Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion cool station picture

I found this while trolling the net:


Barnsdall oil co.
rio grande oil co.
Anyone have any info on rio grande oil co.?
Very cool station anyone know where it is?

Now that is a neat old station.Man,would I love to own that now!!

Most of my limited knowledge is from chasing
after oil bottles, but the Rio Grande Valley Oil Co. was out of Albuquerque and made the very cool Corona war bottle. Might give you a place to start looking.

I've seen this one before.....isn't it on the left coast?

Does it come with a helpless maiden in the tower? lol – now that is cool.


Travis E. Towle
Topeka, Kansas

785-357-1004

WOW.

Cool.

Building is just North of Santa Barbara, on the outskirts of Goleta, Calif. on Old Hwy 101. It's about 28 miles south of POORMANSMUSEUM.

Was last painted & set up for the movie "The Postman Always Rings Twice".

Do a search for Goleta Valley Museum, they have more info, or maybe Curt has the link.
Dick

Dick bennet is correct on location. The site was owned for many years by the Hammond family of Santa Barbara. Seth Hammond is a personal friend and the son. Seth is one of the early collectors in our hobby and had a fine collection of globes that were all destroyed in our Santa Barbara earthquake in the '70's. Seth's dad was a personal friend to Charles Lindberg who flew both into my hometown, Carpinteria & onto Hammonds Meadow at the edge of Santa Barbara. Seth's dad was also involved in the early Locheed Aircraft Company which actually started here in Santa Barbara. If any of you are ever here in Santa Barbara call and stop into see Seth Hammond, owner of Specialty Crane. He has a fantastic collection of everything from an entire airplane hanging on his ceiling to a race car hanging on his wall. This is all in his office. If you are ever in this area call and stop in and see me as well
Ray Seider
I love Seaside and need more of it

My historical information on this "historic" station and the Barnsdall-Rio Grande Company is at my office so I will have to post some more photos and info tomorrow.

I can tell you that this was the flagship station as their drilling operation and headquarters was just behind this station on the Coast of California. No expense was spared in designing and building the station in the very popular Spanish architectural style of Santa Barbara.

I'll try and post a bit more of a write up on the station and share some of the pictures of it when it was operating in the next couple of days.

Curt, What is the condition of the building now, like the photo shows or has it fallen into even more disrepair? A great old building that deserves a better fate than the photo shows. I am looking forward to some photos showing it in its hey day.

That would make a cool rec building/getaway. Thanks for the info hotcidr good history lesson

Bob

That looks like a fairly recent photo and that is about what it looks like right now. I will do another post with the historical background on this station and the Barnsdall-Rio Grande Oil Co. so look for it soon in showcase and stories. (Soon means in the next couple of days).

Curt

I would have expected that more of you guys get "Check the Oil" Magazine. In the March 2003 issue there is a very thorough article by D. L. Cole on this Barnsdall-Rio Grande Gas Station. It is typical of Dave's well researched and informative writing. Check out your back issues.
Al Barrows

David Cole is a personal friend and neighbor of mine. He lives in Santa Maria 30 miles north of me in northern Santa Barbara County. Dave rarely receives that credit that he is due for his significant contribution to Petroliana. Along with his numerous articles, he has also written an excellent book on the Richfield Beacon stations that dotted the coast of California. He has one of the most astounding collections of early road maps and highway history that I have ever seen. Dave is also an expert on the Lincoln Zephyr and publishes a magazine for Zephyr collectors and enthusiasts. Most remarkably Dave does not own a computer, but does everything on an old fashioned typewriter and collects his maps by receiving consignments from dealers throughout the country (that's right, no eBay!). If you ever have an opportunity to drop Dave a note of thanks or give him a call I would recommend it. He deserves the appreciation for his great work!

BTW, here's the link to the Barnsdall-Rio Grande Story http://www.oldgas.com/shoptalk/ubb/Forum4/HTML/001438.html

P.S. Hello Al, loved the Sunset pumps!


[This message has been edited by the poor mans museum (edited 04-07-2006).]

I was going up to the central coast of California today, and after reading this post,
decided to find the station. Curt's right, it is a recent picture. Here are a few more shots:




This was off to the side, outside the chain link fencing

Awesome picture.Thanks.
It's a shame to see such a beautiful building fall apart like that.Sure wish someone would fix 'er up.