City of Avenal

City of Avenal Drinking Water Report Info
History of Avenal Elk brushing shoulder-to-shoulder in the Kettleman Hills and antelope wandering in large numbers! This is the historical backdrop of Avenal, . . . a hunter's paradise. Spaniard soldiers and explorers named this area "Avenal". "Avena" means oats or oat fields in Spanish. The Kettleman Plains area was covered with wild oats "abdomen high" before it was inhabited. Discovery of Oil Early American settlers arrived in the Kettleman Hills area during the 1850's with the dream of raising cattle and cultivating. Oil, however, would bring fame, fortune and people to the area. On March 27, 1927, the Milham Exploration Company began chip away at Elliott No. 1. The crew toiled for 19 months, penetrating past the 7,000-foot mark. On October 5, 1928, the well blew out with a thunder which was heard over 30 miles away, spewing forward oil so fine and white in shading that the gasoline could be used unrefined in automobiles. Development of a Town The discovery of oil transformed Avenal into a boomtown. In 1929, Standard Oil surveyed the current site of Avenal to fabricate a town. Makeshift houses were hauled from Taft to take the place of tents. Water lines were installed and later a sewer plant was constructed, a mail station replaced a stogie enclose the general store, a fire department was organized and the network grew. Milham's Elliott No. 1 - The Discovery Well Milham's Elliott No. 1 - The Discovery Well Standard Oil Company worked, among numerous other things, a 600-seat cooled theater and a new emergency clinic to meet the developing needs of the network. By 1940, Avenal was the second largest town in Kings County with a populace of over 4,000 and was known to have some of the best services and schools in the state. Collapse of Oil The collapse of oil and gas generation came with the interruption of salt water into the oil reservoir leaving 65 – 70 percent of the Kettleman Hills North Dome still undisturbed. In 1953, oil companies with property in the area fields unitized, selecting Standard Oil to operate the fields. Avenal's economy and populace declined steadily as the oil money dwindled. Alongside it, numerous stores, structures and houses were vacated until the 1960's when a convergence of rural workers made a significant effect on Avenal and the encompassing area. The Lemoore Naval Air Station additionally acquired some development to the area the 60's, however it was fleeting..