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Booth, Jonathan (audio interview #1 of 1)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - Booth was living in Hawaii when this interview took place. The interviewer sent him a list of questions and he responded by answering them and sending the tapes to the interviewer at California State University, Long Beach TOPICS - family background; education; real estate business; housing; and oil industry;Japanese farmers; fires; oil industry; childhood; and accidents;petroleum refineries; oil wells; fires; Richfield compressor plant explosion; childhood; and education;radios; childhood; education; controlled directional drilling; cemeteries; real estate business; and Depression; 8/23/1982
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- 2022-10-20
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- SUBJECT BIO - Jonathan Booth's father purchased land on Signal Hill before oil was discovered. He planted avocado and fruit trees including some exotic ones. He divided some of the land into building lots and sold them to friends because he wife didn't want to live so far from the city by herself. When oil was discovered in 1921, however, everything changed. In this interview, Booth talks about the many oil wells he watched being drilled and says that several blew out and spewed oil and rocks in all directions before they could be brought under control. Some of them even caught on fire and lighted up the sky for miles around. By 1929, the Booth family decided to move elsewhere to escape the noise and dirt. This interview was part of a project to study the impact of oil on the development of Long Beach. INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - Booth was living in Hawaii when this interview took place. The interviewer sent him a list of questions and he responded by answering them and sending the tapes to the interviewer at California State University, Long Beach TOPICS - family background; education; real estate business; housing; and oil industry;Japanese farmers; fires; oil industry; childhood; and accidents;petroleum refineries; oil wells; fires; Richfield compressor plant explosion; childhood; and education;radios; childhood; education; controlled directional drilling; cemeteries; real estate business; and Depression;
- *** File: shjbooth1.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-0:23)... Brief introduction by Jonathan Booth (0:23-3:51)... Booth's father, Charles Francis Booth and mother, Emily Coy, came to Long Beach in 1910, when he was only 9 or 10 months old. His father was born in Canada and at age 23 went to Montana and worked as a mining engineer. In 1910 his father went to Alaska on a mining expedition, his ship hit an iceberg and he swam to shore to be rescued. His mother was in Seattle, three months pregnant,awaiting his father's return. Before his return, she went to Portland, Oregon where he family lived and Booth was born there on March 5, 1910. His father returned a week later and the family took a train to southern California. (3:51-7:58)... His parents wanted to live at the ocean, so they rode the Pacific Electric Red Cars from Los Angeles to visit beach cities such as Santa Monica, Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach, before deciding to relocate to Long Beach, where they moved into a home on 5th and Pacific in a building called the Crow's Nest. Their neighbors where Mr. and Mrs. Elsworth Hatch, who became friends with his parents. His father had worked at a real estate office in Butte, Montana, Slemmins and Booth Real Estate Company, and began exploring the real estate business in Long Beach. (7:58-10:25)... In 1914, his grandmother and aunt moved to Long Beach from Canada, at his father's urging. His grandmother bought property on Ocean and Alboni, where they built apartments, where they lived. There was a lot of rain in 1916 that led to flooding. (10:25-13:33)... Between 1910 and 1918, his father ran a real estate office. He also owned a pearl and diamond store on Ocean Blvd. and the American Theater on the Pike. Booth spent his childhood in the theater watching actors such as Fatty Arbuckle and Charlie Chaplin. They lived a few blocks from a movie studio, where he saw many stars and pictures being made. There was a train track nearby and the studio filmed scenes featuring train there. The circus used the same train when it came to town. (13:33-18:11)... In 1917, his father invested in property along the beach and in the Signal Hill area. The Signal Hill property was at 19th St. and although there was a street near it, the street hadn't been named. So his father named it Park Lane. At the time, Redondo Avenue had not been extended from State Street (Pacific Coast Highway). Booth's father owned other properties along Willow Street near Temple, Junipero and Raymond. They planted avocado and other fruit trees there and his family moved into a new home on 19th and Redondo in November, 1918. (18:11-22:39)... When his father bought his Signal Hill property at 19th and Obispo, he planned to farm but his mother was lonely on Signal Hill and talked him into dividing the land into building lots and selling them to builders of residential homes. Booth's mother hoped her friends would move into these new homes. Later, oil was discovered under the property his father sold. The oil royalties made the new owners and they moved away, leaving his mother behind. By 1923 or 1924 the Booth's home was surrounded by wooden oil derricks. His family did not drill any oil wells until 1936 or 1937 but they continued to produce for many years. (22:39-24:20)... Signal Hill looked pastoral in the early days before the discovery of oil. The area was quiet with the occasional automobile traveling on the dirt roads. Obispo Street was the first paved street in the 1920s. A house was built at the top of the hill that became headquarters for Shell oil company after oil was discovered. (24:20-28:53)... There were few families living on Signal Hill, including the Starrs, who had a small farm, the Brambles. the Davises and the Rosenfields; Mr. Rosenfield was an attorney. Nearby the Shakeltons lived on property his father had sold them and the Onspaw family raised goats. There was a Mexican family named Cruz who farmed an acre off of Temple Ave., which they rented or leased. Booth attended Temple Ave. School with the Cruz children. (28:53-29:35)... 1918 - 1921 Signal Hill will continue. End of tape *** File: shjbooth2.mp3 (0:00-5:31)... Before oil was discovered, there were about a dozen families living on the eastern slope of Signal Hill, between that hill and Reservoir Hill. Japanese vegetable farmers lived in wooden structures, that sometime caught on fire, along what is now Redondo. The Japanese farmers worked everyday on their farms and sold their vegetables to the local markets. They raised melons, berries and vegetables. He and his friends sometimes sneaked into the fields and sold melons. Months after oil was discovered on Signal Hill, the Japanese left their farms and "simply disappeared." (5:31-9:22)... Before oil was discovered on Signal and Reservoir Hill, the area was a great place for a young boy to grow up. There were gullies, streams, doves, quail, rabbits and snakes. He went hunting with his father on the hill. The reservoir at the top of the hill was uncovered and there were often rumors of bodies being found there. (9:22-11:33)... In the summertime he and his friend sledded down the northern slopes of Signal and Reservoir hills. When the grass turned brown, it became slippery. (11:33-12:58)... Long Beach's drinking water came from artesian wells that were located where the Long Beach Airport was at the time of the interview. The water looked yellow and had a sulfurous smell. (12:58-20:46)... Signal Hill was a quiet place until the discovery of oil. Oil changed his life. When he was 10 he walked up Signal Hill and saw men building the first successful oil well. Before this "lease hounds" had been around in the area talking to residents. Shell drilled the first well which brought new loud, thrilling sounds to Signal Hill. He walked up to the drilling site one day after school, and was that was when oil was struck. On June 23, 1921 the well "blew in" shooting oil into the air. Then the well sanded in and two days later it blew again and began producing 1200 gallons a day. He was there when this happened. (20:46-30:35)... There were many tragedies during that early period of oil drilling and production. There were fires, gas blowouts and serious accidents such as men falling off derricks and getting killed. This was a result of men being hired to work on oil wells who had no experience in the oil business, unsafe equipment and competition to bring in wells before neighbors did and began to drain the underground oil. The first wild fire occurred two months after the initial discovery at the Shell Nesa #1 well. The fire lasted for days and people shot steam, mud and water at the fire to try to extinguish it. Other wells that blew out included Shell's Wilbur #1 and Martin #1. He recalls sand and oil falling from Martin #1 on him while he walked to school. There was also General Petroleum's Back and Drake #1, which didn't catch on fire but made a big mess. End of tape *** File: shjbooth3.mp3 (0:00-0:08)... Tape introduction by Jonathan Booth (0:08-8:14)... In addition to oil wells blowing out, there were refinery fires. In the 1930s a Richfield compressor plant caught fire and burned for days. He was in San Pedro and could see the black smoke from the fire. On May 22, 1958 the Hancock Oil Company Refinery burned; it was the largest oil refinery fire in the United States and the largest fire ever west of the Mississippi River. He worked for Hancock at the time of the fire and was in Los Angeles when it started. He was was unable to reach the refinery by phone on the day of the fire, but when he walked outside he could see smoke coming from the direction of Long Beach. That night he and others went to the top of Signal Hill and watched the refinery burn. The following day, despite the flames, fire fighters helped him get into his office to retrieve important papers. While he was in his office, the phone rang, and a woman began complaining about her ruined laundry. The fire started as a result of water mixing with oil and creating an emulsion. People who were effected by the fire filed over 9,000 lawsuits against the company and Hancock was no long able to operate. It was absorbed by Signal Oil and Gas. (8:14-12:41)... In 1918 his family moved to Signal Hill and his father had 17 acres of land on which he planted avocados and other fruits and vegetables. When oil was discovered, most of their neighbors moved away. By 1928 there were no neighbors left. Their house often shook as oil wells were drilled nearby and it was very noisy. There were many blow outs and their laundry,hanging on the line to dry, was often ruined. Their safety was often threatened by fires. In 1929, his parents moved to a building on Ocean Blvd. in downtown Long Beach. (12:41-22:00)... In 1922, at age 12, Booth's father was 61 and his mother, 36, when they sent him to the Long Beach Military Academy that was located along the bluff and operated by the Blackwells who were English. Most of the instructors claimed to be ex-officers of the US Army. He hated the military school and the things they did there including take cold showers, eat sparse meals, rise early, march in ranks and academics. The other boys at the school were often from broken homes or caused problems at home. There were also average and middle and upper class boys. He went there for 3 1/2 years before returning to public school. (22:00-24:13)... Occasionally some of the men who worked as teachers at the Long Beach Military Academy would open their own academy. For example one former employee started the Southern California Military Academy in Signal Hill. The Long Beach Military Academy closed when Mr. Blackwell died. The main building of the Academy was moved and became a residence in Alamitos Heights. (24:13-30:21)... Early oil pioneers ignored Signal Hill until 1917 when an exploratory well was drilled by Union Oil Company in the northwest flank. The well was dry and so they tried again on a flatter piece of land but that well came up dry, too. The Union Oil Company missed the oil by only a bit and the Shell Oil Company found it later when they drilled closer to the main elevation of the hill where the oil was. He recalls finding an old newspaper where Jonah Jones, Sr. advertised lots on Signal Hill for sale for $600. In 1934 he took the clipping to Jonah Jones, Jr., his friend and prominent oil attorney and offered to buy the lots for $600; this was a joke because his father was unable to sell the lots. Later he leased on of then to Shell Oil Company and the family made a fortune. (30:21-30:38)... Booth notes that he doesn't know anything about E. J. Miley or an Updike well. End of tape *** File: shjbooth4.mp3 (0:00-3:54)... About 1924, he built a crystal radio set, which he used to listen to KFON with ear phones. About 1925, he got a three tube radio kit, which he put together and was able to get more stations. In 1926 he got a 4 tube radio and used the oil derricks as antennas. He won a contest for bringing in a station from the longest distance. He organized the radio club at Woodrow Wilson High School, and John Hancock served as the first president. Later Booth worked for Hancock when Hancock was president of Hancock Oil Company. (3:54-6:54)... In the 1930s, controlled directional drilling was developed and it was used in both legal and illegal ways. In Huntington Beach the underground oil pool extended under the ocean. Wells using controlled directional drilling were located along the beach and tapped the oil under the ocean. Illegal drilling in the mid-1930s used this technique when they signed leases along the edge of a field and then drilled under other company's leases on proven oil producing land. This illegal drilling was done in Signal Hill, taking oil from Union Oil leases and the Long Beach and Sunnyside Cemetery and the Long Beach Cemetery next door. (6:54-9:11)... The Long Beach Cemetery Association knew there was oil under their property but were unable to drill there. They leased a neighboring piece of property and slant drilled into their oil and the cemetery received the royalties. Some people took advantage of this and illegally drilled under their property as they did on Union Oil Company leases. (9:11-15:48)... Most of the illegal oil operations where located west of Cherry and south of Willow. This area was also called, "Hell's Half Acre." Wells drilled straight down in this area produced little oil, but soon there were wells there producing lots of oil. The major oil companies knew that the wells were being drilled onto their leases but proving it was difficult. Union Oil Company, however, was able to get a court injunction against the illegal wells and each well was surveyed and found to be in violation of their lease. There were no penalties providing the illegal operators stopped producing oil. There was an underground market for buying, selling and trading percentages of the illegal wells. They were sold not only Long Beach but also on the Los Angles and New York stock markets. (15:48-23:27)... During the Depression, independent operators had difficulty finding money to drill new wells. It was common to finance the drilling of a well a few thousand dollars to start then to trade percentages of the well for equipment and services needed to complete the job. . For example, the attorney who arranged the deal, as well as a broker and the land owner, got a percentage of the well. The operators would have approximately 80 percent left. The crew was paid in a small amount of cash for food and the rest in percentages. Oil drillers had to pay cash for derrick as well as for the lease. Then everyone hoped the well produced lots of oil. (23:27-29:05)... Until the Security and Exchange Commission was started, the buying and selling of oil percentages was risky. The greatest abuse came from oil operators who sold their percentages, drilled only 500 feet, quit drilling and left with the money. The SEC established criteria specifically for the oil industry to prevent these abuses. The SEC required that papers be prepared and filed and approved before percentages could be sold. (29:05-29:18)... Booth notes that he is running out of time on tape and may end abruptly (29:18-30:38)... There were many illegal wells drilled in the Painted Hills area in the 1930s, east of 21st Street and Junipero. Many wells there produced between 200 to 800 barrels of oil a day and he was involved with a well there that continued producing for 16 years. End of tape
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