This beautiful residential community is the sight of many a
wonderful sunset. Hence its name, Sunset Palisades. There are spicy
stories of some of the structures along the bluffs having
underground rooms, where liquor could be smuggled in from the cove
during Prohibition.
In 1905 an ill-fated oil port and refinery, California Petroleum
Refineries, was started employing over 500 men. It was closed down
in July 1907, just two weeks after it was completed, because a
giant tidal wave completely destroyed the half-mile long pier and
wrecked the refinery. avilabeachtrolley.org
The mighty Oilport, constructed up the coast from Pismo Beach at
a cost of $1.5 million, and blasted away just one month after its
inception by the unrelenting fury of a Pacific storm.
historyinslocounty.com
In July
1910, J. Smeaton Chase rode his horse from Mexico to Oregon. His
observance of Oilport: "The coast here trends west and then south,
to form the bay of San Luis Obispo. To this point come pipe-lines
from the oil-fields in the interior, and from Port Harford, on the
west side of the bay, cargoes of oil are shipped to many ports on
this side of the globe. At Oilport I saw a deserted refining-plant,
complete to every accessory, and representing a huge outlay. Its
owners had been defeated in some bout of wits with the colossi of
the industry, and there it remains, silent and inactive, an example
to rash capitalists." CALIFORNIA COAST TRAILS: A Horseback Ride
from Mexico to Oregon ventanawild.org
When
Calvert began to break ground for building houses he found
skeletons of Indians who had died and were buried in the area. He
also found bracelets of copper, arrowheads, spear head, and stone
bowls, which had been used for grinding meal. Most of the Indian
artifacts were found near the ocean between Placentia and Palomar
Streets. Major archaeological sites have been noted in this area
and that of Sunset Palisades. It was known as Oilport and was
opened in August of 1907, quite different from today's residential
Sunset Palisades area. Built with investor funds, it operated for
only one month.
The plant, built by California Petroleoum Refineries Ltd., was
to be the most modern on the West Coast. Nearly 2.25 million bricks
went into the construction of the facilities. Financed primarily by
investors, it cost over $2 million to build. It was to be the most
complete refinery on the coast. It was set up to produce kerosene,
gasoline, lubricating oil, and oil byproducts.
The refinery existed until just after World War II, when it was
finally torn down. The land was sold, subdivided and replaced with
housing. pismobeachrealestate.info
