Brief History of Oil Development in Wickham Canyon

This topo map shows all the known well sites in Dewitt and Wickham Canyon. It also shows Pico (or Mentryville) on the top left. In the lower left hand part of the map is the well site of Odeen #1, located at the end of the Pico Canyon road.

No oil was ever commercially produced in Wickham Canyon. Some sources claim the Wickham canyon is the west canyon of the Moore claim, but I believe that to be false.

In 1866 Peckham reported that in the west canyon of the Moore claim "a horizontal tunnel thirty feet in length yielded an increased flow of light maltha." He also states that "The anticlinal of solid rock is here broken through for about one hundred yards in width, leaving the shale exposed in quite steep declivities." That pretty much describes the west tributary of Dewitt Canyon (although there is no exposed tunnel). It certainly does not describe Wickham Canyon. In fact, not too far past the Wickham homesite the canyon narrows substantially in a steep-sided canyon way before you reach any shale (see images on the photo webpage). It is very difficult to hike, let alone bring in oil equipment for a well.

The two known wells in Wickham Canyon are the Cormac Drilling & Production Company's Cormac 1 (just below Sand Rock Peak), drilled in 1954 and abandoned in 1955, and the Electrological Petroleum Corp.,LTD's Overman 1 (near the mouth of the canyon), drilled in 1931 and probably abandoned that same year.

A thin layer of oil floating on the water in the creek

Oily water past the Wickham home site

After fighting though brush often taller than me, I ran into the Cormac well site. It is overlooking the canyon on a road that starts not too far from the Wickham home site.

Cormac Well No. 1. The well was spudded on 10/5/1954 by the Cormac Drilling & Production Company (owned by partners W.T. Corwin and T. W. McBeath, hence Cor-Mac). The total depth was 1090 feet. The initial production was 2 barrels per day which decreased to no oil after 30 days. The well was abandoned in October of 1955.

Cormac 1 is just below Sand Rock Peak

This looks like it could be the site of Electrological Petroleum Corp, LTD, Overman 1 well. This pipe would appear to be riveted stovepipe casing about two feet in diameter. Maybe as they were grading the area, they came across this casing sticking out of the ground. It certainly looks out of place. The DOGGR only has an "Intent to Drill New Well" form from 1931. Oil scout reports state that the well was drilled to 1070 feet. It was probably unsuccessfull and abandoned in 1931. This is private property.

Closer view of the riveted stovepipe casing

After about 15 feet, the hole is filled with earth