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Small Oil: 1939
UPDATE: Click here for an alternate view.
August 1939. "Independent refinery. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
Double Eagle Refinery
John J had good instincts to hit the city directory, but Vonderbees has what I consider the better guess. “The 12-acre Double Eagle Refinery Co.,” which actually refined used motor oil, is a candidate. “From 1929 until the early 1980s, the Double Eagle Refinery facility re-refined used motor oils through a process of acidulation and filtration. This process generated about 80,000 gallons of oily sludge per month.”
Read all about this lovely place: https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0601029
Possible Company Name
The 1939 Oklahoma City Directory lists two possible independent oil refiners.
The first is Sonneborn Brothers. This was a company large enough to have headquarters in NYC and fight Texas all the way to the US Supreme Court over a tax matter. They seem too large for this shoestring operation.
The second is the Gold Band Refining Company. Their entry in the city directory lists William E Rees (Pres) and Edgar J Rees (Sec-Treas). They were located a5 1900 E Reno Ave.
Crude Oil
Today's refineries are highly engineered marvels, but this one gives a whole new meaning to the term "crude" oil. Rube Goldberg would be proud!
Technology unbridled
Patch and go!
Not an uncommon form of 'engineering as needed' for the time, but this might be the best version I've seen.
I had an account here but what happened to it I do not know, so I've been lurking for quite a while; great work by everyone involved.
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