Oil wells on Signal Hill, Long Beach, CA, 1927

Subject: Oil
Card type: Linen
Date: c. 1927 (White Border)

Back of Oil wells on Signal Hill, Long Beach, CA, 1927, c. 1927 linen postcard — Back

About this postcard

Steel lattice derricks crowd the low ridge of Signal Hill above Long Beach, with small wooden sheds, storage tanks, and a plume of steam or dust among them. The Alamitos No. 1 well came in on Signal Hill in 1921, setting off a boom that made the hill one of California's most densely drilled oil fields. By the late 1920s the forest of derricks had earned it the nickname "Porcupine Hill."

Postcard Details

Message · English, in pen

Dear Sis: - How is everything pro- gressing with you and your family. Lack of funds is preventing me from seeing wonderful things Harry

PostmarkedLong Beach, CA, July 1, 1927, 17:30

Addressed to

Mrs. Roy Johman

23 Chestnut St. Galesburg, IL

Postcard record

Postmarked	July 1, 1927, 17:30, Long Beach, CA
Publisher	M. Kashower Co.
Series	234
Condition	Good
Place addressed	Mrs. Roy Johman, 23 Chestnut St., Galesburg, IL
Place depicted	Long Beach, CA
Publisher	M. Kashower Co., Los Angeles, CA
Stamp	2c George Washington, red, perforated on all sides
Notes	White border; visible linen (crosshatch) texture; small red plate/negative number 1736 on the image, lower right; light edge and corner wear. Postmark: LONG BEACH CALIF JUL 1 5:30 PM 1927 — divided back, white border, linen texture, 2¢ red Washington stamp, light corner/edge wear.

Cite this card

Oil wells on Signal Hill, Long Beach, CA, 1927, postcard, c. 1927. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/oil-wells-on-signal-hill-long-beach-ca-1927. Accessed November 2, 2026.