A postcard view (ca. 1900) of oil rigs in a booming giant oil field (probably Signal Hill) in
the Los Angeles area, California. Note the closely spaced wooden rigs and oil storage tanks.
The use of wood, combined with the flammability of crude oil itself, made devastating
oil field fires a common occurrence in those days.

© Peter A. Scholle, 1999

Petroleum Postcards

A postcard view (ca. 1900) of oil rigs in a booming giant oil field (probably Signal Hill) in
the Los Angeles area, California. Note the closely spaced wooden rigs and oil storage tanks.
The use of wood, combined with the flammability of crude oil itself, made devastating
oil field fires a common occurrence in those days.

© Peter A. Scholle, 1999

Petroleum Postcards