Guide to the Thomas Wilson papers
1940-1994
Collection number: HMC-1226.
Creator: Wilson, Thomas, Jr.
Title: Thomas Wilson papers.
Dates: 1940-1994.
Volume of collection: 4.0 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Collection materials are in English.
Collection summary: Professional papers and maps of a petroleum geologist.
Biographical note:
Thomas “Tom” Wilson Jr. was born in Alhambra, California in 1923. After graduating from the University of Redlands with a geology degree, Wilson began working with the Marathon Oil Company in Bakersfield, California. In 1959, Marathon Oil moved Wilson and his wife Carol up to Anchorage, Alaska. Throughout his career, Wilson assisted with oil exploration and geological surveys in many areas of Alaska, including Cook Inlet, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), and the North Slope. Wilson was active with the Alaska Geological Society and served as president during the 1970s. He worked alongside the United States Geological Survey as well as the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Wilson retired in 1986 and moved to Santa Barbara, California. He died there in 2010.
Collection description:
This collection contains survey maps, reports, articles, meeting minutes, and correspondence pertaining to oil and gas fields in Alaska and California. Other areas represented include parts of western Canada. It is the result of Wilson’s work with the Marathon Oil Company, the United States Geological Survey, and the Alaska Geological Society. It should be noted that before 1962, Marathon Oil was known as the Ohio Oil Company. Maps have been removed from the boxes and placed in rolls. Photocopies of the faces of maps have been left in the boxes to indicate their original locations within the collection. Folder titles assigned by creator except where noted. Some items have been re-foldered.
Arrangement: This collection is arranged in the order in which it arrived at the Archives.
Digitized copies: This collection has not been digitized. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Rights note: The collection contains materials authored or created by organizations and individuals other than Thomas Wilson. The Archives does not hold copyright to these materials. The Archives owns copyright to materials created by Thomas Wilson.
Preferred citation: Thomas Wilson papers, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Works used in preparation of inventory:
“Obituary of Thomas Wilson Jr.,” Anchorage Daily News, 23 March 2010. Web.
Miller, Tom. “The Passing of a Former AGS President.” Alaska Geology: Newsletter of the Alaska Geological Society, April 2010, 2.
Encyclopædia Britannica Online, s. v. “Marathon Oil Company”, accessed March 09, 2016, http://www.britannica.com/topic/Marathon-Oil-Company.
Separated materials: Selected published maps and reports have been removed from the collection. Selected published booklets were placed in Rare Books. Please contact an archivist for further information.
Related materials: Related materials may be found in the Archives and Special Collections’ Topic Guides under “Petroleum and natural gas related collections” and “Mapping and surveying collections.”
Acquisition note: This collection was donated with a deed of gift to the Archives by the Wilson family in 2013.
Processing information: This collection was described by Becky Butler in 2016.
Container list:
| Box/Folder | Roll | Description | Dates |
| 1/1 | Correspondence from Thomas Wilson within the Ohio Oil Company in Bakersfield, California. Maps and notes also included | 1951-1958 | |
| 1/2 | Meeting notes from the Bakersfield Ohio Oil Company office | 1948-1957 | |
| 1/3 | 1 | Stratigraphical maps of various Californian valleys | 1950-1976 |
| 1/4 | 1 | Sketch map and cross-section of the Antelope Hills Area by Thomas Wilson | 1955 October |
| 1/5 | 1-4 | Maps, charts, cross-sections, productivity levels, and notes on the Belgian Anticline | 1953-1958 |
| 1/6 | Notes, reports, and maps on the McKenzie Delta | undated | |
| 1/7 | 5 | Maps of the Belridge Area | 1957 December |
| 1/8 | Reports and maps on the Bitterwater Creek Area | 1950-1951 | |
| 1/9 | 5 | Maps of the Blackwell Corners Area | undated |
| 1/10 | 6 | Report and maps on the oil prospects of the Blackwells Corner Area. Folder title assigned by processor | 1955 May |
| 1/11 | 7 | Maps and report on the Buena Vista Hills Area | 1954-1957 |
| 1/12 | 7 | Maps of the Gosford Area | 1951-1957 |
| 1/13 | 8-9 | Maps and reports about the Coalina-Jacalitos | 1940-1956 |
| 1/14 | Maps and transparency of South Coles Levee Field | 1957 | |
| 1/15 | Report and maps about the South Coles Levee Etchugoin Project. Folder title assigned by processor | 1953 March | |
| 1/16 | 9 | Report, maps, and transparenicies about the San Joaquin Formation. Folder title assigned by processor | 1957 June |
| 1/17 | 10 | Maps, photographs, and notes on the Cuyuma Valley Area | undated, 1950 |
| 1/18 | 10 | Map and notes on the Cymric Area | undated |
| 1/19 | 11 | Reports and maps on the Kuparuk Field | 1951 |
| 1/20 | 11 | Report and maps of the Prudhoe Bay oil field. Folder title assigned by processor | 1970 May |
| 1/21 | 11 | Various stratigraphic charts of the Alaskan North Slope. Folder title assigned by processor | undated, 1961 April 13 |
| 1/22 | 12 | Itineraries and relief maps and stratigraphic charts of the Alaskan North Slope | 1971 August 23-24 |
| 1/23 | 12 | Maps and photographs of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Area. Materials from the Alaska Research Associates seminar on ANWR included | 1978-1985 |
| 1/24 | Notes and maps on the geology and oil prospects of the Chukchi Shelf | undated, 1985 | |
| 1/25 | Notes, contour map, and an article with underlining about the Ventura Basin | undated, 1951 | |
| 1/26 | Materials on the Dibblee Geological Foundation and in honor of Thomas Dibblee | 1987-1989 | |
| 1/27 | Materials from the 1994 National Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources. Folder title assigned by processor | 1993-1994 | |
| 1/28 | Notes on plate tectonics | undated | |
| 1/29 | Reports of sedimentary geology, maps, and correspondence about the 1976 Detrital Rocks Field Conference | undated, 1976 | |
| 1/30 | 13 | Map of the oil prospects of the North Slope. Folder title assigned by processor | undated, 1961 |
| 1/31 | 14 | Maps of the Arctic North Slope. Folder title assigned by processor | 1961-1980 |
| 1/32 | 14-15 | Materials on the Humpback Project on the North Slope | 1979-1982 |
| 2/1 | 16 | Notes, reports, and maps from a presentation on the Death Valley Area | undated, 1954 |
| 2/2 | 16-18 | Notes, reports, and maps on the Edison Field Area | 1949-1957 |
| 2/3 | 18 | Materials on Cook Inlet development and a geological field trip to the Homer Area | undated, 1970-1990 |
| 2/4 | 18 | Reports, notes, and maps on Lower Cook Inlet geology | undated, 1975-1977 |
| 2/5 | 19 | Report and maps on the geology of Cook Inlet, Matanuska Valley and the Upper Copper River Basin | 1958 |
| 2/6 | Report on oil prospects in Alaska. Item re-foldered by processor | 1971 September 17 | |
| 2/7 | 20 | Map of San Joaquin Valley | undated |
| 2/8 | Materials on offshore oil development in Southern California | undated, 1975-1983 | |
| 2/9 | 20 | Correspondence and notes on the geology and oil prospects of the Santa Maria Basin | 1980-1984 |
| 2/10 | 20 | Maps of Santa Barbara Channel | undated, 1984 |
| 2/11 | Correpondence and reports on oil prospects and geology of Monterey, California | circa 1980 | |
| 2/12 | 20 | Correspondence, reports, and maps of Santa Barbara Channel. Original folder name retained when items re-foldered | undated, 1976-1983 |
| 2/13 | Correspondence, map, and charts on the Santa Monica Bay seafloor geology | undated, 1975 | |
| 2/14 | Correpondence about the geology of Northern California and the Eel River Basin | 1981-1984 | |
| 2/15 | 20 | Maps of the Los Angeles Basin | 1952-1962 |
| 2/16 | Report on the geology of the Sacramento Valley | 1953 July 22 | |
| 2/17 | Report on the geology of the San Andreas Fault Zone | undated |