Oil derricks crowd Huntington Beach, California, circa 1960s

Posted on January 25, 2020 by

Oil derricks crowd Huntington Beach, California, circa 1960sI don’t know about you, but when I think of sunny days spent lazing on golden California beaches, I’m not picturing a forest of oil derricks chugga-chugga-chugging as far as the eye can see. In this circa 1960s shot, it looks like there are quite a few people dotted along Huntington Beach (which is a strip of sand or two south of Long Beach) but all I can think is: Didn’t the whole area smell of crude oil?

James says: “Odors came from the refineries, not the oil wells/derricks unless there was a leak, which would have meant $$$ lost. From north San Diego county to Santa Barbara county’s Gaviota area coastal Southern California was dotted with oil wells from the thirties until the early eighties, particularly around Long Beach/San Pedro.”

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10 responses to “Oil derricks crowd Huntington Beach, California, circa 1960s”

  1. Gordon Pattison says:
    January 25, 2020 at 8:07 am

    I remember drives to San Diego in the 1950’s on PCH passing through what seemed like miles of oil derricks in Huntington Beach. Even more memorable was what was know as Tin Can Beach (now Bolsa Chica State Beach) just north of this area. It was covered by tin cans and other assorted litter left by people who could camp on the beach for days or weeks in those days, a practice which is no longer allowed.

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  2. J Yuma says:
    January 25, 2020 at 4:49 pm

    They’re still pumping the black gold on PCH in HB.

    https://goo.gl/maps/xTJek35xuBgYphGD9

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  3. Grant McCormick says:
    January 26, 2020 at 10:44 am

    Cool photo Martin!

    Throughout the late fifties and sixties my parents drove the family from Anaheim to Huntington Beach most every summer weekend. I clearly remember all the oil derricks. There was so much oil in the area even the wet sand along the shore had black streaks. My dad kept a bottle of paint thinner in the car to remove the oil and tar from our feet before we headed home.

    Virtually all of the Huntington Beach oil derricks are long gone, replaced by expensive condos and hotels.

    Sometimes we would drive by Tin Can Beach. The amount of trash covering the sand was unbelievable. The three mile stretch between Huntington Beach and Sunset Beach was private property with absentee owners dating back to the twenties. No maintenance of the beach was ever done. Eventually the state located the owners, purchased the land and cleaned it up, renaming it Bolsa Chica State Beach.

    There are lots of photos from the Tin Can days on the net. It was quite a place.

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  4. Detlev L. Werk says:
    May 30, 2022 at 4:35 pm

    I went to Huntington High in 1960 our football team “The Oilers”. Who remembers?
    Denny Werk (80+)

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    • Denny Werk says:
      May 30, 2022 at 5:16 pm

      Before that I lived in Sunset next to Tin Can, a block from Turc’s bar; often went to Seal Beach’s Clancy or Glider Inn/restaurant. What was the name of that great seafood restaurant on other side of Turc’s, on way to Long Beach? Once you got to the ‘circle’ in L.B. you ‘loaded’ up your car for the Drive Inn. Do these places still exist?…..Denny

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  5. Jason Sachs says:
    November 19, 2022 at 7:54 am

    When did they start taking down the oil derricks?
    (and where did you get the first picture?)

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