America is nothing without its entrepreneurial spirit, and nothing says "taking advantage of the American dream" like setting up an oil rig in your own backyard. 

Noisy, messy, bad for the environment, unhealthy, unkind to your neighbors, and sure to bank some serious profit? Sounds perfect to me. 

While the crime of "unlawful oil and gas exploration" is very real, do it right, and in certain parts of the country you'll be setting yourself up for life. 

Unfortunately, a few too many people tried that out in California, and now the state has a serious issue of private, or formerly privately owned oil wells dotted around residential areas. 

Is it crazy? Yeah. But welcome to America. Here are 22 pics of people who decided to drill for oil... in their own backyards.