British American Oil

Filling up at a British American gas station in Millet, Alberta, Canada. In 1941 because of physical ailments, Ferdinand and Mary Dargatz Welke sold their homestead of 160 acres and bought a little store with a BA gas station in Millet. There the family with five children lived and worked for a few years.

There is not a lot of information on BA gas. However, here is a little information that could be gleaned. The British American Oil Company was founded in 1906 by Albert L. Ellsworth in Toronto, Ontario. Ellsworth was 29 years old at the time. Previously, he had spent nine years working for Standard Oil's Acme refinery in Buffalo, New York.

By 1917 BA was producing up to 32,000 barrels of crude oil per month. Most of the oil was hauled in tanks displaying the slogan; "WE MAKE THAT GOOD OIL", mounted on wagons pulled by horses, or by rail in wooden barrels.

All British and America gas stations were agent owned, and they were becoming popular. One of the reasons for BA popularity is they allowed customers to check on the quality and cleanliness of the fuels.

These local gas stations often became a social hub bub. A place where you could hear and pass on the latest gossip. As Steve McKelvie, a man who worked at a BA station as a kid stated, “If you wanted to know what was happening in town, then you went to the BA to find out.”

1956 the company merged with the Gulf Oil Corporation, an American company. By 1969, Gulf Oil Canada completely took over British American and all local BA stations became a Gulf Stations.

Thank you for reading.

Jenny Findsen