"The History of Avenal"

Elk grazing shoulder to shoulder in the Kettleman Hills and Antelpe roaming in large numbers! This is the history of Avenal -- a hunter's paradise. The only inhabitants of this area at that time were the Yokut Indians who made this area their winter home to escape the cold fog of the Tulare Lake region on the east side of the Kettleman Hills.

The City of Avenal was named by Spaniard soldiers and explorers. "Avena" means oats or oatfield in Spanish. This area was covered with wild oats, "waist high," that looked like golden silk and covered the Kettleman Plains.

Early American settlers arrived in the Kettleman Hills during the 1850's with dreams of raising cattle and farming. Oil, however, would bring fame, fortune and people to the area.

Indians had always known oil was in the hills, with natural seepage around Coalinga and Tar Canyon. The first Kettleman Hills well was drilled in 1900, followed by countless unproductive efforts.

On March 27, 1927, the Milham Exploration Company began work on Elliot No. 1. The crew toiled for 19 months, drilling past the 7,000 foot mark. On October 5, 1928, thewill blew out with a roar which was heard 20 miles away, spewing forth an oil so fine that its color was white, and the gasoline could be used unrefined in automobiles.

The discovery of oil transformed Avenal into a boomtown. In 1929, Standard Oil surveyed the current site of Avenal to build a town. Makeshift houses were hauled in from Taft to take the place of the tents. A water line was laid and later a sewer plant was installed, a post office replaced a cigar box in the general store, a fire department was organized and a community grew. Standard Oil Company built the residents a 600-seat theater and a hospital.

Also in the first year (1929), nearly 20 businesses occupied Kings Street and Skyline Boulevard. By 1936, Avenal boasted a population of 3,000 - mostly oil workers - with 100 businesses and 69 private telephones and numerous community organizations. In 1940, Avenal was the second largest town in Kings County with a population of over 4,000 and was known to have some of the best services and schools in the state.

The collapse of oil and gas production came with the intrusion of salt water into the oil reservoir, leaving 65 to 70 percent of the North Dome of the Kettleman Hills still undisturbed.

In 1953, oil companies with holdings in the area fields unitized, naming Standard Oil to operate the fields. Avenal's economy dwindled and with it, many stores, buildings and houses were vacated until the 1960's when an influx of agricultural workers made a major impact on Avenal and surrounding area.

The 1970's saw two substantial projects that had significant impacts on our city: the completion of the California Aqueduct which brought in needed water to the westside, and the opening of Interstate 5.

The citizen's of Avenal voted for incorporation in September, 1979, and while going through the early stages of being a new City, the citizen's pursued and were successful in bringing a state prison to Avenal. Avenal State Prison was constructed and opened in 1987. The prison is a vital part of the community, which employs well over 1,000 people from this area. The building of the facility dramatically increased the City's total valuation with construction, improvements and activity that could be seen in every area of the City.

Construction has been completed on the renovation of Skyline Boulevard (SR 269) in the City's joint effort with Caltrans. Avenal has also completed a massive public improvement project with the development of 52 miles of new curb, gutters and sidewalks throughout the City.

The City has been actively pursuing industrial development and is looking at future development of the Interstate 5 interchange area for both commercial and industrial uses.

Avenal is situated 180 miles north of Los Angeles and 200 miles south of both San Francisco and Sacramento - the City boasts a being located, "Half the way from the Bay to L.A."