Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-05-13
California OlI.

OdlllOIIlIu Oiit
Monterey county, or at least the
southern portion In particular, is ex-
periencing quite land boom at the
present time. All land owned by the
government, as well as that owned by
private individuals, is In demand. The
heretofore unclaimed land is being
rapidly taken up, and that already
proven upon is being sold for large
premium. The reason of this boom in
the land, where until very recently 1t
was supposed that nothing could be
grown and that all the residents of the
section were nj the verge of starvation
Is caused by the discovery of oil in
many parts OF the supposed destitute
sections.
Deposits of oil have been supposed to
exist in the southern part of this coun-
ty for several years, but only up to a
few months ago was there any cred
ence put in 1t. The matter now, how
ever, is a reality. Large deposits OF
mineral oil have been discovered in
the district between Imusdale and
Parkfield, in Cholame valley, about 80
miles southeast of San Francisco. and
the discovery has caused an influex of
prospectors into that section. Almost
all the government land has been
squatted upon, and all of the claimants
are prospecting for mineral oil. Many
good results are thus far reported in
several other sections, but the heart of
the Cholame valley seems to be the IA
vorite spot. Upon the ranch OF Super
visor ]. e. Redmond, near Parkfield,
oil deposits were first discovered but
the Elsher place, the ranch adjoining
Redmond's, is the only one where oil
has actually been struck in paying
quantities On ...ls ranch there is at
present a flowing well and others
which show satisfactory indications.
w. H. Hennage, an oil man of 25 years
experience, was the first attracted to
the Cholame valley by the oil prospects
He made careful examination, ana
then submitted the matter to Captain
Frank Barrett, the pioneer ope:a'or in
the Coar1niga oil fields of Fresno coun-
ty, and locator of all the paying wells
in that section.
Captain Barrett visited Monterey
county on the 10th of last September,
secured leases to land near Parkfield,
and then organized the Cholame VAL
ley Oil Co. Machinery was on the
ground in thirty days after the COM
pany was organized and a we'll was
promptly started. At the present time
several wells are being sunk. One is
down 700 feet, with good prospects for
a flow. The one where oil has been
struck in paying quantities is down
over 900 feet, and not until the drills
penetrated the third stratum of sand
was the good oil STRUCK. This well is
operated by the Cholame company,
which has a lease on the Fisher ranch
of 1000 acres.
The topography of the country, the
nature of the oil bearing sand and 9TH
er indications at the Parkfield district,
according to the superintendent in
charge, resemble the oil fields of Penn
sylvania. The oil found here is, he
says, the sweetest smelling oil he has
ever seen IN California, and he has op-
arated IN all its fields. The oil-bearing
belt, it is claimed, is limited in width
and only about five miles long, but
prospectors are numerous, neverthe-
less, in other sections.
TIL Monterey county fields will
prove a veritable bonanza to the resi-
dents of that section, as well as bene-
fit to the state at large, if OH is struck
in paying quantities in other wells
which the Cholame people are sinking.
The only draw back so far to the in
dustry is chat the fields are about 40
miles from any railroad.-Buffalo Ex-
press