Jefferson Lake Sulfur

While the name Gulf confused the situation of the early history of Freeport Sulfur and Texas Gulf Sulfur, a similar situation arose between Duval Texas Sulfur and Jefferson Lake Sulfur. The word eausing the confusion this time was the corporate use of United. In 1930, the United Gas Corporation had beeome the largest investor in Duval Sulfur five years earlier, the unrelated United Oil Gas Syndicate had been formed and would eventually become known as Jefferson Lake Sulfur ... 

On April 30, 1925, the United Oil Gas Syndicate was formed to explore for oil on Jefferson Island. The S5mdieate, founded by Arthur Barba (1861 - 1936) and under the leadership of Frank Coleman and then R.J.B. Abshire, had started as an oil exploration company. The company became Jefferson Oil Development Company on November 10, 1926 and then the Jefferson Lake Oil Company on July 24, 1928. The firm had spent one million dollars looking unsuccessfully for oil. Approaching bankmptcy, the company, now under the leadership of A.A. Mayer, found sulfur in the center of Lake Peigneur. Jefferson Lake Sulfur wisely deeided to switch their focus from oil to sulfur. The first sulfur production from Lake Peigneur was on October 18,1932. The business officially became Jefferson Lake Sulfur Company on Febmary 17, 1940. The president was now Joseph Mullen, and Adolphe D Aquin was chairman. 

From the late 1940 s until 1964, the president of the company was Eugene H. Walet Jr. (1901 - 1968). In 1955, Jefferson Lake Sulfur and Socony Mobil Oil opened a sour gas plant at Manderson, WY. By the later 1950 s, Jefferson Lake had also entered the recovered sulfur business in Canada. They were partners with Mobil Oil in the sour gas plant in Balzac, AB (outside of Calgary). The last Frasch mine opened by Jefferson Lake (Long Point, TX) was closed in 1982. Production during the Depression is presented in Table 4.6a and the major Frasch mines of Duval Texas Sulfur are listed in Table 4.6b. 

Table 4.6a. Frasch company summary - Jefferson Lake Sulfur. Production from 1932 to 1951 (tonnes)...

Sulexco reformed in June 1958. The new group included Freeport Sulfur, Texas Gulf Sulfur, Jefferson Lake Sulfur and Duval Texas Sulfur, and handled all exports outside of North America. Their new offices were situated at 375 Paik Avenue in New York City. The first president of the new Sulexco was Peter Black of Freeport Sulfur, until 1962 when Paul W. Douglas of Freeport Sulfur took the job. He was followed by Ernest A. Graupner (1908 - 1981), who had worked for Texas Gulf Sulfur, in 1966 until 1973. 

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