john d. rockefeller.is standard oil company was an industrial empire that controlled 90% of america's oil production and 85% of its sales. standard bought pacific at the turn of the century. in 1901, the richmond refinery in san francisco bay was completed. now the west coast had its own supply of gasoline, lubricants, and petroleum products. in 1907, standard oil opened its first drive-in gas station in seattle. but the u.s. government dubbed standard oil too powerful and accused it of running an illegal monopoly. a supreme court ruling in 1911 broke the company into 34 parts. one, standard oil of california, or socal, borrowed the three v-shaped stripes from a sergeant's uniform and turned them into a brand -- chevron. in the 1930's, socal discovered oil in bahrain and saudi arabia and formed a marketing venture with texaco. they called it caltex. this was the pre-opec era, when seven private oil companies, the seven sisters, controlled most of the world's crude reserves and productions. in 1984, with t