Conoco
A historic American petroleum brand that today operates primarily as a Phillips 66 fuel and service-station brand.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Conoco is an American petroleum brand whose history reaches back to the founding of the Continental Oil and Transportation Company in Ogden, Utah, in November 1875. Established by Isaac Elder Blake, the company distributed petroleum and related products across the western United States, including kerosene, benzene, and other refined by-products. Its early development occurred during the rapid expansion of the American oil industry following the commercial exploitation of petroleum in Pennsylvania. Continental Oil was acquired by Standard Oil in 1884 and remained within that organization until the 1911 Supreme Court-directed dissolution of the Standard Oil trust. The company later became part of the Marland Oil empire. Marland Oil, founded by Oklahoma oilman E. W. Marland in 1921, acquired Continental Oil in 1929 and moved the combined business headquarters to Ponca City, Oklahoma. The merged enterprise gradually favored the Continental and Conoco names over the Marland name, helping establish Conoco as a nationally recognizable petroleum identity. It retained Marland's red-triangle emblem until introducing the capsule logo in 1970. Under leaders including Daniel J. Moran and Leonard F. McCollum, Conoco developed from a regional distributor into a large integrated oil company. It supplied petroleum products to the United States government and Allied military forces during the Second World War, then expanded its exploration, production, refining, transportation, and marketing activities during the postwar period. By the 1970s, the business had developed international operations, although the Arab oil embargo and wider energy crisis placed substantial pressure on the petroleum industry. Conoco became the subject of one of the most prominent American corporate takeover battles of the early 1980s. Dome Petroleum, Seagram, Mobil, and DuPont were involved in competing approaches to the company. DuPont ultimately acted as a white knight and acquired Conoco in 1981. The combination was later unwound: DuPont sold part of its interest in 1998 and completed the separation of its remaining interest in 1999. Conoco returned to the public markets in 1998 in an offering associated with its original Continental Oil corporate name. In 2001, it agreed to acquire Gulf Canada, expanding its upstream position, and in 2002 it merged with Phillips Petroleum to create ConocoPhillips. ConocoPhillips retained Conoco as one of its downstream fuel brands until 2012, when the downstream business was separated into Phillips 66. Conoco, Phillips 66, and 76 subsequently became major brands within the Phillips 66 marketing portfolio. The Conoco name is most visible in the United States, with particularly strong station representation in Colorado, Texas, Montana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and other central and western markets. It also expanded in parts of eastern Pennsylvania through retail arrangements involving former Gulf Oil locations, while lacking a retail presence in some states, including California and Florida. The current brand is therefore best understood as an active consumer-facing fuel brand rather than the name of an independent, separately listed integrated oil company.
History
Conoco's institutional history began in November 1875, when Isaac Elder Blake established the Continental Oil and Transportation Company in Ogden, Utah. The business distributed petroleum and related products in the western United States at a time when kerosene and other petroleum derivatives were becoming important commercial commodities. Continental was acquired by Standard Oil in 1884. Following the Supreme Court's 1911 antitrust decision requiring the dissolution of Standard Oil, Continental became one of the successor companies to the former oil trust. In 1921, Oklahoma oilman E. W. Marland established Marland Oil Company. Marland Oil acquired Continental Oil in 1929, assumed its assets and liabilities, and moved the principal office to Ponca City, Oklahoma. The combined company adopted the more recognizable Continental and Conoco identities, while gradually retiring the Marland name. The red triangle associated with Marland Oil remained part of the visual identity until the introduction of Conoco's capsule logo in 1970. Daniel J. Moran became the first president of the merged company and guided it through the Wall Street Crash, the Great Depression, and the difficult years that followed. During the Second World War, Conoco supplied petroleum products to the United States government and Allied military forces. Under Leonard F. McCollum after the war, the company expanded beyond its earlier regional base and developed into a large, internationally active petroleum corporation. Its activities included oil exploration and production, refining, transportation, distribution, and retail marketing. Like other oil companies, it was affected by the energy crisis associated with the 1973-1974 Arab oil embargo and the resulting disruption and price pressure across global petroleum markets. The company's corporate ownership changed dramatically in the early 1980s. Dome Petroleum made a tender offer for a substantial stake, while Seagram and Mobil also pursued the company. Conoco's management sought protection from the competing bids, and DuPont entered as a white knight. DuPont ultimately acquired Conoco in 1981, making the transaction one of the largest corporate combinations in the United States at that time. Conoco was subsequently operated within the DuPont corporate structure, and its headquarters moved from Stamford, Connecticut, to Wilmington, Delaware, in 1982. The relationship with DuPont was later unwound. DuPont sold 30 percent of its Conoco interest in 1998 and sold the rest in 1999. Conoco returned to independent public ownership, using its historic Continental Oil corporate name in connection with its public offering. In 1995, the company had pursued an offshore Iranian development project, but the plan was abandoned after the U.S. government decided to prohibit the transaction. In 2001, Conoco agreed to acquire Gulf Canada for a reported C$6.7 billion, a move that expanded its upstream assets. In 2002, Conoco merged with Phillips Petroleum to form ConocoPhillips. The Conoco name continued after the merger as a branded retail and fuel business. In 2012, ConocoPhillips separated its downstream operations into Phillips 66. The new company received the Conoco, Phillips 66, and 76 fuel brands. Conoco therefore remains active as a consumer-facing brand, particularly through gasoline and diesel stations in the United States, while the historical integrated oil company is now represented through the corporate succession of ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66. A Conoco historical museum opened in Ponca City, Oklahoma, in 2007, near the preserved Marland Grand Home.
- 2012
Downstream operations move to Phillips 66
[1]Conoco becomes one of the fuel brands transferred to the newly separated Phillips 66.
- 2007
Conoco historical museum opens
[1]A museum dedicated to Conoco's history opens in Ponca City, Oklahoma.
- 2002
Conoco merges with Phillips Petroleum
[1]The merger creates ConocoPhillips.
- 1999
Conoco is fully separated from DuPont
[1]DuPont sells its remaining ownership interest.
- 1998
DuPont begins divesting Conoco
[1]DuPont sells an initial 30 percent interest and Conoco returns to public markets.
- 1981
DuPont acquires Conoco
[1]DuPont wins a major takeover contest and becomes Conoco's parent company.
- 1970
Capsule logo introduced
[1]Conoco replaces the earlier red-triangle identity with its capsule logo.
- 1929
Marland Oil acquires Continental Oil
[1]The combined company moves its main office to Ponca City and builds the Conoco identity.
- 1921
Marland Oil is founded
[1]E. W. Marland establishes the company that later acquires Continental Oil.
- 1911
Continental is separated from Standard Oil
[1]The Supreme Court-ordered breakup of Standard Oil makes Continental one of its successor businesses.
Products and positioning
A mainstream American fuel and convenience-service brand with strong regional station recognition.
Motor fuel
Conoco gasoline
Conoco-branded gasoline is the brand's principal consumer product. It is sold through branded service stations in the United States, with a particularly strong presence in several central and western states. The brand's current retail identity is managed within Phillips 66's fuel-marketing portfolio rather than by a standalone Conoco corporation.
Motor fuel
Conoco diesel
Conoco diesel is marketed through the same branded retail and fueling network. It serves passenger vehicles, commercial users, and other road-fuel customers where individual stations provide diesel facilities.
Lubricants
Conoco lubricants
Lubricants and motor oils form part of Conoco's historic petroleum-product range. The brand's broader historical business also included refined petroleum derivatives and distribution products, although the contemporary public-facing identity is most closely associated with fuel stations.
Fuel retail and convenience services
Conoco service stations
Conoco service stations are the brand's flagship offering today. They combine branded gasoline and diesel dispensing with station-based customer services. The network is concentrated in the United States and has notable representation in Colorado, Texas, Montana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and parts of Pennsylvania.
Brand decisions
2012
Transfer downstream brands to Phillips 66StrategyBackground
ConocoPhillips reorganized its business to separate upstream activities from downstream refining and marketing operations.
Action taken
The Conoco, Phillips 66, and 76 retail fuel brands were transferred to the separately established Phillips 66 company.
Aftermath
Conoco remained active as a branded U.S. fuel-station network, but ceased to be the name of an independent integrated oil company.
2002
Merge with Phillips PetroleumM&ABackground
Conoco sought a new corporate structure after its period of independence and the earlier separation from DuPont.
Action taken
Conoco combined with Phillips Petroleum to create ConocoPhillips.
Aftermath
The Conoco name continued as a fuel brand, while the integrated corporate business operated under ConocoPhillips.
1995
Withdraw from the Iranian offshore development projectStrategyBackground
Conoco had negotiated an offshore oil-development agreement with Iran, but the proposed transaction raised U.S. national-security and foreign-policy concerns.
Action taken
The company abandoned the project after the U.S. administration announced that it would block the agreement.
Aftermath
The agreement did not proceed, and Conoco did not develop the field under the proposed arrangement.
1981
Accept DuPont's white-knight acquisitionM&ABackground
Conoco faced competing takeover efforts from several companies after a large stake was tendered and shareholder dissatisfaction became apparent.
Action taken
DuPont entered the bidding process and acquired Conoco, defeating the competing Mobil and Seagram approaches.
Aftermath
Conoco operated as a DuPont subsidiary until the ownership relationship was unwound in 1998 and 1999.
- Mobil — Mobil pursued its own bid but did not acquire Conoco.
- Seagram — Seagram accumulated a significant interest and participated in the takeover contest, but ultimately received an interest in DuPont rather than control of Conoco.
Recent events
- 2012
Conoco becomes part of the Phillips 66 downstream company[1]
M&A
ConocoPhillips separated its downstream operations, including the Conoco, Phillips 66, and 76 fuel brands, into the independent Phillips 66 company.
- 2002
Conoco and Phillips Petroleum merge[1]
M&A
Conoco merged with Phillips Petroleum to form ConocoPhillips, ending Conoco's period as an independent integrated oil company.
- 2001
Conoco agrees to acquire Gulf Canada[1]
M&A
Conoco announced an agreement to acquire Gulf Canada, strengthening its exploration and production portfolio.
- 1999
Conoco separates from DuPont[1]
M&A
DuPont completed the sale of its remaining interest in Conoco, restoring Conoco as an independent public company.
- 1998
Conoco returns to public markets[1]
Other
Conoco became publicly traded again as DuPont began selling its ownership interest.
- 1995
Conoco-Iran offshore development agreement is abandoned[1]
Regulation · Other
Conoco was awarded an Iranian offshore development contract, but withdrew after the U.S. administration moved to block the transaction on national-security grounds.
- 1981
DuPont wins the Conoco takeover battle[1]
M&A
DuPont acquired Conoco after a contested takeover battle involving Mobil, Seagram, and other bidders.
Sources1 sources
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