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Northern Gas Company records, 1919-1939

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Northern Gas Company
Title
Northern Gas Company records
Dates
1919-1939 (inclusive)
Quantity
2.00 cubic ft. (4 document boxes, 1slim document box + 7 oversize folders)
Collection Number
03822
Summary
The records cover a period in the development of natural gas systems in Central and Eastern Wyoming during the 1920s and 1930s. The collection contains the corporate records of Northern Gas Company of Wyoming’s predecessor companies, New York Oil Co., North Central Gas Co., and Northern Utilities Co., all owned by Charles Munroe of New York City.
Repository
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu
Access Restrictions
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
The creation of the EAD-version of this finding aid was made possible through a grant from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission.
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Historical Note

Northern Gas Company was a successor of the New York Oil, North Central Gas and Northern Utilities Companies. New York Oil Company was incorporated in Wyoming in 1913, with headquarters in Casper, Natrona County. It had direct and subsidiary interests in the Salt Creek, Lance Creek, Hamilton, Ferris, Spindle Top, Lander, Bell Springs, Oil Mountain, Bull Springs, Pine Mountain, Tisdale, Rattlesnake Mountain, Virginian, Place, Seminol, Iron Creek, Poison Spider, South Casper Creek, and Boone oil fields; interest in oil wells in Poison Spider and Iron Creek; wells in Lance Creek and Hamilton Dome, and 150 wells in Salt Creek. New York Oil owned miles of pipeline from Poison Spider to Casper, gathering lines, distributing lines, the gas franchises in the cities of Casper and Glenrock, and sold gas to The Texas Company and White Eagle refineries. It owned all of the Virginia Oil and Curtis Petroleum Companies and had part ownership in the Alaska Oil Company, Wyoming Central Association, and Cook Oil Company.

The New York Oil Company started drilling at Salt Creek in 1917. In January 1920, they announced a contract with Hope Engineering and Supply Company to build a gas pipeline from the Iron Creek, Poison Spider, and South Casper Creek fields to the city of Casper so that residents and businesses could be supplied with natural gas. The line was completed in October. Gas was convenient and economical for use as fuel for both industrial and domestic purposes, and Casper was expected to experience rapid growth in population and the establishment of many new industries as a result. The Texas Company built a refinery in Casper and the Central Pipeline Company, owned by Mr. Charles Munroe of New York City, was the carrier of crude oil from Salt Creek to the Texas Company's plant.

Charles Munroe purchased the New York Oil Company in 1928 and started the Northern Utilities Company in April 1928. A new market for gas became the sugar plants in Torrington and surrounding areas. Later on, earnings of the Northern Utilities Company began to decline. Many problems arose with the selling of gas during the Depression, and, in 1931, companies had a considerable amount of gas and oil that could not be marketed. The decline was blamed on reduced operations of the refineries and also on a reduction in the available reserves of crude in the Salt Creek field. Also, sugar plants were operating at much lower capacity and were not using as much gas. North Central Gas Company was organized in November, 1930, to serve all of the towns in Wyoming east of Glenrock and in the North Platte Valley.

On December 7, 1933, an explosion and fire occurred in the old First National Bank and post office building in downtown Torrington. One man died and four were injured. The Coroner's inquest ruled that the man's death was caused due to being burned by a fire that followed an explosion of natural gas. North Central Gas Company had installed the gas in the building and the alley, and the city inspector had okayed the work. However, North Central Gas Company later had to settle claims in the amount of $21,000 and $16,770.

Due to declining earnings, Northern Utilities Company finally took over New York Oil and Central Pipeline Company assets in December 1934. They filed for reorganization/bankruptcy assistance in April 1935.

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Content Description

The Northern Gas Company records, 1919-1939, cover a period in the development of natural gas systems in Central and Eastern Wyoming during the 1920s and 1930s. The collection contains the corporate records of Northern Gas Company of Wyoming's predecessor companies, the New York Oil Company, North Central Gas Company and Northern Utilities Company, all owned by Mr. Charles Munroe of New York City.

The collection contains primarily correspondence between Mr. Munroe and his vice presidents, as well as other major oilmen, relating to the purchase and sale of natural gas, government royalty oil, and stock transactions. Of special interest are the letters of Mr. J.M. McIntire and Mr. Munroe concerning major line breaks on the transmission line west of Casper, the seriousness of the situation, and the dramatic repair attempts undertaken in the dead of winter. The donor wrote the following about these letters:

"This series of letters, in my estimation, are the most dramatic description of events contained anywhere in these archives. I have retained copies here for Northern personnel to read." - K.E. Mahlman

Contracts and agreements outline business practices of the time period while corporate annual reports document activities and earnings. There are engineering documents relating to the acquisition and construction of transmission pipelines and a report and related correspondence on the possibility of furnishing gas to the U.S. Government for the Indian Agency, Indian Schools, Mission, and Irrigation Headquarters at Fort Washakie. There are legal documents and related materials pertaining to the consolidation and reorganization of the three companies. Lastly, there is one oversized box containing large maps and plans accompanying various reports and other documents found in the collection.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Preferred Citation

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Northern Gas Company records, 1919-1939, Collection Number 03822, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Administrative Information

Related Materials

Related Materials

There are no other known archival collections created by Northern Gas Company at the date of processing.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition Information

The Northern Gas Company records were given to the American Heritage Center on behalf of Northern Gas Company, Northern Gas of Wyoming and KN Energy, Inc. Northern Gas Company's Executive Vice President, Kent E. Mahlman, delivered the records to the Center October 17, 1989. The records were received in good condition and in good order and included an inventory of the material prepared by the donor.

Processing Note

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Ronda Frazier in February 2002. Executive Vice President, Kent E. Mahlman's, arrangement was maintained where possible with the exception of separating groupings of documents into the three different companies represented. In addition, large, folded maps were separated from their corresponding documents and placed flat in large folders, with cross references to their original folders. A small number of duplicated documents and day-to-day financial records having no research value were separated from the collection.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Processed by Ronda Frazier
2006

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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