CHRIS EPTING
HISTORIAN
HIDDEN HUNTINGTON BEACH
WHY: Long time advertising executive turned to writing at age 40; has since authored more than 40 books on history and travel. Hosts local TV show called “Hidden Huntington Beach.” Has co-written books on celebrities like Dave Mason, John Oates and the Doobie Brothers.
IN THE NEWS: This year published “The Bolsa Chica Gun Club, A History” that chronicled where OC’s richest gathered in the early 1900s and was excerpted as a Leader Board.
NOTABLE: Mentored under famed fiction writer John Cheever.
QUOTABLE: “In 1916, rumors began circulating about the potential presence of oil beneath Huntington Beach… Standard Oil moved its drilling equipment to the upper edge of the Huntington Mesa, obtaining a lease agreement with the gun club. On Nov. 6, 1920, as the drillers reached a depth of 2,549 feet, a gusher erupted, causing a massive outpouring of oil. The force was so powerful that the well connections were blown off with a thunderous roar that could be heard for miles around. Within just twenty-four hours, an estimated twenty thousand barrels of oil covered the ground surrounding the well. This remarkable discovery was named Bolsa Chica No. 1, reaching a daily peak of 2,000 barrels a day” — Leader Board
