“Buy Now While You Have the Chance!”: The Great Chino Valley and Holbrook Oil Booms with Erik Berg

Join us at the Phippen Museum for a presentation by Erik Berg.

Prescott was in the frenzy of an oil boom. In the fall of 1917, wildcatters were sinking new oil wells in the nearby Chino Valley, prospectors and geologists were scouring the region, and prominent citizens were founding new oil companies and investing in stock. In Chino Valley itself, plans were being laid for the new settlement of Oil City, Arizona. Several years later, a similar oil boom would occur near Holbrook with new companies rising up and new wells drilling down. In fact, northern Arizona’s long-forgotten oil booms shared many traits of the famous oil rushes of Texas and California – everything that is, except actual oil. Through historic images, advertisements, and first-hand accounts, this presentation explores the tales of tragedy and comedy surrounding the Verde Valley, Chino Valley, and Holbrook Oil booms and puts them in the context of events in the larger national oil industry.

This event is free to members and guests with paid admission.