Post #672218 by tikilongbeach on Mon, Mar 25, 2013 8:29 AM

On 2013-03-25 06:59, MaukaHale wrote:
Its too bad about the oil well view in their back yard. I remember as a kid Signal Hill and Long Beach had massive oil wells. I'm sure that well would have been there in 1958 when the house was built.

The oil island is the view out of their big picture windows in the front.
Yes, Signal Hill had the nickname Porcupine Hill. The movie 'There will be Blood' is loosely based on the oil discovery in Signal Hill. The discovery of oil in LBC and Signal Hill in the 1920's was what shut down Balboa Studios which was a big silent movie studio. There is more money in oil than in movies. The studios then moved to Hollywood and the rest is history.
The decorated oil well islands look much better than the usual offshore oil rigs off the California coast. Waterfalls, palm trees, pretty lights...Like lipstick on a pig to some, but the oil wells and port that so many people think are ugly provide a lot of jobs.
The 5 islands were built in 1965 and they're named after the astronauts that were killed in the Apollo 1 explosion in 1967 and another island is named after a NASA test pilot that was killed. Once or twice a year they allow tours of the islands.

-Lori

[ Edited by: tikilongbeach 2013-03-25 08:32 ]