History Classic Gas Stations

Classic gas and service stations from the 1920's, 30's, 40's, 50's 60's and 70's.

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Thanks

 

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Cool film, if you turn on some rock n' roll to go with it...

 

That was great...thanks for posting!

 

Great video/pictures,thanks!

 

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The Beans from this Old Station gives me lots of gas



Heres the History on it........

Welcome to your local filling station! We&#8217;re glad you stopped in to re-fuel, top off your tank, or maybe just &#8220;check the oil.&#8221; As long as you&#8217;re here, let us take you back in time, to Riverside, California during the inception of the automobile. Some folks called it a &#8220;horseless carriage,&#8221; and others didn&#8217;t know what to call it. It was in the late 1800&#8217;s, that the Duryea brothers built the first American gasoline powered automobile. About that same time, 1893 to be exact, Henry Ford came out with his first gasoline engine, followed by his first car, the &#8220;Quadracycle,&#8221; three years later. As we all know, the idea caught on and by 1898, nearly 30 companies were manufacturing automobiles in the United States.

Many of those new automobile owners came to this very site, nearly 100 years ago, to fuel their sporty new wheels. As new and trendy as that contraption was, it was still slower than a man&#8217;s trusty good horse.

President Theodore Roosevelt was the first President to own and drive an automobile. And this despite the fact that his chauffeur had been stopped by a policeman during one of his first adventures in a car, for traveling at the outrageous speed of ten miles per hour! (Wow, hold on to your hat!)

About that same time, Riverside was experiencing its own industry boom. In the late 1870&#8217;s, Riverside was having a fair amount of success with its citrus groves. Then Eliza Tibbetts planted two Brazilian navel trees, given to her by a friend in the Department of Agriculture, and Riverside truly became famous.The navel oranges thrived in the local climate and the navel orange industry grew by leaps and bounds. By 1882, there were more than half a million citrus trees in California, and half of those were right here in Riverside. The increase in the citrus industry spawned a demand for automobiles and trucks to deliver its citrus. Riverside found itself in the industrial age. Local folks began trading in their horse drawn carriages for motor driven carriages. Along with growth and increased automobile travel, the landscape became dotted with several new filling stations, with such familiar names as Esso, Gulf, Flying A, Conoco, Firechief, Phillips 66, Texaco, Richfield, and Shell. On this very site in 1923, stood one of the first local Shell stations in Riverside&#8217;s early history. It was called &#8220;Little&#8217;s Shell Service Station,&#8221; which was renamed &#8220;LaRue Lovelady Shell&#8221; in 1941. History even recalls a young Frank Miller (Mission Inn developer), who once fueled his Model T at this location, now home to your local &#8220;Taco Station.&#8221;

Today, Riverside&#8217;s Redevelopment Agency continues to improve our great city, by incorporating the city&#8217;s rich history, as we grow, dream, and build toward the future.

 

Some nice pictures. I will take a drive and take a picture of one for rent. I have pictures of it but with a non friendly hamb truck ahaha.

 

Saw this 1927 Dodge Graham while I was at Bodie CA. yesterday.

 

Good thread,
very cool videos!
Thanks for posting them up!

 

thanks rocky it takes me back

 

What are you referring to? I'm confused.

 

a lot of those stations had black and white bath rooms,

 

You must travel alot?. Did you ever think of filling out one of these and requesting a color change?

 

that was seriously cool, enjoyed it a lot!!

 

Cool thread man, thanks!!!

 

Here's one in Missouri.



And it H.A.M.B. friendly.

 

Great thread, thanks. Love the Phillips 66 station.

 

Great thread!! Bump to keep her alive.

 

Hey guys, I've tried for years to get a pic of the Texaco gas station I owned in Mountain Home, Arkansas in the mid-70's. I lost all mine after divorce. It was at Rt 62 and Buzzard Roost rd... Really. I called it Norm's Texaco. It had been owned by Clark Rawlings for 30 years before. It had 2 pumps, under awning, attached to larger brick building that may have been a general store or bait shop in the past. A one car garage was built over the original outdoor car lift next to it. Clark Rawlings, Claude Hogan, Jackie and Larry Sanders, Roy Rodgers, (not the cowboy) were regulars there. No luck with local newspapers and historical society. Any help?