NORTHWESTERN REFINING CO. (SAINT PAUL PARK, MINN.):
An Inventory of Its Records at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
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| Creator: |
Northwestern Refining Co. (Saint Paul Park, Minn.), creator.
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| Title: | Northwestern Refining Co. records. |
| Dates: | 1939-1976. |
| Language: | Materials in English. |
| Abstract: | Financial statements and audit reports, prospectuses, correspondence and memoranda, some photographs, and other records of a company owned by the Erickson family that established and operated an oil refinery at Saint Paul Park, Minnesota. Includes biographical information on members of the Erickson family, information on mergers and acquisitions, licenses, sales, liquidations, stock holdings, and pipelines; and files relating to affiliated and acquired companies and to the eventual sale of the firm to Ashland Oil, Inc . |
| Quantity: | 4.6 cubic feet (5 boxes). |
| Location: | See Detailed Description for shelf locations. |
The Northwestern Refining Co. had its beginnings when the seven Erickson brothers purchased a bankrupt oil refinery in Texas for $75,000 and relocated it to Saint Paul Park, Minnesota. It began operations in 1939 as a corporation under the name Northwestern Refining Company.
Northwestern Refining Co. was incorporated December 30, 1946 as a wholesale, retail, and refining operation of petroleum products. On January 1, 1947 three partnerships owned by the Erickson family were merged into Northwestern Refining Co.: Northwestern Refining Company, Erickson Asphalt Company, and Erickson Barge Lines. Arthur Theodore Erickson served as the company's first president. Elmer Rudolph Erickson served in multiple executive positions, eventually in the role of president and chief executive officer. Other Erickson siblings held various executive positions throughout the decades of family ownership.
Northwestern owned and operated many smaller oil and gas companies, including North Star and SuperAmerica service stations, whose first retail outlet was opened in 1960 by the Erickson family in downtown Saint Paul. It also owned the United States Crude Oil Purchasing Company, Web-Scot Company, and Williston Basin Pipe Line Company, among many others.
Northwestern Refining Co. was purchased on August 7, 1970 by Ashland Oil, Incorporated, of Ashland, Kentucky.
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These documents are organized into the following sections:
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| | Northwestern Refining Co. |
| | Affiliated Companies |
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Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Northwestern Refining Co. Records. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional
examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 17,214
Processing Information:
Catalog ID number: 008934623
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
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| Location | Box |
| 143.J.9.5B | 1 | Biographical information, undated, 1966-1969. |
| | | Includes biographical sketches of Erickson family members submitted for the printing of the History of Minnesota by Val Bjornson (1969). |
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| | Certificates and certified resolutions, parent company and subsidiaries, 1967-1970. |
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| | Corporation papers: Liquidation, 1973-1974. |
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| | Corporation papers, 1946-1974. |
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| | Corporation papers: California subsidiary, 1965-1971. |
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| | Stock transfers, 1969-1970. |
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| | Stockholders investment summary, 1969. |
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| | Shareholders agreement, 1946-1970. |
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| | Trademark registration, 1967-1972. |
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| | Preferred stock, 1955-1967. |
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| | Financial information: |
| | | Financial statements and reports, 1939-1940. 2 folders. |
| | | Income tax returns, 1941. |
| | | Audit report, 1943. |
| | | Financial statement, 1944-1945. |
| | | Partners investment accounts, 1946. |
| | | Financial statements, 1947-1953. |
| | | Financial and operating reports as of December 31, 1953 and projections for 1954, 1954-1969. |
| | | Financial results, 1939-1959. |
| | | Financial statements and reports, 1958-1962. 2 folders. |
| | | Affiliated companies, 1954-1960. |
| | | Williston Basin pipeline, 1960-1962. |
| | | SuperAmerica, 1960-1964. |
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| Location | Box |
| 143.J.9.6F | 2 | Park plant labor contract, 1952. |
| | | Labor agreement between Northwestern Refining Co. and Gas and Oil, Bulk Plant, Automotive Service and Parts, Service Station Attendants, Parking Lot and Ramp Drivers, Helpers and Inside Employees Union, Local No. 975, AFL at the Saint Paul Park refinery. |
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| | Prospectuses: |
| | | Include some photographs. |
| | | History and operating data, December 1948. 1 volume. |
| | | Catalytic cracking prospectus, December 1948. 1 volume. |
| | | Catalytic cracking prospectus, November 1949. 1 volume. |
| | | St. Elmo (Illinois) plant, July 1949. |
| | | Catalytic cracking prospectus, September 1949. 1 volume. |
| | | St. Elmo (Illinois) plant, June 1950. |
| | | Catalytic cracking prospectus, April 1951. |
| | | Northwestern Refining Company: $1,500,000 4-1/2% First Mortgage, April 1951. 1 volume and 1 folder. |
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| Location | Box |
| 143.J.9.6F | 2 | Amerada Petroleum Corporation, 1949-1967. |
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| | Aranco of Minnesota Incorporated, 1952. |
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| | Arrow Petroleum Company, 1949. |
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| | Ashland Oil and Refining Company: |
| | | 1964-1968. |
| | | Acquisition of Northwestern Refining Co.: Agreement and plan of reorganization, 1970. |
| | | Material for Ashland, 1968-1970. |
| | | Sale of St. Elmo refinery and Wood River terminal, 1950-1951. |
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| | Cardinal Service Incorporated: |
| | | Joint service station venture, 1962-1965. |
| | | Trademark registration agreements, 1963-1966. |
| | | Stock purchase and annual meetings, 1960-1976. |
| | | Corporation papers, 1965-1973. |
| | | Gasoline contract, 1963-1965. |
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| | Comet Refining Company: Marketing agreement, 1946-1947. |
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| Location | Box |
| 143.J.9.7B | 3 | Comet Refining Company: Acquisition, 1947-1952. |
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| | Great Lakes Pipeline Company, 1954-1966. 2 folders. |
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| | Great Northern Oil Company, 1959-1970. 3 folders. |
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| | Great Northern pipeline, 1957-1962. |
| | | Includes maps, financial reports, studies, and a construction application. Project involved the Great Northern Railway Company. |
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| | Great Western Petroleum Company: |
| | | Corporation papers: Liquidation, 1960-1961, 1970. |
| | | Real estate mortgage and note 80,000 barrel tanks, 1952-1955. 2 folders. |
| | | Financial statements, 1951-1953. |
| | | Necessity certificate 55,000 barrel and 12,000 barrel tanks, 1954-1955. |
| | | Articles and certificate of incorporation, 1955-1956. |
| | | Necessity certificate 80,000 barrel tanks, 1951-1955. 3 folders. |
| | | Rental agreement (consent to sublease), 1955. |
| | | 1956-1958. |
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| | International Refineries Incorporated, 1953-1967. |
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| | Koch Refining Company, 1961-1969. |
| | | Includes documents concerning the Great Northern Oil Company. |
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| | Minnesota Pipe Line Company, 1955-1971. |
| | | Includes an economic study of proposed crude oil pipelines and related materials from crude oil carriers. |
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| Location | Box |
| 143.J.9.8F | 4 | Oskey Brothers Petroleum Marketing Corporation, 1956-1965. 4 folders. |
| | | Includes working papers from stock purchases, stock purchase agreements, corporate papers, and miscellaneous agreements. |
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| | Portal Pipe Line Company, 1962-1971. 3 folders. |
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| | SuperAmerica Stations Incorporated, 1966-1970. 2 folders. |
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| | Trax Oil Company Incorporated: |
| | | Meetings-Directors, 1962. |
| | | Purchase agreement: Related working papers, 1962. |
| | | Purchase agreement: Accounting working papers, 1962. |
| | | Analysis, 1961-1968. |
| | | | Includes photographs of Trax service stations. |
| | | Purchase agreement, 1962-1967. |
| | | Corporation papers: Liquidation, 1972-1973. |
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| Location | Box |
| 145.L.12.8F | 5 | United States Crude Oil Purchasing Company, 1959-1974. 2 folders. |
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| | Universal Oil Products Company, 1949-1970. 5 folders. |
| | | Includes contracts and agreements for catalytic units and unifining and platforming units. |
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| | Web-Scot Company, 1964-1972. 7 folders. |
| | | Includes contracts, agreements, leases, and papers related to incorporation and liquidation, and related miscellany. |
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| | Williston Basin Pipe Line Company, 1960-1967. |
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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the
Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics,
persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Family corporations -- Minnesota.
- Oil industry workers -- Minnesota.
- Petroleum industry and trade -- Minnesota.
- Petroleum pipelines.
- Petroleum refineries -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul Park.
- Service stations -- Minnesota.
- Persons:
- Erickson family.
- Erickson, Arthur Theodore, 1910-1966.
- Erickson, Elmer Rudolph, 1915-1982.
- Organizations:
- Northwestern Refining Company (Saint Paul Park, Minn.), author.
- Ashland Oil, inc.
- Gas and Oil, Bulk Plant, Automotive Service and Parts, Service Station Attendants, Parking Lot and Ramp Drivers, Helpers and Inside Employees Union Local 976.
- Document Types:
- Photographs.
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