, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Newhall. It can be reached from Canyon Trail near Placerita Canyon Road
2. White Oil Seep Marker Photographed by Craig Baker, March 26, 2024
Located in Placerita Canyon Natural Area park. Hike 1½ miles east from the Nature Center, or ½ mile west from Walker Ranch Trailhead. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 19152 Placerita Canyon Rd, Newhall CA 91321, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Walker Ranch (approx. ¼ mile away); The Walker Cabin (approx. 1.1 miles away); Oil in Placerita Canyon (approx. 1.2 miles away); Oak of the Golden Dream (approx. 1.3 miles away); a different marker also named Oak of the Golden Dream (approx. 1.3 miles away); a different marker also named Oak of the Golden Dream (approx. 2½ miles away); Chinese Railroad Workers (approx. 2.7 miles away); In Honor of All Chinese Railroad Workers (approx. 2.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Santa Clarita.
3. White Oil Seep — Behind the Marker
4. White Oil Gusher
5. Oil/Gas/Water Separator
Credits. This page was last revised on April 2, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 27, 2024, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 364 times since then and 114 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 27, 2024, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.