5 Gallon Oil Container

5 Gallon Oil Container

Approximately- 18" tall
Opening- 5 3/8"

I picked this up from the same seller that had the USN Battle Lantern I previously posted. The seller thought it was a milk jug, I suspected it was not. My guess is it's from the 1920s - 30s?

I have seen other containers that were marked "Property of Standard Oil Company of California". I will add a link in the comments, so you can see that container is exactly like mine. With the exception of my lid apoears to be older?

My container is only marked "5 Gallon Liquid" with no other markings. There is a place to attach a chain for the lid. Eventually I will add some vintage chain I have in the workshop.

STANDARD OIL COMPANY AND TRUST
John D. Rockefeller and his associates ran the Standard Oil Company from 1870 to 1911. In Ohio in 1870 they became incorporated but the origins of the company go back to 1863.

AND TRUST? NO WE CAN'T!
A lawsuit was brought against them by the U.S. government in 1906 under the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890

In 1908 a Missouri Federal Court heard the Standard Oil trial. More than 400 witnesses testified. The government produced evidence that the Standard Oil Trust had secured illegal railroad discounts, blocked competitors from using oil pipelines, spied on other companies, and bribed elected officials.

BROKEN HEARTS DON'T LAST FOREVER
In 1911, the Supreme Court found Standard Oil in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. As a result, Standard Oil was split into 34 independent companies. Of course as time passed, these companies eventually regrew to giant Oil moguls still in business today.

One these companies that formed after the 1911 split was, Standard Oil Company of California. That is how I'm dating my piece.