Pioneer Oil Refinery, Newhall

 Estados Unidos > California > Los Angeles County > Santa Clarita

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View of the Pioneer Oil Refinery, located on the east side of Pine Street in the City of Newhall. Believed to be the world's oldest oil refinery, it operated from mid-1876 to about 1888. Located on Pine Street in Newhall, the refinery dates back to approximately 1876, when driller Alex Mentry broke ground in Pico Canyon and Chinese track layers were hammering rails through Henry Newhall's recently-purchased rancho. The little 15-barrel still that had been erected in 1874 at Lyon's Station (now Eternal Valley Cemetery) just wasn't working out. It couldn't produce a smoke-free kerosene - oil's major use in those days - and in 1875 it was shut. Besides, it was almost a mile away from the coming railroad. Pacific Oil Company became Standard Oil of California, which in turn, became part of Chevron.