Carlson’s Amoco Family History
The Old Amoco Gas Station
Wally Carlson’s business was an Amoco-brand station in its early years.
The BP Gas Station
In the early 2000s, Carlson’s became a BP-branded station; it returned to the Amoco brand in late 2023.
Family History: From Farm to Fuel
Wally Carlson was a Minnesota farm boy from Marine on St. Croix who knew his fuels. In 1957 he first began delivering bulk fuel to area farmers, back when the Lakes area was predominantly agricultural land and related trades. His fuel business grew to include most everything a farmer would need: seed, chemicals, and even custom application services. From those humble farm-centered beginnings Wally grew the business into what it is today: locally owned and family operated Carlson’s Amoco.
Wally Carlson’s “jobbership,” as Standard Oil referred to a distributorship back in the 50s, turned into a retail business in the mid-1970s. It later became an Amoco gas station and added a convenience store, auto mechanics, car wash, and other customer-focused services.
(Bulk fuel delivery was part of the Carlson’s legacy until 2017 when Dehn Oil took over bulk fuel sales and supply.)
What was incorporated as Wally Carlson & Sons in 1975 would go on to become a British Petroleum (BP) station in the early 2000s, all the while retaining the Carlson’s family’s commitment to the local community and keeping family values at its core. In late 2023, the station once again rebranded as Amoco (BP owns the Amoco brand). The familiar red, white, and blue Amoco torch logo returned to the station’s signage.
One Generation to Another
The family legacy lived on through Wally’s three sons as they managed the station over the years. His eldest son, Wade, currently oversees operations of all aspects of station products and services, along with a hardworking team of fuel and service professionals at the front counter and behind the scenes. (Carlson’s BP/Amoco has employed many Lakes area high school students in the C-store!)
Wade Carlson, like his dad and brothers before him, has always cared about the community Carlson’s Amoco serves. He has served on the Chisago Lakes school board, the Karl Oskar Days planning committee, and at Lakes Free Church. His wife Roxy taught third grade at Lakeside Elementary in Chisago City until her retirement.
Sitting on the eastern edge of town, the Carlson’s-owned gas station is a Lindström icon. Whether you stop in for Amoco gas, an oil change, or an ice-cold soft drink, it’s hard to miss the hometown feel of Carlson’s Amoco. And that’s just how Wally Carlson would want it.
Wade & Wally Carlson
Wade (L) enjoyed time with his beloved dad Wally (R), the founder of Carlson’s Amoco.
