25 at that time; however, he agreed to dispose of their business, which they did. After dividing their assets from the sale, they parted company for a short time; Hardison returned to Kansas and Stewart headed for Cal-ifornia__ ,o - .-ยท - Mr. Stewart arrived in Los Angeles late in 1882, and im.~ediately began investigating the prospects for oil development in the area. By way of making good his promise, his friend Mr. Blake took him to the Newhall area and showed him the land his Company held under lease and offered him a choice of any of the leases. After studying the Pico Canyon properties carefully, Mr. Stewart chose that area in which to begin his new venture. Mr. Stewart was heistant to launch a new venture alone, and immediately his thoughts turned to his former partner, Wallace Hardison, who at that time was beginning a new life in Kansas as a banker and rancher. Stewart sent a telegram asking if he would be interested in joining him in a new oil venture, this time in California. Less than a day later, a reply came from Hardison, who merely gave the date on which he would arrive in Los Angeles. In the meantime, Mr. Stewart selected a site for their first well, located On Christian Hill in Pico Canyon. With high hopes and great expectations, these men launched their first California venture. For some time it seemed as if "dame fortune" had turned her back on Hardison and Stewart and refused to smile on their new venture. Murphy's Law, which states, "If any thing can go wrong it will," seemed to apply to their venture. When their drilling crew reached a depth of 1,850 feet, their tools were lost and all efforts to recover them failed. They abandoned the well; chalking it up to experience and started well number two. Unfortun- ately, their troubles had just begun. After a total of five dry wells, or "dusters" as they were called, they decided to move from Christian Hill to the vicinity of Tar Creek, which seemed to be a more promising location. Thi time they carefully selected a drilling site, and called it "Smith Number One." They began drilling with great expectation; however, after reaching a depth of only 1,520 feet, the sides of the well caved in and their ropes
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter