In 1875, Standard Oil of California got its start. Originally known as the California Star Oil Works Company, it concentrated its efforts on refining and marketing kerosene needed for lighting. But before long the widespread use of the internal combustion engine extended that demand to gasoline and motor oils.
In 1907, Standard Oil opened the first branded service station in the U.S. It was in Seattle adjacent to a Standard warehouse. For the first time, the general public could buy gasoline directly from a petroleum refiner. It was the beginning of a long and successful line of customer focused service stations.
Standard Oil was responsible for other industry breakthroughs. The company had remarkably forward-looking personnel policies, extending the 8-hour workday to production workers and offering employees insurance, pensions, and vacations.
Learn more in the Lloyd F. Bayer papers at UW’s American Heritage Center.