Discovery Well Park in Huntington Beach includes a beach-themed playground with sand toys, a whale kids can stand on, swings, slides, picnic tables, a playing field and basketball court.

Discovery Well Park in Huntington Beach

Discovery Well Park in Huntington Beach is located in on Summit Drive between Edwards and Golden West Street in the Seacliff residential  neighborhood. It is surrounded by gated communities of $1 million+ homes and the older, established Seacliff houses.

Named after the first oil strike in that Huntington Beach location in 1924, the only remembrance of that historical event is on the park plaque at the entryway to the public park facility. Standard's "Bolsa Chica" No. 1 was another name for the Huntington Beach Discovery Well. It came in as a gusher producing 2,000 barrels per day (B/D). Development of six areas and five major booms followed, putting Huntington Beach on the map as California's fourth largest oil field. The initial boom, located in the Golden West-Garfield area, lasted from 1920-1923.

Today, another boom (housing) was responsible for the creation of a park to commemorate the historic event putting Huntington Beach on the map. This beautiful park was constructed in conjunction with a Pacific Land Corporation development agreement.

The park includes a huge narrow field perfect for soccer, rugby, La Crosse, touch football and other field sports. There's a basketball court, picnic tables and the centerpiece of the play area is an ocean-themed beach area with sand pits, sand claw toys, bouncy toys and a whale kids can stand on.  There is a parking lot with free parking plus some curbside street parking.

Discovery Well Park History

In 1901, Col. Robert Northam owned 1,400 acres of land in what is now Huntington Beach. Then, in 1919, S.H. Gester, a young petroleum engineer with Standard Oil in San Francisco, looked over Huntington Beach and decided it had potential as an oil-production area. Standard Oil leased some land from Northam and brought in the Discovery Well on May 24, 1920, name A-1, and it produced 72 bopd. Late that year in November, the Bolsa Chica #1 blew. It gushed with 1,742 bopd and 4,000,000 cubic feet of gas.

To commemorate the Discovery Well, Huntington A-1 and the beginning of the Huntington Beach Oil Field, the Standard Oil Company of California and Petroleum Production Pioneers, Inc. placed a stone marker at the site on September 10, 1960. On May 24, 2002, Huntington A-1 was rededicated with a final tribute.

On February 14, 2002, a group of long time Standard Oil Company employees and representatives from the City of Huntington Beach met to discuss the rededication of the park encompassing the Discovery Oil Well in Huntington Beach. As a result, a committee was formed to plan the rededication ceremony held on May 24, 2002.  A program consisting of a panel discussion of oil production workers was held at the Huntington Beach Art Center.

Huntington Beach Parks

The City of Huntington Beach (California) is the caretaker and steward of the Huntington Beach public park system. Two departments involved with Huntington Beach parks are the Community Services Department and Park Maintenance. Park Maintenance is responsible for maintaining approximately 70 parks and public facilities, totaling 598 acres, 169 playground apparatus and irrigation systems. 

Park Maintenance is also an integral component in special events in the City, closely working with Community Services to set up for events and activities that take place on or near park facilities. Community Services not only handles the rental of the park facilities but also operates programs for the public that include softball leagues, exercise classes, cooking, dancing and other types of interesting and fun things to do. For more information on park maintenance call (714) 536-5480.  For information on park facilities or to make a reservation call Community Services at (714) 536-5486 or the phone numbers provided on the featured parks pages.