Lago Colony
Encyclopedia
Lago Colony was a community located on the east end of the island of Aruba
, in the area presently known as Seroe Colorado. This town consisted of about 700 homes, a hospital, club house, bowing alley, and an American School, with first through twelfth grades and approximately 180 students. The population of Lago Colony was primarily from the United States, although there was a large population from England, Ireland, and Scotland who were primarily officers on the lake tanker
fleet. In addition there were Dutch, Danish, Spanish and other nationalities represented in the community. This town was supported by a large oil refinery
in the world, which at that time was owned by a subsidiary of Standard Oil of New Jersey, known as Lago Oil & Transport Co. Ltd.
Lago had its beginning in 1924 as a trans-shipping facility for crude oil from Lake Maracaibo
. The crude oil was transported to Aruba in flat bottom, shallow draft, tanker ships, known as lake tankers. This trans-shipping of the crude oil continued until 1928 when a refinery
was built and the crude oil was then refined on the island and shipped all over the world as finished petroleum
products. The refinery operated until 1985 when it was shut down. The refinery, now owned by Valero, was later purchased, reopened, then sut down again; in December 2010, Valero announced that the refinery was reopening. , only a few houses of the former Lago Colony remain. Those that remain have been handed over to the Aruban Government or sold to individuals.
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
, in the area presently known as Seroe Colorado. This town consisted of about 700 homes, a hospital, club house, bowing alley, and an American School, with first through twelfth grades and approximately 180 students. The population of Lago Colony was primarily from the United States, although there was a large population from England, Ireland, and Scotland who were primarily officers on the lake tanker
Lake tanker
Lake tankers were small, , specially designed ships that carried the crude oil, pumped from beneath Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, to the three off-shore refineries located on the Dutch islands of Aruba and Curaçao...
fleet. In addition there were Dutch, Danish, Spanish and other nationalities represented in the community. This town was supported by a large oil refinery
Oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...
in the world, which at that time was owned by a subsidiary of Standard Oil of New Jersey, known as Lago Oil & Transport Co. Ltd.
Lago Oil & Transport Co. Ltd.
Lago Oil & Transport Co. Ltd. had its beginning in 1924 as a shipping company carrying crude oil from Lake Maracaibo to its transshipment facility on the island of Aruba.-History:...
Lago had its beginning in 1924 as a trans-shipping facility for crude oil from Lake Maracaibo
Lake Maracaibo
Lake Maracaibo is a large brackish bay in Venezuela at . It is connected to the Gulf of Venezuela by Tablazo Strait at the northern end, and fed by numerous rivers, the largest being the Catatumbo. It is commonly considered a lake rather than a bay or lagoon, and at 13,210 km² it would be the...
. The crude oil was transported to Aruba in flat bottom, shallow draft, tanker ships, known as lake tankers. This trans-shipping of the crude oil continued until 1928 when a refinery
Refinery
A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value.-Types of refineries:Different types of refineries are as follows:...
was built and the crude oil was then refined on the island and shipped all over the world as finished petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
products. The refinery operated until 1985 when it was shut down. The refinery, now owned by Valero, was later purchased, reopened, then sut down again; in December 2010, Valero announced that the refinery was reopening. , only a few houses of the former Lago Colony remain. Those that remain have been handed over to the Aruban Government or sold to individuals.