Frederick Taylor and Demetrius Scofield formed the California Star Oil Works through aquisition of the Los Angeles Oil Company, but George Loomis, Charles N Felton, and Lloyd Tevis, who on September 10, 1879, acquired California Star Oil Works, and formed the Pacific Coast Oil Company (PCO) is usually regonized as the beginning of Standard of California.

Ampol, the Australian Motorists Petrol Company, was incorporated by Sir William Gaston Walkley in 1936 in New South Wales. This was in response to Australians' concerns about perceived inequitable petrol pricing, and allegations of transfer pricing by foreign oil companies to limit their tax liabilities in Australia.

Walkley, along with William Arthur O'Callaghan and George Hutchison, approached the National Roads and Motorists' Association (NRMA) and offered to help them form a company to market petrol. Whilst deciding not to officially sponsor an oil company, members of the NRMA's board sought investors. In early 1936, an advertisement was printed in the NRMA's periodical publicising the float of Ampol. The first delivery of oil was received at White Bay in December 1937 and, by 1939, Walkley had joined the board of Ampol as managing director.

During World War II, Walkley served on the Oil Advisory Committee and the board of Pool Petroleum Pty Ltd, both of which supervised the distribution of petrol. This brought him into contact with Sir George Wales, who owned Alba Petroleum Co. of Australia Ltd which had a small market in South Australia and Tasmania. In 1945, Ampol purchased Alba Petroleum in an amicable takeover. The company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in 1948 and, in 1949, the company changed its name to Ampol Petroleum Ltd.

1965 saw the Lytton oil refinery in Brisbane, Queensland come on stream. Pioneer International Limited purchased a 20% stake in Ampol in 1979. In 1982, Ampol purchased the marketing and refining assets of Total Australia Limited and changed its name to Ampol Limited.

In 1988, Pioneer International Limited (which had since 1980 held a 65% controlling stake) acquired full ownership of Ampol. The following year, Pioneer purchased Solo Oil Limited, the largest independent retailer and distributor in Australia at that time.

In May 1995, Caltex and Ampol merged petroleum refining and marketing assets to form Australian Petroleum Pty Ltd which, in 1997, became Caltex Australia Ltd. The Ampol brand remains in use to this day, primarily in country areas where customer loyalty and strong brand-recognition are factors.

Golden Fleece was a brand of petroleum products and service stations operated by H.C. Sleigh and Company. A partnership was founded in Melbourne, Australia in 1893 by shipowner and merchant Harold Crofton Sleigh (1867–1933) and manufacturer and shipowner John McIlwraith (1828–1902). In 1913 the company took delivery of its first consignment of motor spirit from the United States and marketed it in Australia as "Golden Fleece"

Initially, motor spirit was sold in drums only—the first Golden Fleece pump being installed in 1920. Golden Fleece was a pioneer of single-branded service stations (as opposed to the more common multi-brand offerings of the era), and its distinctive "golden merino" trademark was soon a common sight for Australian motorists.

The post-war era saw a massive expansion of Australia's motor industry and car ownership soared. The company was made public in 1947. These were boom times for Golden Fleece and expansion and acquisitions were the trend throughout the 1950s and 1960s. H.C. Sleigh Limited acquired the fledgling "Kangaroo" and "Phillips 66" brands in 1962 and 1967 respectively. During these years, many (if not most) Golden Fleece service stations became roadhouse-style outlets with restaurants and bold signage.

Some time during the 60-70's Golden Fleece gained a major contract by the, then small, major trucking company Linfox, that is still held by Caltex today, due to a friendship between Regional Manager for Victoria Max Collins and Lindsay Fox.

The company never had its own oil refinery and depended on Caltex to facilitate the importation and refining of crude oils at Kurnell in Sydney on its behalf. In the late 1970s the industry started to mature and rationalise due to soaring crude oil prices, and Federal Government oversight of petrol and diesel prices which was a subtle form of price control. Inevitably Golden Fleece was itself acquired by Caltex in 1981 and no longer trades under that name, though its unique livery can still be seen on some older roadhouses in rural Australia. A particular treasure for collectors are the globes (in the shape of the Golden Fleece ram) that sat atop the company's pumps until the 1970s, when the pumps were standardised.

Purr Pull was a brand marketed by Independent Oil Industries of Sydney they also sold Purr Star and Resis Oil. The company was brought out by Smith Wylie (Aust) Pty Ltd in Queensland who ran the company as Purr Pull Industries and then in 1954 H.C. Sleight took over Purr Pull Industries Pty Ltd. dropping the Purr Pull and Star brands and selling it as Golden Fleece.

Standard Oil of California took over the marketing  outlets of Signal Oil and Gas 8 August 1947. Signal kept the drilling and production. The brand name was used until the sale to Humble Oil Company  in 1965. 

Monterey Resources of Bakersfield, an independent oil and gas company engaged in the production, development, and acquisition of oil and natural gas in the State of California, was purchased by Texaco in 1997.

Royalite Oil Company, Ltd. was founded in Calgary, Alberta in 1921 as one of Imperial Oil's exploration affiliates. They sold it in 1949 and was later acquired by the British-American Oil Company in 1962. Royalite retained its identity for several years. The Royalite brand began to be replaced by the orange and blue Gulf logo soon after BA and Royalite were merged into Gulf Oil Canada in 1969.

Texas New Mew Mexico Pipe Line Company was a Gulf operation in which one of our retirees was employed in ages past.  He located a logo (letterhead) in his files.

Gulf bought the Spencer Chemical Company, liquidated by the Spencer Foundation, in 1964(?).  After the Gulf purchase Spencer Chemical Corporation name disappeared.

PITTSBURGH, Dec. 27, 1982— The Gulf Oil Corporation said it had sold the assets of its subsidiary, Millmaster Onyx, to the  Millmaster Onyx Group Inc., a new company based in New York.

Paragon was a company headquartered in Toledo, Ohio. They operated from 1888 to 1929 until being purchased by Gulf Oil Company. Paragon's facilities including 344 bulk and service stations in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan and a refinery at Toledo.