Johnson Park

About 3/4 of a mile up from Mentryville is Johnson Park. Johnson Park was used by the oil workers living in the canyon for recreation and picnicing. There are picnic tables, places to barbeque, a concrete dance floor, a bar, a horseshoe pit, and even a couple of craps tables. I have also not found any reference to when it was built, but it was probably built before 1900.

I have not found any real reference as to how Johnson Park got its name. A.B. Perkins (1962) says that it was named for a former Standard Oil division manager named Warren Johnson, but he gives no date or source. I couldn't find a Warren Johnson searching the internet, but I did find a Edward Warren Johnson. He became superintendent of lines, connections, pumps and tanks for the Standard Oil Company in 1895 in New York. In 1890 he was transferred to Bayonne, New Jersey. From The American Society of Mechanical Engineers - Transactions, Volume 29, 1907: "Since 1902 he was engaged in the work of master mechanic, designing and constructing a great variety of mechanical works, having directly under supervision a large force of men. He met his death through an accident at Bayonne, N. J. November 12, 1907." Darryl Manzer (Mentryville resident from 1960-66) confirms that this is the man the park is named after, so the park was probably named in 1907.

In 1960 or 1961 Frenchy Lagasse, a Standard Oil employee, and others built a replica 25-foot derrick out of genuine equipment to mark the retirement of another oil worker, Bill Cochems (source: Mrs. Lagasse (although she got the construction date wrong) at www.scvhistory.com/scvhistory/sg103103.htm). Bill Cochems was also the son of Anthony Cochems, the one-time baker in Pico Canyon. Darryl Manzer remembers it being built in either 1960 or 1961.

A picture of the replica derrick is shown in a Daily Signal article from 1962 - "Pico Ghost Camp" - by A.B. Perkins (part 2, 1/25/62).

This engine never ran - the rig was only for show.

Entrance to Johnson Park

Replica derrick

Another view of derrick

The little kid standing in front of the derrick in the 1962 Signal article was Darryl Manzer. Here he is on 10/16/2008 when he gave a group of people, including me, a tour of the canyon, his home for 6 years in the 1960's.

Block at the top of the derrick

Pump jack. It would be attached to a jackline which was controlled by a central power unit at the jack plant.

View of engine. Made by "Ames' Iron Works - Oswego N.Y. - NO. 5".

Another view of engine

Ames' Iron Works

This is an engine lubricator. It contained oil to lubricate the moving parts of the engine.

From the Oil Well Supply catalog of 1907

Closer view of brake band around, based on its position to the engine, a calf wheel. The brake band staple (which would be bolted to the derrick floor by two bolts) is in the left part of the photo and the brake lever is in the right part (also bolted to the floor). The almost 6-foot long lever would be pulled to shorten the circumference of the brake band, braking the wheel.

Closer view of calf wheel shaft. The shaft is made of wood. There is an iron gudgeon at each end of the shaft. There is also a thick material covering the wood called lagging.

Calf wheel shaft from the 1914 Fairbanks Morse Oil Well Supply Catalog

This looks like a cutter for an under reamer cable tool bit. There would be two cutters on the bit.

This may have been part of a fishing tool

Basket like object with a handle at the top.

Craps table near horseshoe pit

Center irons which supported and provided the pivet point for the walking beam.

Walking beam stirrup. This was on end of the walking beam and was attached to the band wheel with an arm called a pitman. The band wheel was powered by a steam engine and, as it rotated, the pitman moved up and down causing the walking beam to go up and down. The other end of the walking beam was attached to the drilling cable.

Band wheel shaft, flanges (the two wheels bolted together), and crank at the end. The flange says "San Jose Foundry". The band wheel (missing here) would be between the flanges. The band wheel would be connected to the engine with a belt.

View at the crank end of shaft

Closer view of crank showing five holes for the wrist pin (currently in the second hole from the right). The wrist pin attachs to the pitman. The hole used for the wrist pin would control the distance the walking beam travelled up and down. As the pin was moved closer toward the shaft, the up and down distance would decrease.

National pump. This was last pump used for CSO 4 before it was shut down in 1989 (and abandoned in 1990) after 113 years of continuous operation. It looks like the motor was gas-powered.

This water is flowing down the canyon next to Johnson Park (Hughes Canyon) into Pico Canyon. The white stuff is not milk. There is a smell of sulfur in the air.

From the New York Times of November 13, 1907

From high above