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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).]

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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).]

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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


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yah Ted, GO FARTHER.

Dwaine www.vintage-logos.com































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

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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


[b] Wanted 5 quart cans -old speed equipment -1950-60s- Cad- Olds std shift parts - site at www.oilnspeed.com
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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).]

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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).]

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

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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


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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.

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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

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