The Good Luck Oil Company operated a chain of gas stations in north and east Texas from roughly 1930 to 1960, according to "A Field Guide to Texas Gas Stations," by W. Dwayne Jones. The family-owned, independent company marketed gasoline under its own Gloco brand. Its Good Luck gas stations featured red-lettered "Good Luck" signs with a green horseshoe centered between the two words. Its headquarters were located in Dallas.
Local Landmark
While Jones reports the company also had traditional box-shaped stations, other Good Luck gas stations had a distinctive art deco style. The city of Dallas lists a former Good Luck station on Cadiz Street as a designated landmark structure. The city's website describes the building as "delightful" with a 35-foot stepped tower and a white stucco facade and calls it a good example of the early Texas oil industry. Dallas passed an ordinance in 1992 to protect the 1939 building as a local landmark.
Founders
The Texas Legislature passed a resolution in 1995 to recognize Good Luck co-founder Amous Earl Wilemon and extend its sympathy to the family when he died at the age of 89. Calling him a distinguished Texan, the resolution says he founded the company with his brothers, Famous and Foy Wilemon, and his wife, Bobbie Alicia Wilemon. Wilemon also had real estate interests in addition to the Good Luck Oil Company.
Architecture
The Good Luck Oil Company modeled its art deco gas stations on another Texas icon, the Tower Building, according to Jones. In 1936, Texas celebrated the 100th anniversary of its independence from Mexico with the Texas Centennial Exposition at Fair Park in Dallas. The 179-foot high Tower Building is one of the art deco buildings constructed for the centennial celebration.
Background
The auto industry was still young when the Wilemons started the Good Luck Oil Company. It was about 30 years after the first car arrived in Texas by railroad in 1899, according to Jones. As cars filled the roads, companies began building stand-alone service stations to offer fuel, competing with distinctive designs. Companies like Good Luck operated independently of major suppliers and put their own brand on their gasoline and gas stations.
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