Petroleum Club Road is an approximately 5.3-mile rural highway located in the Sunset Oil Field of western Kern County. This corridor was constructed as a frontage road of the Sunset Railroad and would be the site of the Lakeview Gusher in 1910. Petroleum Club Road was the original alignment of California State Route 33 and US Route 399 between 1934-1938. In 1938 the West Side Highway was constructed west of Lakeview Gusher and still serves as the current alignment of California State Route 33.
Part 1; the history of Petroleum Club Road
Petroleum Club Road is the original highway which linked the oil communities of Maricopa and Taft. Both cities were developed around the early boom of the Sunset Oil Field. The early Sunset Oil Field can be seen centered along Cienega Canyon Road southwest of Buena Vista Lake in Township 11 North, Range 23 West on the 1898 Kern County Surveyors map.
In 1901 Post Office Service would be established at the Sunset Oil Field town site of Maricopa. Between 1901 and 1908 the Sunset Railroad was constructed by the Southern Pacific Railroad mainline southwest from Bakersfield. One spur of the line ended at Maricopa whereas another was constructed from Pentland Junction to Siding #2. A rail frontage road was also constructed between Taft and Siding #2 to provide an overland alternative.
Locals originally requested the Southern Pacific Railroad assign the name "Moro" to Siding #2. Company officials deemed the name to be too similar to the coastal town of Morro Bay and instead designating the siding facility as "Moron." The intention was for the name to take the Spanish meaning of "knoll" or "hillock" but came to be associated with the English meaning for lack of intelligence. Moron was renamed as Taft in 1909 in honor of President William Howard Taft.
The Sunset Railroad frontage road between Maricopa and Taft can be seen on the 1910 United States Geological Survey map of Buena Vista Lake.
On March 15, 1910, Lakeview Gusher #1 blew in at a drilling depth of 2,225 feet along the Maricopa-Taft Highway. The Lakeview Gusher destroyed the Union Oil derrick platform and initially had an outflow of approximately 18,000 barrels a day. The gusher reached a maximum outflow of 90,000 barrel of oil a day before it was brought under control. The Lakeview Gusher flowed for 544 days and would go onto produce over 4,000,000 recoverable barrels. Taft would incorporate as a city on November 7, 1910, and Maricopa would incorporate on July 25, 1911.
The Maricopa-Taft Highway would be surfaced in Portland Cement by Kern County. The corridor can be seen as a major local highway on the 1917 California State Automobile Association map.
In 1933 Legislative Chapter 767 the Maricopa-Taft Highway would be added to the State Highway System as a component of Legislative Route Number 138. The 1933-era definition of Legislative Route Number 138 was:
- Legislative Route Number 2 (US Route 101) near Ventura to Legislative Route Number 57 in Cuyama Valley.
- Legislative Route Number 57 near Maricopa to Legislative Route Number 10 near Coalinga.
The Taft-Maricopa Highway appears as part of Legislative Route Number 138 on the 1934 Division of Highways map.
In the August 1934 California Highways and Public Works Guide the Sign State Routes were announced. California State Route 33 was announced as a State Highway originating at US Route 50 near Tracy and terminating at California State Route 166 (Legislative Route Number 57) in Maricopa.
The first mention of US Route 399 can be found in a letter by the Division of Highways to the American Association of State Highway Officials Executive Secretary dated September 6, 1934. US Route 399 appears as a proposed US Route which would connect US Route 101 to US Route 99 via Maricopa and Taft. US Route 399 is described as having a proposed length of 131 miles beginning from a south terminus at US Route 101 in Ventura along with a north terminus at US Route 99 in Bakersfield.
California State Route 33 and US Route 399 multiplexed from Taft south to California State Route 166 in Maricopa. California State Route 33 terminated in Maricopa (on California Street) whereas US Route 399 followed the Ventura-Maricopa Highway through Wheeler Gorge and Ojai to US Route 101 in Ventura. This multiplex on the Taft-Maricopa Highway can be seen on the 1935 Gousha Highway map of California.
The multiplex of California State Route 33 and US Route 399 can be seen in greater detail on the 1935 Division of Highways map of Kern County.
US Route 399 heading southbound originally passed through Ford City via Harrison Street and entered Taft along 6th Street where it met California State Route 33 at San Emigdio Street. California State Route 33 southbound originally entered Taft at San Emigdio Street where it picked up US Route 399 at 6th Street. Both highways multiplexed along 6th Street, Kern Street, 1st Street, Main Street, a series of now abandoned roads and Wood Street to the Taft-Maricopa Highway.
The June 1935 California Highways & Public Works featured the realignment of California State Route 33 (Legislative Route Number 138) through Taft which opened on May 28, 1935. The then new alignment was constructed onto two extensions of Kern Street on both sides of downtown. The multiplex of US Route 399 and California State Route 33 was realigned to meet at Kern Street and 6th Street.
The February 1938 California Highways & Public Works featured the opening of the new alignment (the West Side Highway) of California State Route 33 and US Route 399 south from Taft to Maricopa. The article describes the older Taft-Maricopa Highway as being winding and comprised of 18-foot-wide Portland Cement. The then new alignment opened on January 9, 1938, and is described as having no grades greater than 5%. The older Taft-Maricopa Highway would come in time to be known as Petroleum Club Road.
The May/June 1956 California Highways & Public Works announced a contract to realign US Route 399 onto a bypass of Ford City and Taft had been awarded during March 1956. The new alignment began at the Sunset Railroad in Taft and extended 2.4 miles northeast. This new expressway as completed as a two-lane configuration in during 1956 and was planned to be eventually expanded to four lanes.
The then new US Route 399 bypass of Ford City and Taft appears in the September/October 1958 California Highways & Public Works. The then new junction of California State Route 33 and US Route 399 was located south of downtown Taft.
On May 1, 1963, the Division of Highways submitted a request to the American Association of State Highway Officials Executive Committee to remove US Route 399 as part of the planned 1964 California State Highway Renumbering. This request was considered by the Executive Committee on June 19, 1963, and met with their approval. US Route 399 subsequently would effectively cease to exist come New Year 1964. US Route 399 was replaced by California State Route 119 from Bakersfield to Taft and saw California State Route 33 realigned from Maricopa via the Ventura-Maricopa Highway to Ventura. The Legislative Route Numbers were also dropped during the 1964 State Highway Renumbering.
California State Route 33 can be seen realigned from Maricopa over the Ventura-Maricopa Highway to Ventura on the 1964 Division of Highways State Map.
In 1960 the Maricopa branch of the Sunset Railroad was abandoned. This was followed by the spur between Pentland Junction and Shale (via Taft) in 1976. The tracks along Petroleum Club Road weren't removed until the current century.
Part 2; a drive on Petroleum Club Road
California State Route 33 passes northbound through Maricopa on California Street and intersects the pre-1938 alignment at Petroleum Club Road.
Northbound Petroleum Club Road passes the site of the Lakeview Gusher. Numerous ruins from the Union Oil derrick in addition to oil slicks are still easy to find.
Petroleum Club Road crosses over Cadet Road.
Petroleum Club Road continues north towards Taft and terminates at modern California State Route 33 near Wood Street.
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