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New Century Oil Well
Placerita Canyon

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[STARBUCK-WALKER INDEX]

Herman Mosher (right) punched this oil well in Placerita Canyon, north of Placerita Canyon Road, around the turn of the 20th Century. While it is unclear whether the well was successful, other nearby wells, south of the road, on the current Placerita Canyon Nature Center property, produced natural gas and the peculiar Placerita "white oil." The white oil was so clear a newspaper could be read through it, and it was often poured directly into engines without needing to be refined. Placerita white oil was displayed at the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition.

Photo provided by George Starbuck.

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