aLos Angeles sits on top of the third largest oil field in the United States. With oil being as valuable as it is, oil companies aren’t about to let this liquid gold go untapped despite the fact that L.A. is one of the most densely populated cities in the country. Hence, oil rigs are hidden throughout the city in hollow buildings and inconspicuous structures.
Circa 1890, Arthur Gilmore, a southern California resident, was looking for water on his farm and unexpectedly found oil. He then started A.F. Gilmore Oil, a petroleum company, and went on to become wealthy. He started with Gilmore Gas Stations then went on to build baseball and football stadiums, racetracks and develop much of the original oil field.
Since then, L.A. has continued to drill for oil. One of these rigs is hidden near a Beverly Hills high school. Another sits near a mall in West Hollywood. And one seemingly nondescript office building, also in West Hollywood, is the site of 58 wells. Most city residents are completely unaware that this drilling is taking place all around them.