Oil in Placerita Canyon

Oil in Placerita Canyon. . , The Southern California oil industry began in the Newhall area in the late nineteenth century. Remnants of the industry on display include an oil pump, oil production packer, rotary rock drill bit, and tool rack which were all manufactured in the early twentieth century. Tools similar to these would have been used by the New Century Oil Company who, in 1900, struck a rare geologic wonder known as white oil. This long burning oil which required minimal refining was so rare that the Company submitted a sample of it to the 1901 Pan-American Exposition held in Buffalo, New York. Unfortunately, the white oil well did not continue to perform as expected and in 1902, the New Century Oil Company went bankrupt while drilling additional wells in the area. By the 1940's the oil industry in Placerita Canyon had completely faded away.