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https://openvalley.org/files/original/eb53af22a8de10c704cda370694ef13f.jpg
4dbeeefa639589a2f3958909a14dd445
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Original Format
The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data
Digital photograph
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Sinclair Gas Sign, Wellsville, NY
Description
An account of the resource
A rusted sign advertising Sinclair Gasoline found just outside of Wellsville, NY--likely dates back to the 1950s. Sinclair Oil's refinery in the town was a major employer but also was beset by huge fires in 1938 and 1958, the latter of which shut down the facility.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Feeley, Kevin P.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-11-11
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Feeley, Kevin P.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg, 1.9 MB
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Still image
Gas
oil
Rust
Sinclair Oil Company
Underground Atlas
Wellsville, NY
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https://openvalley.org/files/original/46a25e244f4e70cf5eee7260068bf763.jpg
7b999308ecf8cdc5cfaedcaa3f5d93c7
https://openvalley.org/files/original/fad6f409c548a0489914261447860344.jpg
94379434f57fa57fe29fb152c68e3cfd
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Sinclair Refinery, Wellsville NY
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Cooper, Ken
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Courtesy of Ken Cooper
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg, 872 KB
jpeg, 302 KB
Description
An account of the resource
Town along the Genesee River has experienced the rise and fall of fortunes associated with extractive industries: initially lumber and tanning (using bark from hemlock trees), then the petroleum industry. In 1879 oil was discovered near Wellsville--whose naming antedated the petroleum strike--and in 1901 a refinery was constructed to process barrels from the Allegany field. Sinclair Oil & Refining Corporation, formed in 1916, purchased the Wellsville refinery in 1927 and for years was the major producer of refined products in this area. The company had a national profile via its shrewd marketing, notably a dinosaur mascot introduced at the Chicago World's Fair of 1933. A catastrophic fire in 1938 severely damaged the Wellsville plant; another in 1958 caused its closing. In 1969 Sinclair was purchased by the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO). <br /><br />The afterlife of Wellsville's 100-acre refinery site has been problematic. Production of lubricating oils and grease, fuel oil, naptha, gasoline, lighter fluid, and paraffin led to groundwater contamination; a 10-acre waste dump sited alongside the Genesee River (with 230,000 cubic yards of hazardous chemicals) leached into surface water. In 1983 it was declared a Superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency, leading to mitigation efforts at the waste dump, "rechannelization" of the Genesee, and relocating Wellsville's drinking water intake upstream from the Sinclair refinery. Effects upon fish, waterfowl, and mammals have been significant and likely continue. Given the somewhat bucolic appearance of this postcard photo, the refinery's history serves as a cautionary tale.<br /><br />Source consulted: US Fish and Wildlife Service, <a href="https://www.fws.gov/northeast/nyfo/ec/files/SinclairNRD_PAS_6-16-2015.pdf">"Preassessment Screen and Determination for the Sinclair Refinery Superfund Site in Allegany County, New York”</a> (May 2015).
<div style="left: 821.915px; top: 176.317px; font-size: 25.6667px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.17835);"></div>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1927-1938
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Tichenor Bros. Incorporated
Atlantic Richfield Company
Environmental Protection Agency
Genesee River
oil
Pollution
Post Card
Sinclair Oil Company
Watershed
Wellsville, NY