IN ROXANA, A GROUP OF HE HAD DATED RETIREES -- A GROUP OF DEDICATED RETIREES, OIL
REFINERY BUSINESS AT THE SHELL
WOOD RIVER HISTORY MUSEUM.
>>
INDUSTRIAL HISTORY IS ALMOST A LOST ART, AND THIS HISTORY IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE REFINERIES
HAVE BEEN HERE SINCE 1918.
IT COVERS GENERATIONS.
IT COVERS AN ENTIRE ERA OF
REFINING.
SO IT WAS FELT THAT IT WAS
IMPORTANT TO GET THE DOCUMENTS
THAT ARE KEY TO THIS REFINERY
AND A LOT OF THE ARTIFACTS THAT
YOU SEE THAT HAVE THE NAME OF
THE COMPANY THAT WAS ASSOCIATED
HERE FOR 75 YEARS IN ONE PLACE.
SOME OF THE DISPLAYS THAT WE
PARTICULARLY ARE PROUD OF ARE,
FIRST OF ALL, A GASOLINE PUMP,
MANY OF WHICH YOU SEE BEHIND ME
ARE USUALLY LIT.
THEY HAVE BEEN RECONDITIONED TO
LOOK EXACTLY AS THEY DID WHEN
THEY WERE IN SERVICE.
SOME OF THEM GO BACK TO THE
20'S, SOME TO THE 50'S.
WE HAVE PUMPS FROM BASICALLY
EVERY GENERATION.
>> ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING
AND PROBABLY THE OLDEST PUMP WE
HAVE WAS GIVEN TO US THROUGH THE
PRESIDENT OF THE COMPANY.
HE HAPPENED TO BE VISITING HERE
A COUPLE WEEKS BEFORE THE MUSEUM
WAS FINISHED, AND HE SAW THE
OTHER PUMPS, AND SAID "OH, I
KNOW WHERE THERE IS A PUMP THAT
PROBABLY WOULD FIT RIGHT IN HERE
."
I THINK EVERYBODY IS
PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN THE
LUBRICATING DISPLAY THAT WE
HAVE, AND ALL THE OLD OIL CANS
AND VARIOUS PRODUCTS THAT WERE
MANUFACTURED BY SHELL.
IT WASN'T JUST OIL AND GASOLINE.
WE HAD -- WE MANUFACTURED
PARAFIN, AND WE DID MANY, MANY
THINGS.
WE HAD FLY SPRAY, AND WE HAD ALL
SORTS OF HOME ARTICLES, SHELL
WAX WAS VERY WELL-KNOWN FOR
FURNITURE POLISH AND SO FORTH.
THEY HAD A LOT OF GIVE AWAYS,
ESPECIALLY DLIEWR THE SERVICE
STATIONS, AND WE HAVE A
COLLECTION OF MAPS AND ARTICLES
THAT WERE EITHER SOLD OR GIVEN
BY THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT.
YOU SEE THE COIN DISPLAY.
THAT WAS THE CONTEST.
WHEN YOU BOUGHT GASOLINE, I
THINK IT WAS MINIMUM OF TEN
DOLLANCE, YOU RECEIVED A COIN.
WHEN YOU RECEIVED A WHOLE SET,
THEN YOU WON A CASH PRIZE OF
SOME KIND.
>> THE REFINERY THAT STARTED
HERE WAS BUILT IN THE MIDWEST
BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE THE MARK
WAS IN 1918.
THE CRUDE WAS LOCATED WHERE
THERE WASN'T A MARKET.
REFINERY WAS BUILT HERE, AND THE
CRUDE WAS BROUGHT IN BY PIPELINE
EARLIEST PIPELINE WAS 1918.
THE REFINERY GREW UP FROM A
RELATIVELY SMALL REFINERY TO A
WORLD SCALE REFINERY THAT IT IS
NOW.
THE TOWN OF ROXANA WHICH THE
REFINERY BORDERS THE REFINERY
GOT ITS NAME FROM THE NAME OF
THE PETROLEUM COMPANY.
SO ROXANA PETROLEUM, AND THAT
WAS PER PORTED TO HAVE BEEN THE
WIFE OF ONE OF THE DUTCH PEOPLE
THAT CAME OVER HERE EARLY AND
STARTED THE REFINERY.
>> I THINK MY FAVORITE DISPLAY
IN GOING THROUGH THIS REIT
FINERY IS ANYTHING ASSOCIATED
WITH THE REFINERY'S EFFORTS
DURING WORLD WAR II.
>> THE AWARD IN 42 WAS THE
EXCELLENCE AWARD FROM THE
GOVERNMENT FOR THE REFINERY
PRODUCING A HUNDRED OCTANE
GASOLINE AND BEING A MAJOR PART
OF THE WAR EFFORTS.
TO OUR KNOWLEDGE, THIS WAS THE
FIRST REFINERY TO RECEIVE AN E
AWARD.
>> WE SPONSORED A RACE CAR
DRIVER BY THE NAME OF CRAIG
BREDLOV: ONE TIME HE HAD AND
ACCIDENT, AND WE HAD A PICTURE
WITH -- THAT CONTAINS SOME OF
THE PARTS OF HIS RACE CAR, AND
THEN WE ALSO HAVE A PARACHUTE
THAT HE CARRIED IN THE RACE CAR.
THE OLD 1918 TANK TRUCK IS VERY
INTERESTING I THINK.
IT WAS PURCHASED THROUGH AN
ANTIQUE DEALER IN SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS.
VOLUNTEERS WORKED ON THAT AS FAR
AS DOING ALL THE SANDING AND
PAINT ANG SO FORTH.
>> THIS MUSEUM WAS BUILT AROUND
THE CONCEPT OF A COOPERATION
BETWEEN VOLUNTEERS OF RETIREES
AND EMPLOYEES AND SUPPORT FROM
THE COMPANY.
TO REACH THE SHELL WOOD RIVER (618)225-3715.