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Description

Scarce sea chart of the area around San Luis Obispo, published by the United States Coast & Geodetic Survey.

Centered on Point San Luis and the Whaler's Island Breakwater, the image shows significant sailing information, early wharves, light houses and other details, including the access point for the South Coast Railroad and Mallagh Landing, which is shown as abandoned.

Mallagh’s Landing is often referred to as Pirate’s Cove, but the Mallagh Landing name is more accurate given the history of the land. David Mallagh came to California as a sailing captain and later built a small wharf at the caves and an adobe nearby.  

Of modern interest is the area called "Oilport", located at today's Sunset Palisades, including the Oilport pier.  Located between Pismo Beach and Avila Beach, the Union Oil "Oilport" refineryt opened in August of 1907.  Built with investor funds, it operated for only one month, before it was destroyed for the first time by a Tsunami. The plant, built by California Petroleum Refineries Ltd., was to be the most modern on the West Coast. Nearly 2.25 million bricks went into the construction of the facilities. Financed primarily by investors, it cost over $2 million to build. It was to be the most complete refinery on the coast. It was set up to produce kerosene, gasoline, lubricating oil, and oil byproducts. The refinery existed until just after World War II, when it was finally torn down. The land was sold, subdivided and replaced with housing, which is today's Sunset Palisades.

 The Tsunami that destroyed Oilport was caused by a Japanese earthquake at 12:40 PM December 9, 1907, near high tide and in already heavy seas, that stood out from the rest of the storm due to its’ enormous height. It wrecked the Ventura pier, and the Oilport pier and destroyed the Oilport refinery.