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production, changed this. Unocal became the first oil company operating in the state of
California to have a department of geology, and his efforts led to the use of geology being a standard part of oil production in the West. In 1923 Orcutt wrote a paper tracing the history of oil production in California, which he presented to the
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Before Orcutt, oil production in the
Western U.S. had made little use of geological science; his work, which included making the first geological maps of the Coalinga, Lompoc, and Santa Maria oils fields and the application of geologic science and engineering principles to problems with oil
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Division; he would stay with Unocal, eventually becoming a Vice-President and a member of the board, until he retired in 1939. In 1901, when he was made manager of the geological, land, and engineering departments of the company, he moved to
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with a degree in geology and engineering in 1895, he was employed as a civil and hydraulic engineer and as a United States Deputy
Surveyor until 1899. That year he joined the
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who is considered a pioneer in the development of oil production in
California, and the use of geology in the oil industry. He is also known for his contributions to
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and other fossils from the site that the scientific community recognized the value of the La Brea Tar Pits in understanding the late
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Because of his important role in developing the oil industry in the
Western United States, in addition to
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had been mentioned in the scientific literature as early as 1875, but it was not until Orcutt collected
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ranch he and his wife Mary used for vacations and their retirement estate was designated a
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fauna and flora of North
America. Orcutt eventually gave his fossil collection to
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79:. Over Orcutt's objections the company insisted on naming the new town,
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shortly after he moved to Los
Angeles in 1901. Fossils found in the
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served on the local draft board from 1940 until he died in 1942.
229:"Orcutt Ranch Horticultural Center Rancho Sombra del Roble"
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on
February 14, 1869. His family moved west and settled in
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162:The 1920s residence, gardens, and orchards on the
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279:. Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History
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42:to the attention of the scientific community.
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95:from 1895-97, was a Reserve Engineer during
89:American Association of Petroleum Geologists
111:Orcutt discovered fossils embedded in the
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355:People from Ventura County, California
257:. San Joaquin Geological Services, Inc
168:Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
252:"Early Oil Development in California"
107:Discovery of La Brea Tar Pits fossils
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370:20th-century American businesspeople
345:People from Canoga Park, Los Angeles
350:People from Dodge County, Minnesota
38:, which brought the fossils of the
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143:of the University of California.
30:(February 14, 1869 – 1942) was a
375:20th-century American geologists
196:"What is the history of Orcutt?"
172:Orcutt Ranch Horticulture Center
77:Santa Barbara County, California
340:Businesspeople from Los Angeles
335:Union Oil Company of California
310:Philanthropists from California
64:Union Oil Company of California
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305:American petroleum geologists
277:"Research at Rancho La Brea"
198:. Santa Barbara Independent
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365:Stanford University alumni
360:Scientists from California
93:California National Guard
66:as superintendent of its
330:Petroleum in California
91:. Orcutt served in the
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141:John Campbell Merriam
28:William Warren Orcutt
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164:San Fernando Valley
60:Stanford University
56:Ventura, California
50:Orcutt was born in
32:petroleum geologist
16:Petroleum geologist
153:Orcutt, California
81:Orcutt, California
68:San Joaquin Valley
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194:Redmon, Michael.
125:saber-toothed cat
23:William W. Orcutt
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325:La Brea Tar Pits
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281:. Retrieved
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259:. Retrieved
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202:30 September
200:. Retrieved
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133:ground sloth
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36:paleontology
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320:1942 deaths
315:1869 births
137:Pleistocene
73:Los Angeles
299:Categories
178:References
129:dire wolf
113:asphalt
147:Legacy
255:(PDF)
285:2012
263:2012
237:2012
204:2012
101:WWII
174:.
97:WWI
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212:^
186:^
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