History
In 2007, WSPA celebrated its 100-year anniversary, making it the oldest petroleum industry trade association in the United States.
Founded in April, 1907 as the Los Angeles Chamber of Mines, WSPA is today a sophisticated, effective and politically relevant advocate for the industry in California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii.
During those 100 years, WSPA has played a central role in shaping, guiding and developing policies and perceptions about the energy, oil, and natural gas industry in the West.
By 1901, the Kern River Field was producing 12,000 barrels of oil per day. By 1903, it was responsible for seven out of 10 barrels of oil produced in California, making the state the largest oil producer in the U.S.
WSPA and its members have weathered booms and busts, wars, depressions, changes in political majorities, several name changes, expansions, company mergers and major restructurings. Through it all, WSPA’s essential mission – to help its members provide adequate, reliable and affordable sources of energy – has remained constant.
In 1865, just six years after Edmund Drake produced the nation’s first oil strike in Titusville, Pennsylvania, the Union Matolle Company developed California’s first productive oil well east of San Francisco.
Twenty-seven years later, in 1892, Edward Doheny discovered oil in downtown Los Angeles, using a sharpened eucalyptus tree as a drill bit. By 1897, more than 500 wells were producing oil in the Los Angeles Field.
These early discoveries, however, paled in size and duration of production to the discovery of oil in a hand dug shaft 45 feet deep on the west bank of the Kern River, seven miles northeast of Bakersfield. This find in 1899 by the Elwood brothers on the Means Ranch launched one of the most dramatic and productive oil booms in U.S. history.
By 1901, the Kern River Field was producing 12,000 barrels of oil per day. By 1903, it was responsible for seven out of 10 barrels of oil produced in California, making the state the largest oil producer in the U.S.
Today, the Kern River Field remains a major contributor to the state’s oil production, having produced well over a billion barrels of crude oil during its long and productive life.
The discovery of the Kern River Field helped propel California into the 20th Century and established a prominent position for the West in the country's emerging oil industry.
More than 100 years later, WSPA companies continue to respond to the needs of their customers and the demands of a dynamic market for petroleum products. WSPA works to keep that market healthy by urging governments to adopt sensible energy policies, streamline regulatory processes, ensure fair and equitable taxes and fees, and inform lawmakers, regulators, opinion leaders, media outlets and the public about the industry and the benefits it provides.
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