Historical Context

This note, dated December 20, 1931, was written by Evan's brother, Reuel, and included a generous $5.00. For some historical perspective, $5.00 in 1931 (during the Great Depression) would be roughly equivalent to $100.00 today, making this a very generous holiday gift! 

The note is written on Call Service Stations letterhead, with a PARCO Gasoline logo. The name "Parco" was an acronym for the Producers and Refiners Corporation, an oil company based in Wyoming. In the early 1920s, the company built a massive refinery and a "company town" appropriately named Parco, Wyoming (which was later renamed Sinclair in 1942). Like many businesses during the Depression, the Producers and Refiners Corporation struggled financially. By 1932 (just months after this note was written), the company entered receivership. In 1934, Consolidated Oil (which later became Sinclair Oil) acquired the assets of Parco. This is why the town of Parco was eventually renamed Sinclair. The "Produced and Refined in Wyoming" slogan seen on the letterhead demonstrated that Parco took great pride in its local roots. During the Depression, emphasizing local production was a common marketing tactic to encourage residents to support regional jobs.

Evan's brother, Reuel Call, is a significant figure in Wyoming history. He was a prolific businessman in Afton. While managing these service stations, he was laying the groundwork for what would become a massive regional business empire. He is perhaps most famous for founding CallAir in the 1940s, an aircraft manufacturing company based in Afton that specialized in planes for mountain flying and crop dusting. Most notably, Reuel Call founded the company that eventually became Maverik, which is today one of the largest convenience store chains in the Intermountain West.