[p. 104] Chapter III. Mining and Manufacturing.
Although the first gold discovered in California was found in this county, Los Angeles has never ranked high in gold production. In 1852 placer mines were found in the San Gabriel cañon and quite an excitement followed. Considerable gold dust was taken from these mines which continued to yield for many years in paying quantities. Gold was found on the Santa Anita ranch in 1856 and there was a rush in that direction; some mines were also located on Catalina island and gold mines have been claimed about those of the San Gabriel. Silver and other minerals have been found at various points; but no very rich mines have been uncovered.
The mineral wealth of the county is, however, large; it produces a large quantity of petroleum-which is quite as valuable, in its way, as gold. It is [p. 105] said that Andreas Pico used to supply the priests at San Fernando mission with oil from Pico cañon, and it was from this district that the first oil was taken. In 1859 the Pioneer Oil Co., was formed and wells were bored on the La Brea rancho and in other distircts where brea or asphaltum indicated petroleum; but no oil in merchantable quantity was found until about 1865, when wells were bored in Pico cañon and a considerable oil excitement prevailed. The first shipment of crude oil was made from these wells in 1867, But no very active progress was made until improved machinery for drilling and pumping came into use about 1877. Then the Pico and Newhall wells became large producers and the refinery at Newhall was built and, for a number of years, was successfully operated. The demand for the petroleum was not very active until about 1885, when a company was formed to foster its use as a fuel and produced a distillate which could be used for domestic and manufacturing purposes in a suitable burner. The Puente oil fields were exploited during the eighties; but the pre-eminence of this country as an oil producer did not commence until the discovery of oil in Los Angeles city. In 1892, Messrs. Doheny and Conner drilled a well in the old West Second street park which proved to be a gusher. At once other wells were put down in this district and soon a forest of derricks had arisen. By 1895 over 300 wells were in operation in, or near, the city and their yield is put at 730,000 barrels. About this time an oil burner for use in locomotives was perfected and the Santa Fé road began to use crude oil as fuel. Manufacturing plants and steam vessels found oil from 30 to 60 per cent cheaper than coal. This fuel also presented many other advantages and rapidly grew in favor, so that in spite of the greatly increased output, the price rose. An oil "boom" naturally resulted. Oil companies were numerous and prospecting was done in all sorts of likely and unlikely districts. The Whittier field, the Sespe and other districts in Ventura county were developed. There are now several refineries in the county and in 1905 over 1200 wells were yielding, their product reaching 4,000,000 barrels, valued at $1,755,000. The cheapness and abundance of oil has been one of the leading factors in the rapid progress of our county, giving a possibility of meeting eastern competition in manufacturing, and being a large element in the development of our electric railway system and electrical power plants. Not its least benefit is in the improvement of our public roads throught the use of crude oil. We have now about 7000 miles of public roads in the county. These, when properly treated with oil, become almost dustless and as hard as macadamized roads, an advantage of incalculable benefit in this country.
Second in our list of mineral wealth comes the clay products of the county. Nearly all of the California dwellings and of the missions were built of unburned brick. Tiling, ollas and clay utensils were made by the Indians and Mexicans. The first kiln-dried brick were made in Los Angeles in 1852 by [p. 106] Captain Jesse Hunter of the Morman battalion, and used to build a house at the corner of Third and Main. In 1855 Mullaly, Porter and Ayer started a brick yard and in 1858 manufactured 2,000,000 brick. It was known that a number of valuable clay beds existed and several brick yards utilized the clay; but it was not until the nineties that the business assumed large proportions. With the steadily growing demand for building material, not only brick, but artificial stone, concrete blocks, and many other forms of manufactured clay products for building purposes have been devised. Water pipe was first made at Santa Monica in 1877. The manufacture of water and sewer pipe is now a large business. There are eighteen or twenty establishments manufacturing brick, pipe, pottery, concrete, and so on and their annual production runs into the millions. An art tile factory has lately been established at Tropico.