BAY PETROLEUM COMPANY

I'm no expert on the Bay Petroleum Company but I know a bit from my research of the Frontier Oil Company. Bay was formed by Charles U. Bay in 1934. Bay, a capitalist from New York, who had several successful business ventures before forming the Bay Petroleum Company. He formed the company with the help of M.H. Robineau who was operating a successful independent oil company in Nebraska called the Western Nebraska Oil Company. Bay provided the money and Robineau had the know-how and marketing experience in the oil industry. With Robineau acting as president and general manager the company acquired a refinery in McPherson, Kansas and built a new refinery in Denver. In 1936 they purchased a small refinery in Cheyenne, WY that would later become the foundation of the Frontier Refining Company. Bay Petroleum's operations were based out of Denver. In 1946 President Harry Truman appointed C.U. Bay the U.S. Ambassador to Norway. A position he held until 1953. Bay died on New Years Eve in 1955. Bay was purchased by, or merged with, Tenneco in the early 1960's. An interesting fact from Scott Benjamin and Wayne Henderson’s books on gas globes published in 1999 states that "The Bay shield logo, last revised about 1939, is the oldest logo ever to be associated with a major brand that is still in use today, without change."

Here are a few pics of some Bay items.