First Trip to the K.S.A.: Chapter III
On Saturday, July 21, 1951, Charlotte & I decided to take our first trip out of camp to Al-Khobar, the port town near the airport, where many things from other countries can be purchased.
First Trip to the K.S.A.: Chapter II
For the first time I was all alone the next day, Thursday, June 7, 1951, as Oran went back to work in the Refinery. He was on day shift from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m., so we were up at 6 a.m. It was like waking up in the middle of the night, but since he was home so early, we had time to eat and go someplace before going to bed.
First Trip to the K.S.A.: Chapter I
This book contains the highlights of my first trip to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where I lived with my husband, Oran Wilson, and children, Olan Keith and Victoria for five and a half years in the early 1950’s. It was written for the express purpose of recording the events of my life and those of my family and friends, during that time, as I documented and remembered them.
The Night of the Hamoor
I’m fairly certain that there is no statute of limitations for crimes against humanity. I can only plead not guilty on the grounds that it seemed like the thing to do at the time. Actually it is much better to think of this story as entirely a work of fiction, and any resemblance to anything that happened in Dhahran during the summer of 1964 is entirely coincidental.
The Double-Shot Solution
With Lou Reed’s passing and so many people discussing his impact on the contemporary culture of the 60s I can’t help but to remember the first time I ever heard the Velvet Underground. It was in Dhahran when I was 19.
The Island of the Arabs
In the early fifties, Aramco began an intensive effort to combat the number one public enemy in the Eastern Province, the fly. A massive mosquito eradication program had been very effective in reducing the incidence of malaria in the region, but DDT alone wasn’t enough to reduce the fly population. What was required was a change in public behavior.
Arabian Return Chapter VI: Life Goes On
So life goes on; one chapter ends and another begins. Since our arrival, we had been going at a pretty fast and exciting clip, especially while the kids were there, but on reflection, at that time, we didn't think it was nearly as nice as it had been when we lived there 19 years earlier.
Saudi Aramco Celebrates 75 Years with King Abdullah
Saudi Aramco celebrates 75 Years of Excellence at the Grand Event Tuesday, May 21st. Saudi Arabia's beloved King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, the sixth king of Saudi Arabia, visited Dhahran to take part in Saudi Aramco’s 75th anniversary celebrations.
King's Visit to Aramco A Royal Affair
Among the many Aramco events that take place heralding celebration and much fanfare, the visit of the King and other members of the royal family to an Aramco camp continues to be an event for the record books.
Men of Aramco: Part 2
John Lunde, Assistant to the Chief Engineer, is a veteran of 18 years of Company service and has spent a total of 12 1/2 years in Saudi Arabia. This U.C. graduate from Vallejo, California, was able to find other alumni here even in January 1939 when he arrived in the Field. The previous year Lunce wintered in Alaska while on a Socal wildcatting venture.
Men of Aramco
Distinguished by being both the first Montanan and first redhead in this column, Scott Harrison, senior surveyor, General Office Engineering, has been in Saudi Arabia 12 ½ years.
Out in the Blue: Letters from Arabia 1937 - 1940
In 1937, Tom Barger left North Dakota and Kathleen, his young bride of two weeks, to seek his fortune as a junior geologist in a remote desert country. Out in the Blue is the story of the people he met and the places he explored in Saudi Arabia - before there was oil.
The First King of Saudi Arabia
On 1 May 1939, after dinner with him in the new mess hall, I gripped briefly the scarred, long-fingered, sinewy hand of the first king of Saudi Arabia: Abdul Aziz ibn Abdur Rahman ibn Faisal ibn Turki as Saud.
Lucky Day
Arabs believe that Hadh, Luck, is a gift granted only to a few. It is a trait like courage or intelligence, and is a requirement for successful leadership.
Standard Oil Bulletin - September 1936
Several months ago a cable message flashed out of the Near East, sped halfway around the world to offices of Standard Oil Company of California, in San Francisco.
Daily Weather Data - Chart 1
Daily Weather Data - Chart 1, Data Collected by George Blakslee.
Weather Data - Chart 2
Average Range In Temperature By Month - Chart 2, January - May 1950.
Alidade and Plane Table
The alidade-planetable survey is a means of plotting a traverse as it is made, thus avoiding the likelihood of mathematical blunders and recording errors that arise while working with the theodolite.
Reconnaissance Flights
The dark brown line on the small map marks the 1998 version of Saudi Arabia's claims regarding its boundaries with Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Theodolite
The theodolite is an instrument that measures vertical and horizontal angles precisely. With stadia lines etched on the reticule of its telescope and the appropriate stadia rod (a flat-faced rod graduated vertically, its subdivisions corresponding to one/one hundredth of the focal distance) it will measure distances with accuracy sufficient for third order triangulation.