Gas Stations in the USA 1920s - 1940s

This is the gas station in Paso Robles, CA that I worked part-time at. At the time I was in the army and stationed at Camp Roberts which is now closed down. Circa, 1957. The guy washing the windshield looks like me, but that would be a stretch.
 

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my dad worked in a Shamrock station when i was a kid. in Boulder, CO
 
I like these older gas stations I rather like the way you pull up to get your gas and then go inside to pay..
still do that but there is lots of more pumps here in Australia now.. out in the country they are like yours are they
haven`t progressed as much as the big cities.. thanks for sharing.. times gone by .. :)
 
Yeah, remember the days when you could pull in and multiple guys would come out, check your tires, oil, wash your windows and THEN give you green stamps for only about $0.30/gallon? Now you pull into self serve, pump your own while a high school kid studying his history book smacks gum behind bullet proof glass for $4.00/gallon.

How the mighty dollar has fallen.
 
RCynic said:
Yeah, remember the days when you could pull in and multiple guys would come out, check your tires, oil, wash your windows and THEN give you green stamps for only about $0.30/gallon? Now you pull into self serve, pump your own while a high school kid studying his history book smacks gum behind bullet proof glass for $4.00/gallon.

How the mighty dollar has fallen.
Click to expand...

When was that...60 years ago?
 
I hear what your saying RCynic, and I also remember the gas stations were where you found the best mechanics, and you could drop off your tires for retreading or to plug a whole, and then pick them up later. :tapfoot:
 
Should any of you folks be in Cody, Wyoming, I recommend stopping at the Exxon station on the east side of town. Without any additional charge, they pump the gas and wash your windows, all of them. They do car repairs as well.

An old man runs the place; he may be as old as I am. I always ask for Ethyl and he knows what I mean. I don't ask the teenagers. Exxon Premium is the the only alcohol-free gas that I can buy here.
 
I remember when a bunch of us kids would ride our bicycles past the service station and make a point of running over the bell hose to annoy the attendant, LOL!!!

 
Gas Stations In Illinois 1930's

"During the 1930's my grandpa was an agent for Illinois Oil Co. and visited gas stations all over the central part of Illinois. Being kind of a gadget nut, he got one of the new 8mm movie cameras and filmed many of them and their employees. It's an interesting video record of what gas stations were like during the early days of paved roads in Illinois.
The first bit of the video is a view of downtown Peoria, the CILCO offices are visible and you can just barely see one of Peoria's Brill electric trolleybuses, which had replaced the streetcars.
Some of the views are of the gas station and bulk oil depot he owned in Gridley, Illinois, also there's a view of my grandma in her Sunday best leaving their house on 8th Street in Gridley. The train appears to a Chicago & Alton express refrigerator freight, probably filmed in Dwight.
The tanker trucks are apparently either owner-operated (notice the names on the sides), or the early gas station owners had to hire or buy their own tankers. I think the tankers were for bulk deliveries of fuel oil, diesel or gasoline to farmers. I know my grandpa's business had a tank truck for that purpose, I remember riding in it".
 

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