The Long Oil Company








1915 March 1, 1915 A. W. Long buys Sikes Oil of Manhattan, Kansas and starts The Manhattan Oil Company. He sets up shop in a 15X20 foot sheet metal building at the corner of 1st and Colorado, near the railroad depot.

1916
Wyondotte (1st) and Colorado street station finished about July. This is the first drive-in filling station in Manhattan.


1917 Manhattan Oil Co. starts to take on the Long name as Long and Company. But by midyear it officially changes to The Long Oil Company when it becomes a Kansas corporation.
Long's Sunshine Gas 1918
is sold at the grand opening of 3rd and Houston. A.W. Long is profiled in Kansas and Kansans.

 

4th & Houston
1919 Long continues to expand in and around Manhattan.. 1920 Company continues to grow as the automobile becomes more common place..
1921 Long develops a standard service station design. 1922 "Our Service At Your Service". Filling stations are built at 5th and Poyntz in Manhattan, and in Wamego, Randolph and AggieVille
1923 "Service We Give It". Begins to expand along US40, The Victory Highway. Two stations are opened in Topeka.
1924 Opens new offices at 118 South 3rd, Manhattan.
A. W. Long is the 1925
treasurer of the Independent Oil Men's Association of Kansas.
4th & Houston
1926 Signs contract with city of Manhattan to develop Longs Park at 17th and Colorado. Has station in the following cities, Atchison, Topeka, St. Marys, Wamego, Randolph, Chapman, Abilene and Solomon

 

1927 6th and Riley (warehouse) opens with 6 22,000 gallon storage tanks, lubricating tank house with barreling plant connected. 8 stall tank truck garage. This is one of the most modern bulk and barreling plants in the Kansas. Similar plants are located in Topeka and Kansas City.
Pennsylvania Tires ad 1928
from a newspaper of the time. Prices were between $2.60 and $2.15 for tubes and $12.90 and $9.20 for tires. "On sale at all Long Stations." The company has a fleet of more than 50 tank trucks.

 

4th & Houston
1929 Manhattan, Kansas celebrates it's Diamond Jubilee. Long Oil celebrates it's 14th year in business.

1930 Several articles are published in the National Petroleum News about Long Oil and the many advances being made by the company.
Depression is starting 1931
to affect sales.



A.W. Long 1932 1932 On Feb 19, at 9:20 Archie W. Long passed away.
Final sale to Sinclair of 1933
Long Oil Company on March 15. Sale included 11 bulk plants and 75 filling stations. A. W. Long's story published in Illustriana Kansas.

 



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