﻿14 
  SANTA 
  MARIA 
  oil. 
  DISTRICT, 
  CALIFORNIA. 
  

  

  by 
  

  

  stone 
  was 
  composed 
  Largely 
  of 
  Pliocene 
  shells, 
  as 
  determined 
  

   Doctor 
  Dall. 
  Eldridge 
  remarks: 
  "In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  supposed 
  age 
  of 
  

  

  the 
  serpentine, 
  it 
  is 
  thought 
  that 
  the 
  deposit 
  was 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  

   accumulation 
  of 
  sediment 
  and 
  shells 
  in 
  a 
  crevice 
  of 
  the 
  older 
  rocks 
  

   at 
  the 
  time 
  they 
  perhaps 
  formed 
  the 
  sea 
  bluffs.'' 
  

  

  The 
  same 
  writer 
  published 
  a 
  brief 
  summary 
  of 
  his 
  knowledge 
  con- 
  

   cerning 
  the 
  Santa 
  Maria 
  district 
  in 
  1903.° 
  

  

  The 
  San 
  Luis 
  folio, 
  6 
  by 
  H. 
  W. 
  Fairbanks, 
  issued 
  in 
  L904, 
  contains 
  

   much 
  that 
  relates 
  to 
  the 
  district 
  in 
  general, 
  although 
  it 
  pertains 
  

   directly 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  part 
  containing 
  the 
  Arroyo 
  Grande 
  field. 
  It 
  

   is 
  the 
  most 
  comprehensive 
  report 
  concerning 
  the 
  northwestern 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  Santa 
  Maria 
  district 
  yet 
  published. 
  

  

  The 
  present 
  writers 
  have 
  published 
  two 
  papers 
  concerning 
  the 
  

   geology 
  and 
  economic 
  resources 
  of 
  the 
  Santa 
  Maria 
  district. 
  The 
  

   first 
  is 
  entitled 
  " 
  Diatomaceous 
  deposits 
  of 
  northern 
  Santa 
  Barbara 
  

   County, 
  Cal.," 
  c 
  and 
  the 
  second 
  "Preliminary 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  Santa 
  

   Maria 
  oil 
  district, 
  Santa 
  Barbara 
  County, 
  Cal." 
  d 
  A 
  third 
  paper 
  

   treating 
  more 
  in 
  detail 
  the 
  burning 
  of 
  the 
  shale 
  is 
  u 
  Metamorphism 
  

   by 
  combustion 
  of 
  the 
  hydrocarbons 
  in 
  the 
  oil-bearing 
  shale 
  of 
  

   California," 
  to 
  be 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  Journal 
  of 
  Geology. 
  

  

  EARLY 
  HISTORY 
  OF 
  THE 
  DISTRICT. 
  

  

  The 
  Santa 
  Maria 
  district 
  was 
  up 
  to 
  1899 
  entirely 
  unknown 
  as 
  an 
  

   oil-producing 
  territory. 
  To 
  Messrs. 
  McKay 
  and 
  Mulholland, 
  of 
  Los 
  

   Angeles, 
  is 
  due 
  the 
  credit 
  for 
  starting 
  operations 
  in 
  the 
  Santa 
  Maria 
  

   field 
  proper. 
  After 
  a 
  favorable 
  report 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  by 
  Mr. 
  

   Mulholland 
  on 
  certain 
  lands 
  of 
  the 
  Careaga 
  ranch, 
  the 
  Western 
  Union 
  

   Oil 
  Company 
  was 
  organized, 
  drilled 
  three 
  prospect 
  holes, 
  and 
  was 
  

   finally 
  rewarded 
  in 
  August, 
  1901, 
  by 
  striking 
  paying 
  quantities 
  of 
  

   oil 
  in 
  the 
  third 
  well. 
  In 
  1902 
  the 
  Pinal 
  Oil 
  Company, 
  of 
  Santa 
  Maria, 
  

   began 
  operations 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  Graciosa 
  Ridge, 
  and 
  meeting 
  

   with 
  marked 
  success 
  was 
  followed 
  by 
  the 
  many 
  other 
  companies 
  

   that 
  have 
  since 
  undertaken 
  operations 
  in 
  this 
  field. 
  

  

  Successful 
  wells 
  were 
  drilled 
  in 
  the 
  Lompoc 
  field 
  in 
  1904, 
  and 
  since 
  

   that 
  time 
  the 
  further 
  development 
  of 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  has 
  

   been 
  assured. 
  A 
  later 
  field 
  to 
  attract 
  attention 
  is 
  that 
  adjacent 
  

   to 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Arroyo 
  Grande, 
  where 
  development 
  is 
  well 
  under 
  way, 
  

   being 
  stimulated 
  by 
  the 
  completion 
  of 
  the 
  successful 
  Tiber 
  well 
  

   No. 
  1 
  late 
  in 
  1905. 
  Prospecting 
  is 
  now 
  (January. 
  1907) 
  going 
  

   forward 
  in 
  the 
  Huasna 
  field 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Arroyo 
  Grande 
  field, 
  and 
  the 
  

   operators 
  there 
  confidently 
  expect 
  to 
  develop 
  productive 
  wells. 
  

  

  a 
  Contributions 
  to 
  economic 
  geology, 
  19(12: 
  Bull. 
  I*. 
  S. 
  Qeol. 
  Survey 
  No. 
  213. 
  1903, 
  p. 
  313. 
  

   b 
  Geologic 
  Atlas 
  C. 
  S.. 
  folio 
  101, 
  U. 
  S. 
  Geol. 
  Survey. 
  1904. 
  

   ' 
  Bull. 
  U. 
  S. 
  Geol 
  Survey 
  No. 
  315, 
  1907, 
  pp. 
  4:38-447. 
  

   dBull.U. 
  S. 
  Geol. 
  Survey 
  No. 
  317, 
  1907, 
  pp. 
  1-69, 
  2 
  pis., 
  1 
  fig. 
  

  

  