History of Oil Refining in Kansas

[flintauqua]

Found an excellent article on the history of oil refineries in Kansas.  We all know that Longton had one early on, but I didn't know there had been one at Niotaze.  Page 8 is a map of all refinery locations in the state, and pages 9-10 are an excellent list of location, years of operation, and name of operation.

http://www.kdheks.gov/remedial/articles/refining_history.pdf

Enjoy!

[flintauqua]

Standard Atlas of Chautauqua County 1921 plat of Niotaze, showing location of refinery:

http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/223981/page/6

[W. Gray]

Built and managed by a woman, no less. The only one in Kansas with that heritage.

And, the largest refinery in Kansas for a number of years.

[flintauqua]

From: http://kensas.kdhe.state.ks.us/pls/certop/Iop?id=C301072073

"The Sunflower Refining Company (a.k.a Sunflower Refinery/Sunflower Refining Company/ Sunflower State Refining Company/Sunflower State Refining Company of Kansas) acquired the site from a number of individuals and constructed and expanded the Former Sunflower Refinery during the period 1905 to 1908. In 1911, the Sunflower State Refining Company of Arizona and Kansas declared bankruptcy and refining machinery on the site was claimed by the Carbondale Machine Company. From 1911 to at least 1921, the former refinery was owned by a number of entities including the Niotaze Refining Company, Pittsburg Crude Oil and Gas Company, and the O.K. Refining Company of Niotaze, Kansas. The deed records did not specify when the O.K. Refining Company of Niotaze, Kansas sold the property."

[flintauqua]

An earlier discussion of the Longton refinery is here:  http://www.cascity.com/howard/forum/index.php/topic,3475.0.html

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Additionally, I found this in regards to the demise of the Longton Refinery, excerpts from:  http://www.skyways.org/genweb/archives/1918ks/bioa/amesjm.html

"JOHN McEWEN AMES. One of the leading business institutions of Caney, Kansas, is that operating under the name of Kan-o-Tex Refining Company, an industry which has contributed materially to the importance of this city as a center of business activity. The credit for the success of this enterprise is largely due to its president, John McEwen Ames, a man of broad experience and marked business talents, who, until coming to Caney in 1915, had been identified with large business corporations in the East. "

"In the meantime, in 1909, he had become president of the Kan-o-Tex Refining Company, a concern which had been organized that year for the purpose of refining crude oil from the Kansas and Oklahoma fields. Jacob Bartles had built the original plant at Caney, while Bennett & Miller had erected a plant at Longton, Kansas, and the new organization purchased the two plants, dismantled the one at Longton, and brought both together at Caney, where the main offices and plant are now located beside the Santa Fe Railroad tracks. The company now has machinery of the latest invention and manufacture, and the capacity of the plant is 1,000 barrels per day, with the force working up to capacity output practically all the time. The present list of officers includes: president, John McEwen Ames; vice president, Wilbur Munn, of Orange, New Jersey; secretary, Frank Heilig, of Caney, Kansas; treasurer, Robert R. Cox, of Caney; superintendent of refineries, E. S. Dorrance, of Caney; superintendent of leases, Clyde M. Boggs, of Bartlesville, Oklahoma; directors, John McEwen Ames, Wilbur Munn, H. M. De Lanoie of New York City, Frank Heilig and Robert R. Cox."

[flintauqua]

Excerpt from:

REFINING INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES WITH List of Refineries, Capacity and Investment and the Oil Jobbers of America

By H. G. JAMES

Copyrighted 1916 by the Derrick Publishing Company OIL CITY. PENN'A.

Name - City - Year Built - Investment

Standard Oil Company pf Kansas, Neodesha 1892 1,500,000

Lesh Refining Co., Arkansas City 1914 30,000

Kanotex Refining Co., Caney 1906 660,000

J Chanute Refining Co., Chanute 1907 300,000

Kansas Co-Operative Refining Co., Chanute 1906 200,000

'Kansas Crude Oil Co., Chanute

Uncle Sam Oil Co., Cherryvale 1906 125,000

iCudahy Refining Co., CofEeyville , 1909 1,400,000

Kansas Oil Refining Co., Coffeyville 1906 300,000

National Refining Co., Coffeyville 1907 500,000

Great. Western Oil Refining Co., Brie 1905 754,000

Miller Petroleum Refining Co., Humboldt 1906 73,626

SHutchinson Refining Co., Hutchinson 1915 5,000

Petroleum Products Co., Independence . 1909 1,500,000

Kansas City Refining Co., Kansas City 1906 275,000

4 Uncle Sam Oil Co., Kansas City

Eastern Kansas Oil Co., Moran , 1905 300,000

O -K. Refining Co., Niotaze 1905 275,000

Rollin Oil Refining, Rollin .- 1904 20,000

Rosedale Refining Co., Rosedale 1915 25,000

Wichita Independent. Oil & Refining Co., Wichita 1914 20,000

ebook available at:  http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/horace-greeley-james/refining-industry-of-the-united-states--with-list-of-refineries-capacity-and-i-hci/1-refining-industry-of-the-united-states--with-list-of-refineries-capacity-and-i-hci.shtml