Alma's refinery was first in the country to sell 96-octane gas

In 1953, Leonard Refineries became the first company in the country to offer 96-octane gasoline to the public, according to Central Michigan University’s Clarke Historical Library. That is a documented U.S. first, not a world-record claim.

The rise from small plant to national first took years. When J. Walter Leonard bought the unfinished Alma refinery in 1936, it could process 2,500 barrels of crude a day and make gasoline rated at 40 to 50 octane. Competing gasoline was already reaching 75 to 80. Leonard improved the plant in 1937, added a small polymerization unit in 1938, and installed catalytic cracking equipment in 1947. The company offered 96-octane gasoline in 1953 and 105-octane gasoline in 1957.

The business grew with the refinery. By 1961, Leonard had more than 700 gas stations in Michigan and neighboring states. A small Alma refinery had become a regional gasoline business.

The corporate name changed before the plant closed. Leonard and the American assets of Compagnie Francaise des Petroles became Total Leonard in 1970, the stations changed to the Total name in 1971, and the headquarters moved from Alma to Denver in 1972. Refining in Alma continued for nearly three more decades. A later owner stopped production in 1999, and the refinery was demolished in 2003.

That did not end the site’s environmental story. Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy identifies the former refinery at 1610 East Superior Street and says cleanup work for other contaminants began in 1992. A 2003 consent order governs the work. Conditions can change, so anyone who needs current environmental information about the property should use EGLE’s investigation page and the project contacts listed there.