Manitoba Business: British American Oil Company / Gulf Oil Canada

This Toronto-based company was incorporated on the 17 October 1906 by businessman by Albert Leroy Ellsworth (1876–1950). It operated automotive service stations across Canada, including some in Manitoba. By the 1950s, the Gulf Oil Company was its majority shareholder and, in 1969, British American amalgamated with its subsidiaries into a new company called Gulf Oil Canada Limited.

Manitoba Locations

City	Building	Location	Year	Status
Beausejour	Frank's Service Station	?	1939	Unknown
Carberry	Alf’s Garage and Service Station	135 Main Street, Carberry	?
Lac du Bonnet	Lakeview Service Station	Provincial Road 502	?	Demolished (?)
Portage la Prairie	British American Service Station	302 Saskatchewan Avenue East	1929	Demolished (?)
Whitemouth	Stillman Service Station	?	?	Unknown
Winnipeg	British American Service Station	591 Academy Road	1928
	Reliable Service Station	98 Albert Street	1925	Demolished (27 November 2019)
	British American Service Station	655 Arlington Street	1929	Demolished (?)
	British American Service Station	593 Ellice Avenue	1929	Demolished (?)
	British American Service Station	Erin Street and Notre Dame Avenue	?	Demolished (?)
	British American Service Station	Graham Avenue	1930	Sold to Domo Gasoline (1958), demolished (?)
	British American Service Station	335 Hargrave Street	1928	Demolished (?)
	British American Service Station	176 King Street	1930	Demolished (?)
	British American Service Station	275 Notre Dame Avenue	?	Demolished (?)
	British American Service Station	468 Osborne Street	1929	Demolished (?)
	British American Service Station	900 Portage Avenue	1928	Demolished (?)
	British American Service Station	1795 Portage Avenue	1935	Demolished (?)
	Crosstown Garage and Service Station	64 Salter Street	1925

Sources:

“Week’s permits,” Winnipeg Tribune, 4 August 1928, page 4.

“Permits pass $10,000,000 by fifty thousand,” Manitoba Free Press, 27 October 1928, page 9.

“Construction ahead of last year by $215,000,” Winnipeg Tribune, 6 April 1929, page 6.

“Permits issued for three large apartments and service stations,” Manitoba Free Press, 6 April 1929, page 31.

“Filling station heads Portage building plans,” Winnipeg Tribune, 8 June 1929, page 8.

“New filling station is being built at Portage,” Winnipeg Tribune, 13 July 1929, page 25.

“Permits issued,” Winnipeg Tribune, 3 May 1930, page 23.

“M. Stillman Service Station [Advertisement],” Winnipeg Tribune, 18 June 1932, page 6.

“Total value of permits this season $2,112,950,” Winnipeg Free Press, 15 June 1935, page 30.

“Autolene Motor Oil & Nevr-Nox Gasoline - The British American Oil Company, Limited. Producers, Refiners, and Distributors [Advertisement],” Winnipeg Tribune, 6 May 1939, page 17.

Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.

Beausejour 50th Jubilee, 1912-1962, pages 60, 70, 85.

This page was prepared by Jordan Makichuk.

Page revised: 31 January 2025