Taft, California -
Lakeview Gusher - World's Largest Oil Spill

In 1910 this well exploded and spit out 100,000 barrels a day onto the ground.

Address:: Petroleum Club Rd, Taft, CA
Directions:: Southeast of town. Marker is on the north side of Petroleum Club Rd, less than a half-mile east of Hwy 33.

Visitor Tips and News About Lakeview Gusher - World's Largest Oil Spill

Lakeview Gusher - World's Largest Oil Spill reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.

Largest Oil Gusher Ever

Taft has a unique site....the Lakeview Gusher (1910), billed as the largest gusher ever. It is even a CA historic site. All that's there is a huge hole (everything else was blown away by the gusher) and some berms that channeled the river of oil. Good thing there was no EPA back then. [Chris Lowe, 11/24/1998]

[RA: The gusher erupted for almost a year and a half, and it only stopped because the well collapsed. There's a plaque at the site that notes that it "reached uncontrolled peak of 100,000 barrels per day." A lot of road trips wasted there....]

Nearby Offbeat Places

Bar Covered with Pennies - Penny Bar, McKittrick, CA - 16 mi.
Man-Powered Flight Memorial, Cawelo, CA - 29 mi.
Cancer Survivors Gauntlet, Bakersfield, CA - 29 mi.
In the region: The Immortal Hand of Jerry Garcia, Santa Barbara, CA - 50 mi.

Latest Tips Across Roadside America

Catch up on the latest discoveries from the road.

Explore Thousands of Oddball Tourist Attractions!

Unique destinations in the US and Canada are our special obsession. Start here.
Use RoadsideAmerica.com's Attraction Maps to plan your next road trip.

February 9, 2012