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Agenda Item 10. A.

Parks, Recreation & Human Services Commission

Meeting Date:	10/26/2022
FROM:	Chris Emeterio

Subject:

Olinda Oil Museum and Trail

BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION

Staff will provide the Commission with a verbal update on the Olinda Oil Museum and Trail which was established in 2003. There is a current partnership with the State of California State Parks and the City of Brea for the volunteer docents who dedicate time and energy into this historical site. In addition, several volunteer docents will share information about tours and site visits.

Brief History:
Olinda was once a bustling, thriving community of hard-working, happy people living on the southern slopes of these beautiful foothills. Life was good in the oil town of Olinda. The City of Brea has been able to protect this vital part of local history, recapturing the sights, sounds, smells and the vital role Olinda played in the development of the area through various oil artifacts and equipment.

The preservation of the 12-acre historical park known as the “Olinda Oil Museum and Trail” came about with the development of the Olinda Ranch neighborhood and a partnership between the City of Brea and California State Parks. This partnership will end on October 31 2023, with the City taking over all duties of the site. The mission statement of the site includes preserving, educating, interpreting, and promoting the enjoyment of local and regional historic resources. This is done while providing attractive and accessible exhibits, programs, and activities that promote an appreciation of the area’s unique heritage and natural environment, including its geologic and petroleum history, and their link to our human history.

The site has grown over the years to include the two-mile loop trail, thanks to the generous grant monies obtained from the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy. State funded Proposition 12 funds have also been used to add various amenities to the park such as an entrance monument sign, a picnic table shelter, outdoor signage, and the beautiful monument holding the historical site plaque as recognized by the County as Historical Site #50 in 2008.

The dedication and the hard work of the docent volunteers allow individuals or groups to visit this site with a historic tour of the property and its relics. Thank you to those individuals for their continued commitment and support in sharing the Olinda story with visitors of all ages.

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED

Sean L. Matlock, Deputy Director