The Pioneer Oil Refinery was the first successful

oil refinery An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, lique ...

in California, built in 1876 off Pine Street in

Newhall, Santa Clarita, California Newhall is the southernmost and oldest community in the city of Santa Clarita, California. Prior to the 1987 consolidation of Canyon Country, Saugus, Newhall, and Valencia into the city of Santa Clarita, it was an unincorporated area. It was ...

. The Pioneer Oil Refinery was designated a

California Historic Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

(No.172) on March 6, 1935. Pioneer Oil Refinery is the oldest existing refinery in the world. The

Lang Southern Pacific Station Lang Southern Pacific Station is a former Southern Pacific railway station located in Soledad Canyon near the eastern end of Santa Clarita, California. On September 5, 1876 the first railway to Los Angeles was completed at this site. The Lang S ...

railroad line served the refinery. In 2020, the refinery was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

; it is the only site on the National Register of Historic Places within the city of Santa Clarita. Pioneer Oil Refinery was built by California Star Oil Works, which became part of Standard Oil of California and then part of

Chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * '' Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock ...

. Chevron still owns the Pioneer Oil Refinery land. Chevron has plans on the table to restore the site. Some of the original parts of the refinery were taken away after it closed in 1884, some to museums and other parts to private collectors. The large

kettle A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a type of pot specialized for boiling water, commonly with a ''lid'', ''spout'', and ''handle'', or a small electric kitchen appliance of similar shape that functions in a self-contained ...

s used to refine the

crude oil Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crude ...

in to

kerosene Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning "wax", and was regi ...

and

benzene Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar ring with one hydrogen atom attached to each. Because it contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms, ...

are still on the site, along with an old wooden

drill tower A drill tower is a tower and training facility for firefighters. It is usually built within a fire station facility for routine exercises and training. Structure A drill tower is a multi-level structure simulating high-rise buildings. Heights var ...

. Chevron still gives some tours of the site.

Marker

Marker on the site reads: *''"NO. 172 PIONEER OIL REFINERY - In 1875 the Star Oil Company, one of the predecessors of the Standard Oil Company of California, drilled its first Pico Canyon well, which yielded about one hundred barrels per day. The discovery resulted in the erection of the first commercial oil refinery in California the following year."'' *Pioneer Oil Refinery is also listed on the sites of Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks as site No. 8.

References

{{Santa Clarita California Historical Landmarks 1876 establishments in California Santa Clarita, California National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles County, California Oil refineries in the United States Oil refineries in California Energy infrastructure completed in 1876 1884 disestablishments in California

Marker

See also

References