Hancock Photos
Above two from Dave Leach
Logo used from late 50's through appx. 1966. This sign still stood at some stations at time of sell-off. (David Aldred)
A decent-looking Hancock sign still sitting atop Compton Auto Center
in Compton, California. Photo taken Oct. 15, 2006 by J. Eric Freedner.
Two more views of the Hancock sign at Compton Auto Center.
Photos taken Oct. 15, 2006 by J. Eric Freedner.
An old Hancock sign outside this building which also has a Greyhound Bus sign on the window.
This is in Falfurrias, Texas on US 281. This is far South Texas, almost to Brownsville.
Photo taken by David Aldred, Feb. 16, 2005.
David comments that Hancock was used in Texas from the mid 1950s to 1970.
Hancock replaced the Watson name when Watson's Houston refinery was purchased.
A closer look at the Hancock sign above, in Falfurrias, Texas.
Taken Feb. 16, 2005 by David Aldred.
You can see that this sign has been painted over at various times.
Old Hancock station in Lanare, CA, taken March, 2004 by J. Eric Freedner.
J. Eric writes: I took a little-used short cut using Mount Whitney Avenue in
Fresno County This ancient gas station came into view at Grantland Avenue and
Mt. Whitney, Lanare, Fresno County.
A closer look at the sign with its painted-on prices
(20-something-nine becoming 30-something-nine) indicates the station
must have closed down in the early 1960's. This may pre-date Hancock's
"cosmic chicken" and distinctive colors. Beneath the black letters
for HANCOCK, an older brand name appears: SUNLAND!
The 500 series gasoline was a Hancock product in the mid-late 60's when they
were using the 'blender' pumps similar to Sunoco's. (Thanks to David Aldred for this info).
The sign colors--SUNLAND was written in yellow or white and the bottom square
would have been either red or orange--seem to more closely follow
the SUNLAND scheme.
(Note: Mt. Whitney Ave. appears on most California maps, without any road number,
as the east-west road connecting Laton on the East with the Highway 33/I-5
junction in the west, passing through Riverdale and Five Points.)
(Notes are from J. Eric Freedner.)
This is a view of the front of the old HANCOCK station on Frontage
Road in McFarland, California. You will note the old barred door is open.
There were a few people in there when I went by this time fixing a car.
Apparently the building is rented out for small auto repairs. It's a bit of a
stretch on the eyes, but you can make out the letters H A N C O C K on the
peeling paint. Taken Aug. 30, 2003 by J. Eric Freedner.
Side view of the above Hancock on the I-5 frontage road, McFarland, CA.
Stripes on the building were red and green, the HANCOCK letters were in yellow
against black frames. The driveway and pump bay are in the foreground.
Taken July 20, 2003 by J. Eric Freedner.
These signs were the last used by Hancock. Top logo adopted about 1966 and
used through the end in 1971 when Signal Oil and Gas got out of marketing entirely.
They sold their Eastern area marketing network in late 1970, and did the same to
the Western network in December 1971. After SOCal sold Signal to Humble in 1967,
Signal Oil and Gas reacquired the name and began to replace the Hancock rooster
and Norwalk California state logo with the Signal red and green stylized "S".
The patch represents this logo.
From David Aldred, Oct. 2003.
Two maps representing early Hancock logos. (Right) 1948 with the "Cock of the Walk" Rooster,
(Left) 1953 after adoption of the modern rooster logo.
From David Aldred, Oct. 2003.