Historical Note: This comes from Larry Peahl's 53-page compilation of the "Chronology of History of Taft" from 1863 until 2009: Petroleum development begins 1880 in the Sunset area. 1989 McKittrick the rail line completed to Asphalto, east of McKittrick, where post office opened. Jan. 1, 1900, post office opened in McKittrick and Asphalto post office closed.
(NOTE:The town of McKittrick grew around the railroad station and the post office. The railroad was built to the little settlement of Olig west of McKittrick. The students from Olig Elementary School after graduating from the eighth grade were bussed to Taft Union High School. The Olig Elementary School was located between McKittrick and Reward.)
The cowboys from the cattle ranches in the area would bring the cattle to Olig to be loaded on the railroad for shipment. When that occured the classes at Olig were suspended so the students could go to the front of school to watch the cattle drives.
The Olig school eventially closed, was torn down and the students attended school at the McKittrick Elementary School.)
Readers' Responses
From Churchill Campbell, Class of 1934, from Camarillo, California
I THOUGHT THAT THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ARTICLE WAS VERY GOOD. IN FACT, IT HAD THE BULL SESSION AT OUR LOCAL GUN CLUB DISCUSSING THE TAFT BLOWOUT IN COMPARISON WITH THAT CURRENTLY IN THE GULF, AND ALSO THE TOWN OF TAFT AND ITS HISTORY GENERALLY.
THANKS PETE FOR YOUR NEWS LETTERS; THEY ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED.
ALWAYS, CHURCHILL CAMPBELL, CLASS OF 1934
(NOTE: Churchill graduated from Taft High, Taft Junior College and University of Cal at Berkeley in Electrical engineering. During WWII he was awarded two Silver Stars. He became the Communication Officer of the USS Submarine Parch, which went on six patrols in the Pacific and China Sea. Through his efforts many ships were sunk during that war. The Parch is on display in Pearl Harbor together with picture of Campbell at the submarine base.
After WWII Campbell returned to Taft and went to work for the Standard Oil Co. in the Engineering and Drilling Dept. After several job changes Campbell became the Production Superintendent for the start-up of Arco's Prudhoe Bay operation in Alaska which became the largest oilfield in North America. By 1977 the first oil was transported through the Trans Alaskan Pipeline to Valdez, which he received credit for developing and building.
Campbell in his retirement lives in Camarillo. He is 93 years old.
According to Rick Marshall, Class of 1959, from Sacramento, in the Navy's book called Submarine Operations of WWII, there is a drawing of the action of the USS Parche in action showing Commander Ramage standing on the bridge and yelling out target coordinates as dictated by Churchill Campbell who is manning the target selector. Ramage and Churchill were the only ones on the bridge because of the great danger during this monumental night surface attack by the Parche.)
