History Images of vintage gas stations ~ pre 65

Near Selma Al

 

Rural mailman leaving the post office in Landsaw, Kentucky, to take the mail up the paths and creek beds where no cars or wagons can pass

 

Mobil Station, Kings Beach, Placer County, CA, Lake Tahoe, mid 1950s.

 

Stunning posts, Dave. JW

 

In this era of brightly lit multi-franchise mini-markets on every other street corner selling gas, tacos, beer and lottery tickets, not many people stop and realize that little rural establishments like this were once a major part of life in the country. These places offered limited groceries, gas, maybe some hardware, and quite often the local post office. It was common for stores like this to "carry" the locals "on the books" to help them get from payday to payday, or from planting to harvest. Most of the proprietors never got rich, but were highly valued for the service they provided to their customers. They were part of the community, not a remote uncaring corporate structure.

 

Stillwater, N.J.

 

Birmingham Al

Huntsville Al

 

Auburn Al

not sure.

 

Twin Falls County, Idaho. Gas station...World War 2 Rations for most, Farmers were important.

 

They still should be.

 

Birmingham Al. Appears to still be in some form of business
No longer selling gas. Building is older than the pumps

the inside was close to being a time capsule

 

The gasoline pumps at Pie Town, New Mexico...1940

 

^^^^Pie Town, always wanted to go there.

 

Near the Natchez Trace, Muscle Shoals Al.

 

Those cars look a bit newer than 1965. JW

 

Yep, same thing for his post before that one.

 

Fuel price in 1959

 

Richfield Gas and Service Station 1932
According to John Bosko (Flickr) Fish ranch road would be off to the right in this picture and the road to the left worked its way up to the old tunnel and back to Oakland, Calif. this is where the Caldecott Tunnel will emerge from the hills on the other side of the hills from Oakland allowing drivers a much faster trip to Orinda and all points east. Isn't that a cute little gas station? It also looks like rush hour traffic.

 

Filling station. The boys are pulling up water in buckets for storage. The station boasts running water. Arroyo Hondo, New Mexico...1940

 

My friend would have looked at that gas sign and said "I'm gonna drive around and see if I can find it cheaper".

 

when i got out of the army in '71 the station around the corner from my house was 22 cents a gal. what inflation?

 

And minimum wage was about $1.25 per hour........ everything is relevant.

 

i made 2.42 cents an hour myself. i was just pointing out how gas prices hadn't changed that much in all those years.

 

Anyone got some Pre 65 photos? JW

 

First Women in Wahmonie Nevada in 1928. Nye County.
The image description states "First two women in Wahmonie, Nevada. Service Station, Last gold town in 1928."
Wahmonie, once a short lived bustling mining town situated in Nevada, has a rich history to tell. Back in February 1928, it came into existence as a gold mining camp, attracting a swift influx of people that saw its population grow to 500 within just a month, by March. The summer that followed marked the zenith of its prosperity, with a notable 1000 to 1500 residents calling it home.
Despite the initial promise, the gleam of gold didn't endure in sufficient quantities to sustain the burgeoning community. Consequently, the town's fate took a turn for the worse, leading to its abandonment in short order. The local post office remained operational from April 1928 through to April 1929, a fleeting reminder of the town's brief existence. Notably, Wahmonie stands as the final notable mining rush in the history of Nevada, etching its name in the annals of the state's mining heritage.
This historical town was also recognized as the Horn Silver Mine and held its ground on the eastern edge of Jackass Flats, situated west of Cane Spring. As time rolled on, the town's location became an integral part of the Nevada Test Site. The Wahmonie Flats region, which once bore witness to the town's rise and fall, subsequently found itself intertwined with the Project Pluto, a pioneering endeavor involving the development of nuclear-powered ramjets.
In retrospect, Wahmonie's story mirrors the transient nature of boomtowns and the ebb and flow of prosperity tied to the whims of precious resources. Though now just a memory etched into history, its legacy endures through the accounts of its short-lived yet impactful existence and the role it played in the larger narrative of mining and innovation in Nevada.

 

Looking down a main street in Searchlight Nevada circa 1930-1933 described as "empty". Look at the old style gravity feed gas pump at the service station to the right. Check out the Searchlight Historic Museum if you are in town visiting (check operational hours).
UNLV describes the history of Searchlight in the following;
"Gold ore was first discovered in Searchlight by Paiute Indians in 1870, 55 miles south of Las Vegas, but it was not until 1897, when G.F. Colton, a notable prospector, discovered a rich gold vein and word spread, that Searchlight boomed. The following year, the mining district was fully organized. The Quartette Mill opened in 1898 and soon became one of the city’s finest producers. In 1902 the first newspaper, Searchlight, began publishing, and a twenty-stamp mill was constructed by the Duplex Mining Company. In 1903 a miners’ strike brought the town’s production to a standstill until the mining companies brought in non-union miners to work the mines. The boom peaked during the spring of 1907 when the first train of the Barnwell & Searchlight Railroad arrived in Searchlight’s station to a warm greeting of a fifty-piece cowboy band. In 1907 Searchlight contained over forty-four working mines and a population of 5,000. However, Searchlight was hard hit by the financial panic of 1907.
The city recovered after a number of years and by 1910 was noted for its fashionable and modern amenities and its commuter train. The community boasted a luxurious hotel, several saloons, a barbershop, lumberyard, shops, cafes, union halls, boarding houses, schools, several stables, the newspaper, and its own hospital. The biggest mines were the Quartette, Cyrus Noble, Little Brown Jug, Old Bottle, and Duplex, whose gold production totaled $7 million. In 1934 a flotation mill was built and a 30-ton custom mill ran briefly in 1935. However, by the late 1940s, little was left of the once modern boomtown of Searchlight."

 

The Golden Age of Automotive Service A nostalgic glimpse into the 1950s with a BA dealer and gas station

 

Stunning postings, Dave. Thanks. JW