Company of the month May 2004 Signal Oil and Gas Company

Signal oil and gas company 1922 until 1965.

Wanted to start this off with a picture of my favorite pump done up in my favorite company. I chose Signal not only because I like the graphics associated with the company but in my father's lifetime of operating gas stations this was one of them. His Signal station was located in St. Helena CA. right after WW II.
The colors on this pump are not the original Siganl colors to the best of my knowledge. The pumps color were like the the pump pictured below.

Now on with the story. I will try to do this in four segments. First week 1922 to 1931 posting signs and pumps along with pictures from that era. Second 1931 to 1947 with oil and grease containers. Third 1947 to 1965 with maps and paper products and last everything else and where the company went from 1965 to present.
I want to have all members that have signal items or information to post along with me.
I am not an expert by any means and all the help I can get will be appreciated.

[This message has been edited by 41150 (edited 05-01-2004).]

It all began by a terrible freeze in the winter of 1921. An avacado, orange and lemon grower Sam Mosher had lost all his crops and was going broke. At this same time one of the largest oil fields ever found in CA. had just been discovered at Signal Hill near Long Beach. Sam Mosher along with many other curious people went to see what was going on. As Sam watched the wildcat wells being exposed he noticed all the fires at the tops and the natural gasoline that was going up into the atmosphere. He thought what if I could capture that stuff and sell it. It was all history after that. In this first week I will cover this part a little each day from 1922 to 1931. Below is a picture of what Signal Hill looked like in the 1920's.

Most pepole think of Signal as the company with the stop light symbol. However, the first symbol was crossed flags like the ones pictured on the rail cars below.

Enough for today so if you have some Signal signs or pumps done in Signal let's see them. Ted

[This message has been edited by 41150 (edited 05-01-2004).]

Ted, Beautiful a-38.............I don't have anything to contribute but like last month's Johnson Gasoline thread I will be taking it all in. Good luck and I can't wait to see the Signal stuff.

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Scott in Kansas City
quarts@mindspring.com

yah Ted, GO FARTHER.

Dwaine www.vintage-logos.com

[This message has been edited by Dwaine Buck (edited 05-01-2004).]

4 oz oiler- wish I had a 5 qt to show- anyone ever seen a 5qt Signal-oiler available-thanks don

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Wanted 5 quart cans

Don I have never seen a five quart Signal and don't think they had one.

Sam Mosher had one problem with his idea to capture this natural gasoline he needed $4000 to get the idea running and one of the large companies let him tap into there well. So he borrowed towards his inheritance from his mother because his dad thought his idea was crazy. Shell oil company was the large company that let Sam Mosher use there well site. He got a couple college buddies together and off they go. Signal products company was born. They had no gas stations at this time and were just getting this natural gasoline which if run by itself produced large holes in engine pistons. Very high octane volatile stuff but when blended with gasoline would make great starting fuel in the winter and more power like adding ethyl.

Below are some signs and other Signal items from the collection of Fred Stoke.

[This message has been edited by 41150 (edited 05-02-2004).]

Around 1925-27 signal started producing greases and oils. they created a logo also with the signal on it, but used two colors to show what was being sold at different out lets. the Yellow was for greases. the black was for oils and sprits = kerosene's. lamp fuels. I was told by an old timer they had globes 16" in both the yellow and black logos that hung under the store fronts . the glass was flat and non baked paint was used so the paint over time burnt off. these logos was used on everything. boxes, lubsters, tanks for there fuels,

As this picture of my stack of Signal Grease cans show, Yellow was the color of their Greases, these cans and logo were used up until about 1937.

This decal logo was their first tobe used on Lubsters , later = 1930 was redone tobe used on their first quart can. with out the diamond signal emblem. if you will notice the incircle on the logos and the same corners on all strip signs until 1959 when they changed there logo to the oval.

This globe replaced all the old non baked product globes in 1931 with the grand opening of there chain of filling stations.

[This message has been edited by Dwaine Buck (edited 05-08-2004).]

Great stuff Dwaine and thanks for helping a friend and fellow collector out. Ted

delete

[This message has been edited by bettin (edited 08-22-2005).]

Thanks Ron for the great pictures.
Below I have a couple 12 inch pump plates. Notice the all black stop lights. I will post the other pump plate with one red and two black lights later. Ted

Great Signal stuff guys, If any lookers out there have the very rare 4'to 6' sign, with the words PURR on the left and PULL on the right I'd like to see it. They used that sign along with the Yellow and Purple globes the first year before removing the PURR-PULL logo off there items. It was a one year agreement with the owners of the chain of stations they bought.

The story goes on. The depression hits and a lot of companies are going down. Not Signal. Time to expand into the gasoline sales. In 1931 they bought out a small independent with the Purr-Pull gasoline. This was the United States Refining Company Limited. Wait a minute we don't really have a symbol that will sell gasoline so guess what? Let's use a stoplight get it, Signal Gasoline. So while other companies are folding Signal moves ahead. Like buying stock after a huge decline. It's got to get better. Below is shown the symbols Signal used.

The symbol and the go farther caption is used. Nice art work.

Time to see some Purr-pull globes. Anybody have one or a picture of one? More on the advertising ideas used by the company tommorrow. Ted

1931, Grand opening of all the station on one day. the globes were very plain, they had two, but at that time thee was basicly only two types of low-compression engines, but that changed one year later, 1932 the V-8
higher compression. So Signal needed another type of fuel not just regular and ethyl. as all did they came up with a higher octane that became their Ethyl , Anti-knock and Regular. so they came out with new globes.

this is the first globe they used as their Ethyl. Steve Castelli has this globe. only one known. the Purple was used as their regular . I've seen pictures of it.

in the early times the globe didn't always show the type of fuel , it was the decal, these are as close as we can get useing a black and white photo.

And sents they started with only about 7-9 filling stations, no wonder these globes are gone. heres the regular decal.

[This message has been edited by Dwaine Buck (edited 05-03-2004).]

Here is a picture of that restored Signal tower staion in Postland OR. Ted

In 1931 along with getting the service stations going Signal contracted with Standard oil to provide natural gasoline and crude oil. Standard did not own Signal and was just a business partner. At this same time Signal got into a huge advertising agreement with radio and took over the radio program called Carefree Carnival soon to be renamed Signal Carnival a Sunday night weekly program. Also in 1931 Signal contracted the rights to use the popular movie Tarzan to attract the youth. Let's see?? Use the kids to influence the parents to buy Signal gas because of a special club. Below is some advertising dealing with the Signal Tarzan Club.

More about Signal later. Just going to post some signs,pumps and globes the rest of week one.

[This message has been edited by 41150 (edited 05-04-2004).]

Here is my other Signal pump plate 12 inch two black and one red light.

Below is a sign for the door of a distributors truck never used and aquired from a local distributor in Lodi. 12 inch and notice the very fine white edge.

Below we have an official Tarzan Club card.

Advertising road bill boards were used all over California Oregon and Washinton like the ones below.

[This message has been edited by 41150 (edited 05-05-2004).]

One more billboard advertisement. Ted

WOW.... Great stuff Ted, I might even try to get a can of signal oil someday! Elden

The Signal Tarzan club got tobe so big they had to drop it after 5 years. heres an image of the Tarzan Pinback you got with the membership.

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Dwaine
www.vintage-logos.com

Here are some signs from the collection of Fred Stoke. Ted

Great job Ted!!!! I thought the black & white photo of the "little people" was shot out front of Fred's station last fall!!!!

Tom,it does look like Fred's station but the shots I got earlier of Fred's place sure looks different when nobody is there. Felt weird. See ya at the bash. Ted

Here is a nice original sign from the collection of Fred Stoke.

Below is a nice double sided 6 foot Signal Gas all porcelain.

This is a 6 foot Signal Gasoline sign that an old gas member (T-Bone) just sold on ebay. Ted

Ted , show the picture from the book of the signs that say purr - pull,

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Dwaine
www.vintage-logos.com

Thanks again Dwaine, for posting the Pic below for me.

Although, the sign itself is original, the frame is'nt, it was added about 12-13 years ago.

[This message has been edited by MarkMcK (edited 05-08-2004).]

Sorry Mark don't open those, love to see the pictures. Send them to me and I'll post them for you.

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Dwaine
www.vintage-logos.com

Mark sent me the picture one of the rarest Signal signs. A very early Ethyl @ 1931 - 1936. I have seen these in old pictures. thanks Mark for sharing and welcome to Old Gas. They used the Diamond signal till 36 or 38? then just the signal .double red lights show early also. thier first saying was because of the two red lights = STOP FOR SIGNAL.What did the GO stand for ? Thanks Mark.

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Dwaine
www.vintage-logos.com

[This message has been edited by Dwaine Buck (edited 05-08-2004).]

This week we will cover 1931 to 1947. The company now has gasoline stations going and producing motor oil. They have moved east to Texas where they started tapping into oil wells for more natural gasoline. They will also have refineries in Texas. I wanted to do oil containers for pictures this week. The firest picture below is one of the first quarts the company came out with.

The picture below is some glass quarts from the collection of Fred Stoke.

Mark, that is one GREAT Signal sign. Thanks for sharing & welcome to the site!!

This picture was sent to me.

This Lube gun board dates from '34-'36.
Thanks for sharing.

This is a very early can used by the Signal company. Notice the Triangle symbol. Ted

I don't have much Signal, but I did restore a Wayne 60 as Signal, put a display door on the front, made glass shelves, and lit the inside. I have a few Signal items on display in the pump. The five gallon grease can sitting by the pump has a small "slit" cut into the top. It looks professional, not home made. I purchased this can and several hundred "coupons" years ago at the Pomona swap meet here in Los Angeles. This was used by a dealer in Santa Paula, Ca. (Dick Bennett's home town) His customers would get a coupon, tear off a small perferated portion, and put the remaining piece in the five gallon can. He had a drawing for prizes. Some of the coupons are marked with his business name, and some are blank.

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Don "oltoydoc" Sherwood
Vintage Gas

Below are the Signal Penn cans the company started mid 30's . From left to right the earliest. The first one is a solder seam and the second is the same design but a crimped seam. The far right is crimped seam and the company used the two black lights for a short period.

Below is the back side of the cans. Ted

Here is a Signal lubricants can.

Here is a stack of Signal lubricants. Ted

[This message has been edited by 41150 (edited 05-16-2004).]

The two quarts below are the same graphics but the one on the left is a solder seam early and on the right crimp seam later. RPM Delo Special Lubricating oil. Remember Signal was a business partner with Standard oil. Any connection with the Delo and RPM thing????? Ted

[This message has been edited by 41150 (edited 05-12-2004).]

This all metal quart is probably the most common as far as Signal cans go but still fairly rare.

Here are three different varities of the same can. One of these Fred Stoke doesn't even have. All these cans are metal and from my collection. Can you see the differences? Look at the fine print and also the stoplight colors. Ted

Here are some all metal multi-viscosity Signal cans. The 20-40 is rare. Ted

The last two quarts in my collection are the all metal 4 star and the only composite I have a Signal RPM Delo. Signal had more composite cans but I really don't go after composites to collect. Maybe someone else out on this site could post them or have them. Ted

During WW II The Japanese actually were lobbing high explosive shells at Richfield and Signal oil fields in Southern CA. No damge was done but none the less the U.S. had shells fired on our homeland. Shells also were fired near Astoria OR. So Signal made it through the war and remained a strong independent. Pre war and depression advertising took on the theme of economy and inexpensive. After the war performance was stressed. The Go Farther theme advertised quality and perfromance. On Aug. 8,1947 Standard oil company took over the marketing outlets of the Signal oil and gas company but Signal kept all the drilling operations and changed there symbol to the half red and half black with the oil derrick in the middle. Standard had the service stations bulk plants advertising symbols but the Signal company was still and independent oil company. Six months later Signal was back in the retail busines and bought out the Craig oil company in southern CA. and opened 17 multi-pump stations. Signal now was concentrating on large stations and not the small neighborhood stations. Confusing , yes it is. This next week I will focus from 1947 until Signal changed and got out of the retail oil busines in late 1964 into 1965.
I have the last three quarts I forgot to post along with a little oiler from my collection. All the quarts are all metal and the Automatic was a symbol used right after the familiar round logo. Anybody got some composite cans to post? Ted

The automatic can.

Small oiler.

This next week I will post maps mileage charts and books and welcome all others to post any paper products they have from the company. Ted

Great info and cool stuff Ted!

Start this week off with this great map. Front and back sides shown. Love those graphics. Ted

Hope you aren't getting sick of Signal yet. Anybody got any comments out there??????? Here is a lube sticker from the Signal Oil Company. Ted

Ted, about all I have is a comment. I have been watching and love the signal logos. There certainly is a lot more different pieces out there to be had than I thought. For some reason to me, the west coast stuff is real cool Probably just because we don't see any of it around here. You have some really nice goodies. Keep up the great work.

Jeff

Here is another great Signal map. Ted

This is a 1958 Signal Lubrication guide. Ted

Another Signal Map. This was right about the time San Francisco hosted the World's fair. Ted

Another map front and back sides. Ted

Here is a program Signal Oil hosted for the Tarzan radio program. Ted

Here are couple more Signal Maps. Ted

A couple more Signal maps. Ted

This is the last Signal map I have to post. Anybody else have a different map to post? Ted

In 1958 there was a large fire at the Hancock plant in southern CA. This is when Signal Oil Company bought the Hancock company. Several other independents were bought out through the 50's. Below is some of them. Ted

Heres something Ted's not telling you. By the late thirties signal has bought a controlling interest in Billups, Watson,and a few other companys in the south. in the late 40ties they even opened Hancock stations and Signal stations down there.
One of our members asked if signal was ever in the southern states . He said ,He remembered as a kid going to a Signal station. 1947 , Signal was asked to lead an Expedition, of drillers from different companys to drill and tank oil in Saudi Arabia , by the time Sam Mosser was ready to retire and his Nephew took the CEO spot, Signal was drilling all over the world. Being a Cali guy and finding many pumps in the beginning of my collecting, along with a friend Ivan (who at one time had a large Signal collection) we found that around 1937 when the pump manufacters started using larger ad-glass in thier pumps = national A-1,B-1, national A-38, signal had no need for globes. and stopped buying them. as did a lot of west coast companys. of course 1941 World War II, Civil defense took care of a lot of West Coast globes.

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Dwaine
www.vintage-logos.com

Here is a mileage book giveaway by the Signal Oil Company. Ted

From 1947 to 1965 Signal was involved throughout the U.S. in oil drilling to refineries, retail and LPG. This next week we will discuss where the company went when they entered 1965 to present. Below is a giveaway calender that the company used. Ted

In 1963 Signal Oil Company merged with the Garrett Corp. manufacture of missle components and other space age devices. This is where the design for the last oil cans came from. I don't have any of these cans in my collection. The colors of the can represented something also. Anyone know what they were????? Below is a picture of a spark plug that the company had. Ted

Here is an original decal on a lubester in my collection. Circa 1947. Ted

[This message has been edited by 41150 (edited 05-23-2004).]

Found this can in a junk store many years ago.

And have been saving this FULL case of composite display cans.

Ted, your doing an outstanding job on COTM,and everyone participating..just great. I hope my Month can hold water compaired to this and the previous Months..GREAT JOB.

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Hubba the GAS GEEK , OIL FREAK of Shoreline WA

Hubba is right. Ted is doing a great job this month. Every COTM feature has been great. You guys have set the bar pretty high for those of us that will follow. For now lets continue to see more cool Signal stuff and learn more about the company.
Bob

Thanks for the kind words and Dick thanks for posting those cans. The symbol and color on the can is the one I was talking about. The symbol is space age and the colors???? Remember Sam Mosher and what he did originally. He raised avacados and oranges. Think they got the colors from that???? Rumor is yes. More items and pictures tonight. Ted

Here is a nice oil display sign from the collection of Fred Stoke. Ted

Another oil rack sign from the collection of Fred Stoke. Ted

Set of Signal oil bottles from the collection of Fred Stoke. Ted

In 1965 Signal had closed it's retail gasoline business and was sold out to Enco out here on the west coast. Out of the gasoline business but not out of business. The space industry was where their efforts went. If you look at any FRAM oil filter you might see Signal Co. on it. Is it the same Signal Comapny that used to sell gasoline. I have been told it is. Believe it or not.
Below is a rare picture of the first Sign used for Signal Gas in 1931. Anyone who has this sign has a rare piece. Ted

Here are a couple Signal pencils from Lodi CA. from my collection. Ted

I am stripping my Bennett and finding a series of Signal decals. The oldest one I can identify is a round bladk "Ethyl" logo with the yellow letters.
Heres the question: Under the round decal is a slightly larger white octagon with a red border. Is this a background for the Signal sticker? An older Signal decal? Or some unrelated previous owner?

Email me a picture and I'll see if i can help you.

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Dwaine. pca-west.org
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