There Will Be Oil – A Visit To the California Oil Museum

You may recall me recently mentioning my favorite pumpkin patch at Faulkner Farm. It’s located in the town of Santa Paula which lies just east of Ventura. Every year I simply visit the patch and then head on home but this year I decided to try something new. After purchasing my pumpkins I decided to head into town and see what it’s all about. And boy am I glad I did.

Santa Paula is a quaint town with an old fashioned downtown area. Located in the heart of this is the California Oil Museum, pictured above. You see, back in the late 1800’s there was gold in them thar hills. Black gold. Oil, that is. The oil companies came to town and Union Oil established their headquarters in this very building. By the early 1900’s the headquarters moved to Los Angeles but the building remained a branch office for decades. Eventually, it was vacated and the California Oil Museum was established.

Inside you’ll find informative exhibits about the history of oil – from it’s origins to it’s extraction to the industry it created.

Man, they just don’t make gas pumps like they used to.

One of the highlights of the exhibit is an original wooden oil rig from 1900. It’s housed in its own building and is in working condition.

Fun fact: this very rig can be heard on the soundtrack to There Will Be Blood.

While all this is very interesting, my favorite part of the museum was the upstairs. When I visited I was told that I could be given a guided tour of the second floor. Of course I took them up on the offer! And I am so glad I did because the it has been lovingly restored to the way it was when it served as Union Oil headquarters in the 1890’s.

Isn’t it beautiful? And those ledgers are very real. They’re the original books kept by company employees during that time period.

The upstairs was such a treasure. The restoration was beautifully done and the guide was very well informed and clearly loved sharing the history of the building.

So, if you find yourself in Santa Paula check out the California Oil Museum. And if they offer you a tour of the upstairs by all means say YES!

California Oil Museum
1001 E. Main Street
Santa Paula, CA 93060
open 10am-4pm Wed – Sun
admission $4