[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 96 (Thursday, July 21, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 21, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
      THE FOUNDING OF A CITY: CELEBRATING THE BIRTH OF SIGNAL HILL

                                 ______


                           HON. STEPHEN HORN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 21, 1994

  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, I am going to take you back to a time when oil 
was the true king. I am going to talk of the year 1924, when a 
community took its destiny by the reins and became a separate city.
  I have often been impressed with the tenacity and scrappiness that 
this city has shown, and now I am glad to introduce it to you. I am 
talking of a city that built itself almost overnight and, in 1994, 70 
years later, still proudly looks over the hill onto the Pacific Ocean.
  The city: Signal Hill in California's 38th Congressional District. 
The occasion: its 70th anniversary. Signal Hill did not develop out of 
mass planning. A combination of people and luck transformed this former 
unincorporated part of Los Angeles County surrounded by the city of 
Long Beach into one of the Nation's leading producers of oil.
  Signal Hill was first inhabited by native Americans. The major tribe 
whose descendants live into this century are the Gabrielinos. They 
recognized its great advantages as a site for observing the coast and 
surrounding areas and for sending smoke signals.
  The land was next occupied by the Spanish, and, in particular, by two 
Spanish landgrants, Rancho Los Alamitos--29,000 acres--and Rancho Los 
Cerritos--27,000 acres.
  In the mid-1860's, Rancho Los Cerritos was sold to Flint, Bixby & 
Co., a partnership made up of Thomas and Benjamin Flint and their first 
cousin, Lewellyn Bixby. In 1883, the partnership combined with 
Lewellyn's younger brother Jotham and John Bixby, his first cousin, to 
purchase Rancho Los Alamitos in partnership with I. W. Hellman, a Los 
Angeles banker.
  In 1896, Flint, Bixby & Co. was dissolved. The Flints took over the 
northern California land holdings. On June 13, 1896, the Bixby Land Co. 
was incorporated. Descendants of the original Bixbys--led by Llewellyn 
Bixby, Jr.--developed many commercial properties, including area around 
the traffic circle in the late 1940's.
  During this period, and up until the early 1920's, the area which is 
now Signal Hill remained largely agricultural. Meanwhile, William 
Willmore, the man credited with founding the neighboring city of Long 
Beach, envisioned Signal Hill as an affluent community with panoramic 
views of the Pacific Ocean. However, his dreams failed to match reality 
and only a few expensive homes were built.

  Signal Hill's population remained small until oil was discovered 
there in June 1921. This strike gave wings to Willmore's dream, and it 
would be oil--the black gold--not vistas, that would lead Signal Hill 
to cityhood.
  The search for oil in Signal Hill began with the growing national 
dependence on petroleum. Companies such Union, Standard, and Shell 
searched for it in various parts of our Nation. In 1917, the Union Hill 
Co., drilled a 3,449-foot-deep well north of what is now the 
intersection of Long Beach Boulevard and Wardlow Road. However, the 
company came up dry. Later, it was found that Union Hill had missed one 
of the world's richest pockets of oil by about 150 feet. Fate was 
stalling the establishment of this city.
  After another unsuccessful attempt by Standard Oil in 1919, the Royal 
Dutch Shell Oil Co., geologist, D.H. Stromberg, urged his company to 
drill on Signal Hill. Shell began drilling and struck oil on June 23, 
1921. It took 2 days to cap the resulting oil gusher. The Signal Hill 
oil boom was underway, and Signal Hill was about to become a city.
  Signal Hill crude quickly became a prime export for southern 
California. Locally produced oil was shipped around the world to such 
nations as Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, and Nicaragua in Latin 
America, and the Philippines and New Zealand in the far Pacific. 
meanwhile, with oil revenue wealth as the payoff, a political tug-of-
war began between Long Beach officials and Signal Hill area residents, 
landowners, and oil companies.
  Long Beach announced a planned barrel tax on all crude and other 
petroleum products produced within the city limits. Upon learning of 
this, the oil producers organized an independence movement to 
incorporate Signal Hill as a city under the laws of the State of 
California. They achieved success on April 26, 1924, and the city of 
Signal Hill had arrived.
  Like other cities, Signal Hill has had it ups and downs. On its 70th 
birthday, it is coming into its own. In 1974, Signal Hill adopted a 
formal redevelopment plan which included about 60 percent of the city. 
And in 1982, the city redirected its redevelopment effort to focus on 
economic growth. Today, its commitment is to maintain quality 
residential and retail development, with personalized service remaining 
paramount. William Willmore would be extremely pleased to see his 
dreams realized in the community that Signal Hill has become.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and the rest of the House to join me in 
wishing Signal Hill a great 70th anniversary. Happy Birthday, Signal 
Hill.

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