ORANGE COUNTY ALMANAC : Oil Boom Town
During the Placentia oil boom of 1919, residents were urged to rent out extra rooms or beds to the oil workers who swarmed into the city. Each issue of the Anaheim Gazette devoted an entire page to oil news.
By 1921, the city’s oil production inspired Union Oil Co. to name one of its new tankers La Placentia. The 457-foot ship could carry 80,000 barrels.
Source: “Placentia, A Pleasant Place” by Virginia L. Carpenter
More to Read
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.