At night, a dense stand of wooden oil derricks rises behind storage tanks and low sheds, the derricks picked out by floodlights and flare lights. The printed caption calls the scene "One of California's Great Oil Fields." Crowded derrick fields like this were common in California's oil districts, where production shaped the state's economy through the early and mid-20th century. The caption does not identify the specific field.
Postcard Details
Message · English, in pen
Saturday - Feb. 14 -
Dear Folks - We are getting our
Cal. winter in the yard this
afternoon. June took us through
saw a exclusive store
this morning. Waiting for Lew-
ellen to come home at 3:45 -
and then we will be on the go
again. There is no end to
sightseeing here. Guess we
will have to be leaving here
next week for the colder spots.
Right now it is 75 to 78° but it
does get cold nights.
Helen + Martin
Linen-textured stock with a white border; printed number 3A-H997 in the lower right corner.
Postmark: BURBANK, CALIF FEB 14 5:30 PM 1948. Linen-texture chrome-era card, white border, divided back; 1¢ green Washington (prexie) stamp; light edge/corner wear. A word before 'saw a exclusive store' in the message is struck through.
Cite this card
Wooden oil derricks at night, California, 1948, postcard, c. 1948. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/wooden-oil-derricks-at-night-california-1948. Accessed November 2, 2026.
