West Kern Oil Museum

West Kern Oil Museum. . The Jameson # 17 oil derrick, which was drilled in 1917 and produced until the 1980’s, was scheduled to be torn down. In 1974 the local American Association of University Women and several dedicated people convinced Jameson Oil Company to donate the wooden derrick along with three acres of land to give the West Kern Oil Museum, Inc. a promising start. The Jameson # 17 was the last standing wooden derrick in California, outlasting more than 7000 wooden derricks that covered the Midway-Sunset Field. Due to safety issues the derrick finally had to be torn down in 2003. However, the museum had the original plans, and in 2005 raised an exact replica of the derrick. Today, the replica stands over the original well, and is a part of the museum, which has grown to 8 acres., The story of the oil companies, of everyday life in early oilfields and camps, as well as the story of oil itself are exhibited and interpreted within the museum., The museum, run entirely by volunteers, is dedicated to collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting artifacts, books, and equipment that tell the story of oil in California, particularly in West Kern County.