Royal Cross moved the family to Mt. Shasta in 1946 and, together with his wife Gladys, purchased the Mt. Shasta Texaco Consigneeship in 1961. 

When Royal passed away in 1971,  Dennis and Jim, under the watchful eye of their mother, Gladys, continued to learn about the petroleum industry from the ground up.  Dennis and Jim purchased the business from Gladys in 1972 and formed the corporation, Cross Petroleum.  Gladys’ guidance continued until 1989, when she retired. 

Royal started with only two trucks; today Cross Petroleum’s daily distributions surpass the annual volume’s of those beginning years, covering the area from Yolo County to the Oregon border. 

Cross Petroleum has enjoyed a steady growth that started when the Yreka office was opened in 1979, followed in 1984 when it became the Chevron Wholesaler for the Etna, Yreka and Happy Camp area.  The Redding and Weaverville Chevron jobbership was purchased in 1989, the Exxon brand was added to the line-up in 1990, and most recently, the Texaco jobbership in Chico was purchased in 1994.  To date, operations include five distribution centers, seven  cardlocks, and 12 owned service stations.  Cross presently supplies over 61 service stations and several commercial and mill sites, employing over 50 people throughout Northern California.  Cross’s equipment includes ten transports, five 3-axle delivery trucks, and four 2-axle delivery trucks.