Coalinga Area Chamber of Commerce

Description

Coalinga is the only incorporated city in Fresno County, and one of the few in California, that began as a mining boom town and survived. This longevity is now over 100 years old as a community. The city of Coalinga celebrated its 90th birthday in 1996 as an incorporated city. Oil is the mineral that has provided Coalinga with over l00 years of relative prosperity, but it was the discovery of coal that inspired the naming of the town when laid out by Southern Pacific Railroad engineers in 1891. Legend has it during those days there were three coaling stations; stations A, B and C. The name Coalinga is derived from mixing Coaling with Station A to arrive at the naming of the city. Oil was an important trade item to inhabitants of the area long before the first European settlers began to immigrate to the new world. Seepages in the area provided an asphalt used to line baskets and as a trade item with other native American tribes. Interest in these seepages inspired an "oil rush" to the area in 1865 that was described in news accounts as Not unlike a gold discovery. In 1867, a specialized oil drilling rig was shipped around the Horn from the east coast and began drilling for oil north of the present site of Coalinga. This early interest was to die down primarily because of shipping problems and the world had not yet discovered the full potential of petroleum. The discovery of low grade coal deposits helped solve the transportation problem...

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