Los Angeles County

Biographies

 

 

 

CHARLES FREDERICK OFF

 

 

OFF, CHARLES FREDERICK, Oil Producer, Los Angeles, Cal., was born May 13, 1855, at Wheatland, Ia.  His father was the Rev. Charles Frederick Off and his mother Louise (Meister) Off.  His father is today an active pastor and has been in the pulpit more than fifty years.  Mr. Off married Grace M. Bemis, Oct. 8, 1896, at Madison, Wis.  There are four children, Lillian Merle, Howard Jerome, Theo. Roosevelt and Chas. Fredrick off, third of the name.

            Mr. Off was educated in the public schools of Wisconsin.  At the age of thirteen he obtained a position as clerk in a general store.  Three years later the family moved from Iowa to Denver on account of the mother’s ill health, and Mr. Off became associated with the firm of Merrian & Co., music dealers, where he remained for three years.

            In 1893 the family moved to Los Angeles, where Mr. Off opened a stationery store on North Sprint street, conducting it two years.  He then entered the truck and transfer business, but at the end of four years was broken in health, and sold his business and interested himself in ranching in Southern California, which he followed for several years, but dry seasons caused a failure of his crops and practically ruined him financially.

            He engaged in putting down water wells and setting out walnut and orange orchards, following this business with some success until 1895, by which time he had drilled his first oil well in Los Angeles.  His ambitions for success in the oil business took life at that time, and for sixteen years his name has been connected with a number of successful oil undertakings of Southern California.  In 1898 he, as one of the organizers of the Whittier Crude Oil Co., of which he became Manager, centered operations about Whittier, where were drilled twelve wells.  Later he became associated with the Rice Ranch Oil Co., at a time when it was deeply in debt, and under his management six wells were drilled which put the concern on a dividend-paying basis.

            In 1909 Mr. Off, with several associates, formed the Lake View Oil Co., which later produced the most phenomenal well in the United Sates, and thereby spread the news of the wonderful oil territory in the State.

            Mr. Off, soon after organization, met with a great deal of dissention among his associates as to the value of the properties.  It was required all his will power and persuasive ability to hold the company together, but he had unlimited faith in his judgment and induced them to continue till a given amount of development work had been done.

            On March 15, 1910, his judgment was fully vindicated by the bringing in of the famous Lake View gusher.  This well began flowing at the rate of 30,000 barrels per day.  It was impossible for a long time to control it, and hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil were lost.  It was finally brought under control, and by working hundreds of men night and day gigantic earthen reservoirs were built wherein the oil was stored temporarily.  This well kept up its flow for many months, producing a total of 10,000,000 barrels, and owing to that fact it is one of the phenomenal wells in the oil history of the world.

            Early in 1910 Mr. Off, in association with R. D. Wade, organized the Lake View Annex Oil Co., owning property which required much deeper drilling.  They have up to date drilled several wells on that territory, all of which were put down to a depth of 3900 and 4900 feet.

            Mr. Off is General Manager of the following companies:  Whittier Crude Oil Co., Ojai Oil Co., Santa Maria Crude Oil Co., and the Lake View Annex Oil Co.

            In 1886, as a young man, Mr. Off became a charter member of the original Company, of Los Angeles, National Guard of California.  He is also a Mason, An Elk and a member of the union League Club.

           

 

Transcribed by Michele Y. Larsen 2 November 2011.

Source: Press Reference Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I,  Page 823, International News Service, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta.  1913.

© 2011 Michele Y. Larsen.

 

 

 

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