The development of southern California oil fields in the 1920s attracted people from all over the country who were hoping to strike it rich. Although most of them didn't, some became successful by supplying equipment to drillers, buying and selling petroleum products and drilling wells for speculators. Many oil service and equipment companies opened in Signal Hill, one of the richest oil fields in the area. From there, they served local clients as well as those in surrounding areas. As wells on Signal Hill began producing oil and processing plants were located nearby, drilling continued and speculators explored the extent and depth of the underground oil pools. The owners of some of the oil related companies also invested in real estate and oil wells while others experimented with new technological ideas. These innovations led to the development of an efficient oil well survey device and improved fishing tools. Some of the interviews in this series were conducted as part of a project to study the impact of oil discovery on the development of Long Beach. Others were done as part of a project to document the history of Signal Hill. The experiences of these nine narrators illustrate the variety of people who came to participate in the oil boom that began in the 1920s. Some of them, such as James Herley, Robert Jones, E. D.Mitchell and Thomas Rowan, followed their fathers into the business. Some, such as Bo Cockriel, drilled oil wells on their own account while others, such as Sol Alexander, invested in producing wells. Still others sold services and supplies to drillers, producers and refiners. Robert Jones' company, for example, rented fishing tools and H. John Eastman's company surveyed oil well holes. James Ray sold lubricants not only to other oil operators but to car owners as well and Earl Beebe headed the Signal Hill Chamber of Commerce which sought to represent the interests of people who worked in the oil patch.