All Around Arkansas: Lion Oil Company

 

            When oil was first discovered in El Dorado (Union County) in 1920, many people flocked to southern Arkansas in hopes of making their fortune. One such man was Thomas Harry “T.H.” Barton. The Texas native came to El Dorado and formed the El Dorado Natural Gas Co. In 1922, Barton purchased a small refinery in El Dorado and renamed his company the Lion Oil and Refining Co. Why the name “Lion Oil?” Stay tuned. 

             Initially, the refinery produced about 2,000 barrels of oil daily and had 25 employees. The company would grow larger in 1923 with the discovery of the nearby Smackover Oil Field, which created a huge petroleum boom. Lion acquired 1,700 acres of leases near Smackover (Union County) that produced 12,000 barrels of oil each day and built a 12-mile pipeline from Smackover to the El Dorado refinery. By 1925, Lion Oil had become the largest petroleum producer in the state.

             In 1929, Lion Oil began operating Lion branded gas stations across Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. By 1932, Lion stations totaled 441. In 1939, Lion Oil became the first Arkansas corporation to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The company was eventually sold in 1955 to the Monsanto Chemical Corp. of St. Louis. 

             Around this time, Lion Oil stations reached their peak with about 4,500 operating across the southern United States. But by the mid-1970s, Monsanto absorbed the Lion stations into the Monsanto brand, and the Lion-branded stations and their mascot, Beauregard T. Lion, disappeared from the American landscape.

             Barton retired from the petroleum industry in 1959 but would continue to be an important figure in Arkansas. He helped establish what would become the Arkansas State Fair and donated heavily to the construction of the coliseum that bears his name on the fairgrounds in Little Rock. Barton Coliseum has played host to numerous concerts (including Elvis in April 1972), rodeos and other special events such as high school graduations throughout its long history. 

             Barton also donated to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock, Warner-Brown Hospital in El Dorado and numerous 4-H and Boys Clubs throughout the state. Barton died in December 1960 at age 79.

             Monsanto sold Lion Oil in 1975 to The Tosco Petroleum Corp. of California. By 1985, Lion was struggling financially and was about to cease operations completely. But Tosco was able to find a buyer, selling Lion to Ergon Refining Corp. of Jackson, Mississippi.

             Lion Oil still exists in El Dorado but is now operated under the umbrella of The Delek Group of Israel. The refinery still produces numerous petroleum products and employs around 500 people. Lion's headquarters are now located in Brentwood, Tennessee, and there are no Lion gas stations still in operation. But you can still find several abandoned stations — adorned with the Lion logo — throughout Arkansas and surrounding states. Vintage Lion Oil memorabilia such as signs, gas pumps and oil cans are highly prized by petroliana collectors. 

             In May, Delek threw a party for past and present Lion Oil employees at the Murphy Arts District in El Dorado to celebrate 100 years of refining oil at the Lion refinery.

             So why did Thomas Harry Barton name his company Lion Oil? Legend has it that Barton liked palindromes (words spelled the same forward and backward), hence the name Lion Oil. That Barton was a clever man.

            A proud sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He served several years with the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, and worked in all three divisions. He lives in Saline County with his wife and two beloved Boston Terriers. Find him on Facebook and Instagram at AllAroundArkansas.