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Oil search started in Gulf west of Dunedin

By THERESA BLACKWELL
Published January 7, 2007

JAN. 9, 1963

DUNEDIN - Plans were revealed today to move a huge drilling rig into the Gulf of Mexico just west of Dunedin to commence a half-million-dollar search for oil.

The project, third in a series off Florida's West Coast, will be handled by the California Oil Co. of New Orleans in cooperation with Coastal Petroleum Co. of New York City. Coastal holds mineral and oil leases on some 4.5-million acres of upland and submerged land on the west coast.

Deep sea divers will come to Dunedin within a week or 10 days to start studies of the gulf floor about 2 miles west of Honeymoon Island. They will seek areas that provide solid foundations for the legs of the giant tripod that supports the rig, technically known as an "elevated deck drilling barge."

California Co. engineers will be here later to complete preliminary arrangements including the filing of applications for permits from the state of Florida and the U.S. Corps of Engineers.

"We want to get started as soon as possible," a spokesman for Coastal said this morning. Tugs from New Orleans will tow a rig here similar to one that drilled two test wells off the southern Suncoast two years ago.

JAN . 4, 1936

Auto trailer travelers to gather at beach

CLEARWATER - Hundreds of automobile trailer travelers from all parts of the United States will gather here at Clearwater Beach Jan. 27 through Feb. 2 for the second annual national convention of the Automobile Tourists Association.

The trailer folks branched off from the Tin Can Tourists Association last year and formed their own organization.

"We didn't like that name," one officer said.

Convention plans are now being worked out by association officers and a Clearwater chamber of commerce committee will assist in the entertainment.

The meetings will be held in the Silver Dome at Joyland, just a step from their trailers. The association chose the beach locale so they can attract home folks and tourists alike and show them how comfortably they live.

JAN. 2, 1936

Nine men arrested on vagrancy charges

CLEARWATER - A campaign against penniless transients was started here as nine men were arrested on vagrancy charges. They will get a hearing in court.

JAN. 2, 1936

Meares men to cook for future reunions

LARGO - Several hundred members of the Meares family, one of the oldest clans in Pinellas County, attended the annual reunion yesterday at the county fair grounds.

J.A. Walsingham, pioneer resident of Largo, welcomed the family and "Uncle" Bill Meares invoked the blessing. "Uncle" Bill is the oldest member of the family and was married in 1871 at Clearwater harbor.

Because of the burden on the women members, reunions will be held on Labor Day in the future, so that two large dinners will not have to be prepared in one week. Though all dinners henceforth will be in the form of a fish fry and will be prepared by the men. Wesley B. Lowe was named chairman of the fish fry committee.

Pinellas History is compiled by Times staff writer Theresa Blackwell. She can be reached at tblackwell@sptimes.com or 727 445-4170.

[Last modified January 6, 2007, 22:34:16]