As the Oklahoma Engineering Foundation celebrates 50 years of advancing STEM education and developing the next generation of engineers, we are revisiting the companies that helped make that mission possible. Among the early supporters was Continental Oil Company, today known as ConocoPhillips.
For generations of Oklahomans, the name Continental Oil Company, later known as Conoco, has been synonymous with the state’s petroleum industry. It is important not to confuse Continental Oil with Continental Resources, the Oklahoma City-based company founded by Harold Hamm in 1967. They are separate companies with different histories.
Continental Oil Company was founded in Utah in 1875 and became an independent company after the breakup of Standard Oil in 1911. Its Oklahoma story began in 1929, when Ponca City’s Marland Oil Company acquired Continental Oil. The combined company retained the Continental Oil name, adopted the familiar Conoco brand and established its headquarters in Ponca City.
The merger transformed Oklahoma into the home of one of the nation’s largest oil companies. The Ponca City refinery expanded into one of the largest and most advanced refineries in the country, while the company became a major employer and an important part of the state’s economy for decades. During World War II, Conoco’s refinery played a key role in producing high-octane aviation fuel used by Allied forces.
In 2002, Conoco merged with Phillips Petroleum to form ConocoPhillips. A decade later, Phillips 66 became an independent company through a corporate spinoff. Today, both companies continue their own legacies, including supporting engineering education and workforce development in Oklahoma.
Today, that legacy continues through the company’s support of organizations working to strengthen Oklahoma’s future. The Oklahoma Engineering Foundation is grateful for Conoco’s continued partnership as we work together to inspire the next generation of engineers. We are currently exploring opportunities to expand engineering education and student engagement in northeast Oklahoma, building on a relationship that reflects the company’s longstanding commitment to this state.
The Oklahoma Engineering Foundation is grateful for the continued support of Conoco, whose investment helps prepare the next generation of Oklahoma engineers. As OEF celebrates its 50th anniversary, we are proud to recognize the companies that have helped shape Oklahoma’s engineering and energy industries while continuing to invest in the state’s future.
Argo, Jim. [Photograph 2012.201.B0097.0480], photograph, October 31, 1975; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc243772/: accessed July 17, 2026), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.
For generations of Oklahomans, the name Continental Oil Company, later known as Conoco, has been synonymous with the state’s petroleum industry. It is important not to confuse Continental Oil with Continental Resources, the Oklahoma City-based company founded by Harold Hamm in 1967. They are separate companies with different histories.
Continental Oil Company was founded in Utah in 1875 and became an independent company after the breakup of Standard Oil in 1911. Its Oklahoma story began in 1929, when Ponca City’s Marland Oil Company acquired Continental Oil. The combined company retained the Continental Oil name, adopted the familiar Conoco brand and established its headquarters in Ponca City.
The merger transformed Oklahoma into the home of one of the nation’s largest oil companies. The Ponca City refinery expanded into one of the largest and most advanced refineries in the country, while the company became a major employer and an important part of the state’s economy for decades. During World War II, Conoco’s refinery played a key role in producing high-octane aviation fuel used by Allied forces.
In 2002, Conoco merged with Phillips Petroleum to form ConocoPhillips. A decade later, Phillips 66 became an independent company through a corporate spinoff. Today, both companies continue their own legacies, including supporting engineering education and workforce development in Oklahoma.
Today, that legacy continues through the company’s support of organizations working to strengthen Oklahoma’s future. The Oklahoma Engineering Foundation is grateful for Conoco’s continued partnership as we work together to inspire the next generation of engineers. We are currently exploring opportunities to expand engineering education and student engagement in northeast Oklahoma, building on a relationship that reflects the company’s longstanding commitment to this state.
The Oklahoma Engineering Foundation is grateful for the continued support of Conoco, whose investment helps prepare the next generation of Oklahoma engineers. As OEF celebrates its 50th anniversary, we are proud to recognize the companies that have helped shape Oklahoma’s engineering and energy industries while continuing to invest in the state’s future.
Argo, Jim. [Photograph 2012.201.B0097.0480], photograph, October 31, 1975; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc243772/: accessed July 17, 2026), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.