The Greatest Oil Well in the World: The Lakeview Gusher

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Get free life insurance quotes from America's top insurers and start saving today with Policygenius: policygenius.com/thehistoryguy Thanks to Policygenius for sponsoring this video!

[@Keifsanderson]

The hyperlink above is broken. The "Thanks" got wrapped in.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

@@Keifsanderson thanks for the heads up! Fixed.

[@Keifsanderson]

@@Jason1975ism No, you're not, bud. As evidenced by this comment. And I don't even know the context. You're upset he did an ad/endorsement? How much do you pay to watch his videos?

[@Keifsanderson]

@@Jason1975ism Why are you replying? Thought you were "frankly better than this"?

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

I am sorry to break it to you. You were the troll in that conversation. You could, simply, have chosen not to watch sponsored videos.

[@TheMowgus]

I love that you still walk Willow to the bus every day. She will never forget that. I wish I had the opportunity to be such a positive influence on someone's life. I've always enjoyed your content; but it's heartwarming to see the man behind the name.

[@stevekreitler9349]

As a veteran of drilling rigs, I find this entire story terrifying. Great pains have been taken for many years to prevent this exact sort of thing. It’s amazing that this flow was never ignited. If you’d like to see what could have happened, look up the devil’s cigarette lighter. That one was offshore, fortunately.

[@Chris_at_Home]

I went to Kuwait as a civilian in the spring of 1991 and the heat from a burning oil well was unbearable from about 1/4 mile away.

[@stevekreitler9349]

@@Chris_at_Home and those were babies compared to this!

[@Chris_at_Home]

@@stevekreitler9349 I’ll bet. I worked in the oil field most of my career. I’ve been on a few rig floors doing wireline for a year.

[@alexsis1778]

@@stevekreitler9349 For sure. 90-120,000 barrels of oil? Most of the Kuwait oil wells were estimated at closer to 6-12,000. It would have been an absolute nightmare to cap even in the modern day if it had lit. Likely the sheer quantity of oil would have meant much of it was unable to burn initially. So there likely would have been rivers of fire running from the well which would have made their hand made earth dams impossible.

[@cathiwalker3852]

Remember Red Adair!

[@austingallegos89]

Omg I'm from taft, I work literally within feet of this place, I listen to you all the time! My jaw dropped when I saw this video, you don't know how excited I am! Oilfield history in california is slowly dying and it's sad to say the least. Thank you very much

[@alliekranyak594]

Same!

[@abracing199]

What are the odds that three of us watching are from Taft. Really is a small world.

[@seanhoward8025]

You mean the town that Kurt Russell and Robin Williams put on the map???

[@austingallegos89]

@@seanhoward8025 sure, lol. We have never been, nor will be "on the map" 😂

[@flower2289]

Today in California oil is evil. Let's just hope that Trump wins the election and politicians like Harris and Walz are relegated to the dustbin of history.

[@skydiverclassc2031]

My father worked many years at the Ten Section oil lease (6:14) and told me a few stories of the area. Although my dad was too young to have experienced it, my grandfather, a Standard Oil employee out in Taft, almost certainly would have been one of that "army of men" sent to contain the spill. Keeping it out of the Buena Vista Lake area was of huge importance, as the crop land around that area was owned by Miller and Lux land company, a powerhouse in California business at the time. It's easy to find the site, on Petroleum Club Road, and the Taft Museum has a detailed exhibit on it, as well as the rest of the industry. Well worth a visit if you're there on the right days. Point of side interest. Another later employee of Standard Oil, John Dopyera, began manufacturing a resonating guitar called the Dobro right there in Taft. They moved to Los Angeles soon afterward because, as the phrase goes, "you gotta go hunting where the ducks are."

[@johnnyyuen809]

Thanks for sharing cameos of your kitty.😊

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

I wish I could take credit. Whether the cat participates is entirely up to the cat.

[@vinnydaq13]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Very cute cat. What’s his/her name?

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

@@vinnydaq13 his name is Pocky.

[@vinnydaq13]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Cool name for a cool cat. 😎

[@trumpetmom8924]

History cat! His paws look like he’s polydactyl, at least from the angle of the camera. Does he have an extra toe on his paws?

[@owenkittredge3433]

Thanks for the story, i am retired petroleum geologist and most of oil geos know of the Lakeview #1. Many people do not realized how much petroleum is/was in California. One interesting fact I learned in school is that the Los Angles Basin and other near by basins have more oil per cubic volume due to the stacked pay zones. Now this was 1970s teachings so it may now be changed but LA basin is geologically amazing and complex.

[@rockymountainlifeprospecti4423]

A treat for the kittys from our military boarding home animal rescue! Thanks for sharing, and the excellent content and recommendations!🇺🇸🐾

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

@@rockymountainlifeprospecti4423 thank you!

[@mikenixon2401]

It is amazing what we learn from you, and in an entertaining manner. Thank you.

[@scottbowen9598]

I grew up in Fellows California not far from the Lakeview Gusher. Haven’t been there in many years but the landscape has cleaned itself up.

[@TB-zw7dt]

Nature tends to do that. Luckily.

[@eddydogleg]

Things have changed a lot since the Lakeview Gusher was drilled. What I found most striking is how slow those cable tool rigs drilled. Over a year to drill 680m (2,100 ft.), the record well I was on we drilled from 830m to 3983m in 124 hours. Thankfully these days if the crew is paying attention a blow out like theLakeview Gusher wouldn't happen.

[@Chris_at_Home]

Bariod became a great thing for pressure control.

[@owenkittredge3433]

@@Chris_at_Home that and rotary drill rigs, cable tool drilling was a disaster waiting to happen with nothing to control the pressure.

[@billwilson-es5yn]

Back then the wildcatters would mark on maps where producing oil wells were located then connect the dots with a line. Then they would guess where on each line they should drill a well. There were several wild wells that came in as gushers in the giant East Texas Oil Field. Those swallowed up the wood derrick and equipment as the ground became a wide cauldron of violently bubbling petroleum. I believe the movie Giant starts off with a one man cable drilling operation that hits a gusher. Those took forever to make a hole. Not long ago Exxon drilled a well to a depth of 37,000 feet then ran a lateral for 5 miles in 36 days.

[@bretrae9223]

Another interesting California oil "well" involved two Mojave desert prospectors who weren't having much luck. At home in Los Angeles, they decided to switch to oil. Not being drillers or knowing how to locate a well, they dug essentially a mine shaft in the land most available to them - their own yards - and struck oil! This set off a mini boom of home owners digging "water wells" hoping to replicate their success. Check out Canfield and Doheny.

[@mikey-wl2jt]

...and up from the ground came a-bubblin crude...

[@floycewhite6991]

Sounds like the lots in Seal Beach.

[@missourimongoose8858]

Alot of people don't know this but they still pump oil out of LA they just disguised the rig to look like buildings or houses

[@nitrogasm]

I'm a diesel mechanic that lives an hour from this site. I go there at least once a year to pay homage to the men that made modern industry possible. It's comparable to a pilgrimage to Mecca.

[@VoodooDangerbird]

Reminds me of several gfs.

[@mikey-wl2jt]

​@@VoodooDangerbirdyeah, that's neither gross nor weird 🙄

[@kylejuve5494]

Deep

[@FYMASMD]

Better than Mecca. Doesn’t involve some phony religious garbage.

[@markrix]

Heh that's wild

[@choochoo9436]

You should make a video on the worlds first oil well in Titusville PA...Drake's well.

[@workingguy-OU812]

I'd be shocked if he hasn't made that video yet.

[@rayray11939]

The west Kern oil museum is a cool little museum to visit if you're ever in the area. Its really not far from the 5 fwy on the northside of Tejon pass aka The grapevine hill. They have limited days and hours of operation so check ahead.

[@Gail1Marie]

We visited it in the 1990s. Definitely worth a stop!

[@wwalkup]

the site is amazing. The original 12" pipe still protrudes from the ground. It is hard to imagine 100,000 barrels of oil (according to the historical marker at the site) coming out of that a day. That would mean 5.2 MILLION gallons of oil was squeezed thru that pipe every 24 hours! You can see where the oil flowed by following the dried asphaltum.

[@Craig52-zq1bt]

In Wyoming, we had the Miracle of Bitter Creek. The oilfields at Bitter Creek, WY have been there for many decades. Thousands of oil and Nat Gas wells. Back in about 1997, some of the oil wells stopped producing. The assumption being the wells were dry. So, they turned them off and, eventually, started removing the pumps. In about 2012, someone got the bright idea to turn a pump on before removing it. Oil started flowing...and flowing...and flowing. Other wells started being turned back on. It was referred to as the Miracle of Bitter Creek. Back to pumping like old times.

[@sequoyah59]

I have seen similar happen out in Mississippi Canyon offshore Gulf of Mexico.

[@michaellebreton4294]

I am glad you covered this forgotten piece of American History . I remember suggesting this topic when your channel was new . It's a fascinating story well told by yourself .

[@ilionreactor1079]

Congrats on the "The Unexplained" gig on The History Channel. You are a good teacher. Thanks!

[@JamesKubajak-c1i]

Your right. This piece deserves to be remembered!

[@frankgulla2335]

What a great story about the early days of the California oil industry. Thanks, THG

[@stephencooley8493]

Thanks!

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Thank you!

[@hhuggman1]

We love you, Mr. History Guy! And Mr. History Guy kitty, too!

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

His name is Pocky.

[@goodun2974]

​@@TheHistoryGuyChannel, Is he a fan of the legendary New Orleans piano player Professor Longhair? 🎵 🎶 "Hey, Pocky Way" 🎵 🎶 !

[@davidburke8838]

I worked outside of Taft for a number of years, right down the road from the Lakeview wellhead. There are numerous petroleum-cemented remnants of the burlap sandbags to be seen surrounding the wellhead. It must have been quite a sight.

[@danieldavis3271]

Such a cool episode lived my whole life in Bakersfield . My Dad hulled Crude , as a kid seemed like oil wells were everywhere sadly CA has destroyed the oil industry still so much oil under this region it would last a few lifetimes !

[@DeeDurand-wm4sf]

The honorable president Donald Trump will bring it back soon and gavin Newsom can go to hell , locked in jail with antie Nancy Pelosi.......

[@shawnr771]

Thank you for the lesson. The well produced about 9 million barrels over its lifetime. Less than half of what the US consumes on a daily basis in 2024. California is the 7th largest domestic producer and 3rd largest domestic refiner of petroleum products. California is oil is heavier than West Texas Intermediate and is mainly used for production of asphalts, and tars.

[@floycewhite6991]

Ah, but Shell put its first refinery in California to make high-test aviation gasoline because California crude is much higher in the cyclic hydrocarbons such as toluene.

[@shawnr771]

@@floycewhite6991 Only about 25% of California petroleum products come from California oil. About 60 percent is from overseas suppliers and the rest is from the US. California oil is extremely dirty California oil has one of the largest carbon foot print worldwide. Refining CA oil releases more Green House Gasses than any other global oil product.

[@AbnEngrDan]

West Texas oil guy here. I worked in Production. Great video. The Laveview Gusher is well-known in this business. Nature will reclaim what's from Nature. It was a big mess, for sure. Personally, I would be more concerned about the salt water that typically comes with oil, depending on what type of reservoir you're dealing with. But I understand there wasn't much in the way of salt water with this. Which is good. In West Texas, you don't have an oil production problem, you have a salt water disposal problem. Procedure today is built around avoiding what happened then. The advent of casing, etc. What's more incredible is that it never ignited. That would've been a much bigger problem in those days. I spent some time in California a few years ago learning how production is done in the Long Beach area, with all the regulation California has. Also, they still have producing wells in various places in the city. Was very interested to see the custom pulling rigs they use to pull these wells when they need to the in tight urban spaces. Very interesting and educational.

[@Shagolagal]

My friends and I used to spend weekends wakeboarding and tubing at Buena Vista when we were kids. Some of the best days of my life so far have been had at that little shallow lake!

[@david9783]

I love cats, too! Great companions for this 70 year old history buff. Cheers from South Carolina!

[@CaraJoshua]

The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel, are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur.

[@TexasScout]

Outstanding episode!

[@AMorgan57]

Now I finally have context for Merle Haggard's song, Kern River. Thanks!

[@Murse1992]

As a single father of twin tott daughters, I salute you. You remind me of some of my favorite professors

[@bartsanders1553]

"Drainage, Eli. DDRRRRAAAAIIIINAGE, you boy. If I have a milkshake, and you have a milkshake, AND I HAVE STRAWWWWWW... and reaches ALLLLLLL THE WAY OVER...and... I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE! *I DRINK IT UP!!"*

[@DisheveledSuccess]

I still freakout in bowling alleys from seeing that film. 😅

[@945hilo]

I just posted a phrase from that movie before I saw this!! 😂😂

[@1pcfred]

Daniel Plainview is my spirit animal.

[@donl1410]

Cool story that I have heard about in the past! And thumbs up to another kitty dad.

[@jliller]

I got a good chuckle out of the idea that "Oil should remain in the Earth to light the fires of Hell"

[@iowaphotos9107]

This was really cool. It reminded me of what I know to be the only gusher in Iowa called Jumbo. It was an artisan well in Bell Plain Iowa. Might be perfect for you to tell of it's history like you do so well.

[@JimDulles]

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.

[@TRIChuckles]

This many members later and your information is still great!

[@timheasley612]

I love your kitty 🐈 they have a lot of love to give,, thanks for the video i never heard about this story 💪💪💪💪👍😎😎

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Thanks! His name is Pocky.

[@rosezingleman5007]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Great name. Very apropos.

[@joecichlid]

Very interesting story as always! And some days, the cat just wins and there is nothing you can do but hold them.

[@tools6106]

I keep up in amazement, you are a bright smiling face when pain has me down. You are Mr.Rogers for adults! Thank you for your mission of history! God Bless!

[@mssixty3426]

How interesting! Thank you for this. Nice to hear about a dad sharing time with his daughter, the value is beyond calculation. Your tuxedo cat looks a lot like mine, very handsome.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Yes he is.

[@honey8784]

Love the cat part,,,, I’ve got a Tuxedo Cat , Love him

[@edrupp2318]

"... oil, that is; Black gold, Texas tea. Well the next thing you know old Jed's a millionaire..."

[@donnadees1971]

Thank you. I love history. This was phenomenal.

[@stephenpederson7471]

I've been to the site I drove the road between Maricopa and Taft two to three times a week, part the site marker. Curiosity finally took hold and an followed the markers. It's difficult to follow the site markers. I finally located, in the mostly rolling hills of the area, a slightly sunken rock lined area that appeared to have been the well. It's not much of anything and not worth the effort. I suppose you could walk the area and MIGHT find an old bit of clumped oil, It's not likely. But, what's the utility in finding an old blob of oil. At the time it was described only as the first gusher. I didn't know the whole story until you researched it. Thanks.

[@jamesjohnson5466]

I'm a big history buff, your vids are always great. I'm a cat guy too. Thanks

[@davidgarner7948]

Now they use the Internet for gas lighting.

[@icanreadthebible7561]

An unlimited supply.

[@KN-cool]

Mostly oily politicians

[@restaurantattheendofthegalaxy]

Good one!

[@TB-zw7dt]

I think you meant Legacy Media (MSM).

[@nikburton9264]

I worked a rig near Craig, Co back around 80. Loffland Bros., 186. It was enough to tell me I didn't want to be a roughneck for a living. I'd absolutely hate to have worked in the industry back at the turn of the century.

[@markusstewart9298]

At least you tried it, dude! Personally loved working on oil rigs, greatest job on the planet. But I can 100 percent see where it’s not for everybody.

[@bearray57]

I went there many years ago and you can still see oil all over the ground. Great video!

[@billwilson-es5yn]

I would think so due to the amount that shot out for so long.

[@WayneSmith-zx3tf]

I was born very close to the Lakeview Gusher about 50 years after. My Grandfather worked for Texaco in the '40s and "50s. Oil put a lot of food on the tables of a lot of people not only in CA. but all over the US. I have seen all the sights in and around Bakersfield and Taft. Spent a lot of time in Taft as a young child and remember playing in the "desert" and seeing all the pumpjacks going up and down day and night. I remember going to the site of the gusher and seeing the remains. I didn't understand it then but do now. Mayhaps I'll go back and visit.

[@rosezingleman5007]

Still puts food on my table. My extended family and I have collectively three wells on our grandparents property in the Bakken in ND. We live like kings, getting about $1000/year each between the 29 of us. Our parents dreamed of being millionaires. Sigh. Still, every bit helps the budget, ya know.

[@jovanweismiller7114]

My son-in-law owns an oil well in the LA area. It's definitely NOT a "gusher". It produces a couple of barrels day. His father took me around the area & pointed out an area where he had owned several wells. They had been capped and housing built over them because it was more economical. He told me that if oil increased enough in price, the houses would be razed and the wells uncapped.

[@kennethwoods9804]

Love the History Guy ! You are so good at what you do !

[@chrispowell5879]

Love the History Cat too!

[@markr4454]

I came to California in 2010 and visited this place. I was working at BP at the time and the Deepwater Horizon incident was in full flow. While googling about that I came across a reference to the Lakeview Gusher so while on my road trip we took a detour to stop off to see the site. Amazing to think what went on at Lakeview in those days and still to be able to see the remnants of the incident there today.

[@raymondlowry8564]

Great story as usual. Loved your cat!

[@kraneiathedancingdryad6333]

Come for the info. Stay for the cat.

[@THE-HammerMan]

That's funny! The History Guy has a GUSHER of warmth and love that he can't put down... The History Cat.

[@davidfrost801]

Enjoy your content, and delivery!

[@jimevers7776]

Just a couple of hundred yds from there is a massive lease that has produced millions of bbls of oil over the years

[@BasicDrumming]

I appreciate you and thank you for making content.

[@luddite333]

such a great storyteller !

[@johnk8825]

When you and your cat closed the show, one of mine who had been lying in front of the monitor, sat up to watch.

[@bretrae9223]

To learn more about the early history of oil in the United States, read The Greatest Gamblers by Ruth Sheldon Knowles. Drake's well to Spindle Top, West Texas, and, yes, California.

[@alan30189]

Good report on the well. It’s amazing they were able to prevent it from contaminating that lake. That’s a rare cat. Cute. Most cats don’t like to be held for long.

[@lestergillis8171]

That's a fine looking kat there!😸

[@billbrown6889]

Great cat!!! Maybe your daughter can do a few "History Girl" episodes!!!

[@geoffreyrobson4745]

Love the cat

[@ricksaint2000]

Thank you History Guy

[@rowdysgirlalways]

Sharing history with us is the thing you do when you're not doing your actual job of holding the cat.

[@restaurantattheendofthegalaxy]

Great video! I had not heard of this well before.

[@tpobrienjr]

My cat Belle is probably a cousin of your fuzzy friend. She helps us every morning with our computer tasks.

[@donbolin3450]

Beautiful cat!

[@HM2SGT]

One of the things my fiancé and her family were eager to show me when I came to Texas was Spindletop.

[@sandrasmith7091]

Absolutely fascinated. I have never heard about this. 😮now makes me wonder how much environmental damage was done😢.very interesting thanks😊

[@stevekeen7035]

Thats a monster cat you have there

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

He's pretty good sized, yes.

[@stevekeen7035]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Might have to slow down on giving him the 3 Tbone steaks, and rack of lamb for dinner every night🤣

[@lancerevell5979]

A guy once told me, "If housecats reached 100lbs., no child would be safe!" 😅

[@goodun2974]

​@@TheHistoryGuyChannel We had a cat named Elvis who at his peak was a lean mean rock and roll machine, 13 pounds of fighting, scrapping alley cat, but in his old age he bloated into the Las Vegas version at 18 pounds.

[@MK0272]

I have come to the conclusion that cats don't have owners, they have staff.

[@TM-ev2tc]

Could you do a history story about the La Brea Tar Pits. PS. Or do a history video on the "hole in the head" in Bodega Bay California.

[@sixtorodriguez1902]

i like your channel, watch often, like your pitch on insurance. but with life experience i am 55/40 on your side maybe, glad it helped you financially

[@klaatubob]

Listen to the story of a man named Jed....

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Lol- I was thinking of working that in, but never did.

[@randelbrooks]

A good episode and a very nice cat

[@shable1436]

15:53 there's a face in the gushing oil, looks like a devil caricature with horns

[@JennyJeremiah-v5n]

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honourable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.

[@mattgeorge90]

Thank you for sharing!

[@multipletanksyndrome]

This makes me want to watch There Will Be Blood.

[@goodun2974]

I didn't care for that movie at all.

[@owenkittredge3433]

Better to read Black Gold in the San Joaquín by Latta, it tells a much better story.

[@cathiwalker3852]

I would like to see a History Guy video on Red Adair.

[@thomastaylor6699]

My grandpa knew Red Adar! He was in the oil business just like Mr. Adar. He was famous for putting out oil well fires all over the world by using high explosives to take away all the oxygen on the wellhead, and then capping it.

[@cathiwalker3852]

@thomastaylor6699 Yes. I grew up in Homer Michigan and Red actually came through there one time in the 70's and I got to meet him at The Pop Shop.

[@steveshoemaker6347]

LOVE YOU BEAUTIFUL KITTIES and thank THG🎀 for The Greatest Oil Well in the World History..... Old F-4 Phantom fighter jet pilot Shoe🇺🇸

[@daniellecolbeck1983]

Aw...I just adopted a kitty in August whose coat color resembles your feline friend. His name is Billy Jack. :)

[@gordonisbell2308]

As a native of Taft- please consider a story of Buena Vista Lake. Thank you.

[@vstrom9586]

this is one of the reasons why I love THE REBULIC OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

[@JeffWicker-k3j]

I love your channel! Excellent! 😁👍

[@sitaspell4384]

I grew up in Taft Ca, ' bout 7 miles from the Gusher location. He should do a segment of The Great Mouse Invasion of Taft!!

[@goofyiest]

always love me some history cat!

[@SgtE5]

I had to go back and delete my first comment. You're The History Guy for good reason! Lakeview was the biggest blowout well for sure.

[@jake9705]

A great video and an even greater cat 😊

[@thatssomething1]

60 Minutes piece tonight on the sinking of the Cap Arcona and accompanying ships..surprised History Guy never covered this tragedy earlier

[@robertjensen1438]

I don't really like jokes about unrefined oil. They're too crude for my taste.

[@bretrae9223]

That's one for Punday night at Callahan's.

[@goodun2974]

​@@bretrae9223, Callahan's, a crossroads tavern frequented by slippery characters with greasy hair and greasier smiles, who think they're pretty slick but their pitch to the ladies is sour and crude......

[@TRIChuckles]

Ouch!!

[@davidautrey9914]

Hey great story, do one about that valley in Persia intentionally covered with crude.