Gas Stations
As the automobile crept into the lives of every day American citizens, a problem arose. A remedy was needed to successfully and efficiently fill automobile fuel tanks. In the early 1900s, when the automobile was a sparse accessory, owners received gasoline from bulk stations. These stations, often located at blacksmith shops or liveries, were simply large wooden or steel drums from which gasoline was siphoned into a bulk container. The gasoline was then haphazardly poured by hand from the can into the automobile. A chamois acted as a filter as the gasoline was poured through a funnel directly into the fuel tank. Since there were no fuel gauges, the fuel level was determined by sight and sound as it emptied into the tank. This was a messy and sometimes dangerous necessity in the early days of automobile culture. It became obvious as the automobile gained in popularity that efficiency of filling, consistency in quantity and safety were of utmost importance to American automobilists.
By the 1920s there were dozens of gas pump producers each with different designs and models. The Automobile Gasoline Company founded in 1905 by Harry Grenner and Clem Laessig of St. Louis, Missouri created one of the first gas pumps. This pump was a gravity fed tank with a flexible hose attached to a vertically oriented cylindrical container. The hose did away with the need for additional containers as it poured directly into the gasoline tank. In addition, the apparatus included a valve, a glass indicator for measuring liquid levels, and a filter.
Soon competition among gas pump producers introduced new discoveries to increase the efficiency of the gas pump and please the gasoline consumer. The Bowser self-measuring pump, invented in 1905, was a 50-gallon tank located in a separate shed type building with a lever action pump, pressure vents and a hose. To this devise, the Tokheim gasoline company added mechanical counters and glass vessels through which the gasoline flowed before passing through the hose. With this invention, the customer was given visual reassurance as to the amount of gasoline entering the vehicle.
The gas pump soon became a common sight in most towns. In the early teens, gasoline pumps were often located on the sidewalk, right next to the street. In the late teens, 47 percent of gasoline was sold by grocery stores, hardware stores or automobile companies. By the end of the 1920s, gas and filling stations were selling 91.7 percent of the gasoline produced. This was partly because the location of the gasoline pumps on sidewalks, next to roadways, was deemed dangerous. Automobilists could easy run into the gas pumps and the stop and go of traffic in front of the curbside pumps created traffic flow problems. The gasoline station would soon become an autonomous roadside business housed in a single structure located on an individual lot. Many of the major oil companies promoted building gas stations around central design themes and unified buildings. Marketing policies of oil companies created brand name consciousness through the use of unified building structure, and distinctive logos. By 1933, there were over 170,000 gas stations in the United States. The overproduction of gasoline and high competition among the numerous gasoline companies forced gasoline distribution stations to be more than simply a “filling” station. The drive through filling station would soon become full service maintenance and repair stations. Service stations provided maintenance such as tire pressure checks, and windshield cleaning along with more advanced forms of mechanical repair.
As competition among gasoline distributors heated up, it became necessary for individual service stations to create distinctive elements to draw in customers. Max Taubert created one of these stations in Casselton in 1933. Located at the intersection of Highways 10 and 18, Taubert built a service station and lunch counter called “The Brick House”. Taubert maintained good business with truckers hauling goods from Fargo and each quart of oil that was emptied was thrown into a pile enclosed by chicken wire. Layer upon layer was added through the years and the pile soon grew to the height of 50 feet. A shed was built within the structure and a wind generator was placed on top of the structure to run his pumps. The Old Can Pile, although by-passed by Interstate 94, remains a cherished landmark for the town of Casselton.
The service station model continued to flourish through the 1930s. The auto repair business continued to be a major function of the gasoline service station. Molly’s Service Station in Bismarck was one of these stations. Offering specialized automobile washing, greasing, tire repair and clean rest rooms, this gasoline station proved to be a service station offering customers needed services. Attendants at the station became an extension of the business and acted as a figurehead to instill a sense of quality and service available to the public. As competition continued to expand, service stations advertised their products and services through the use of name brand loyalty. Customers came to trust brands such as Mobiloil and Texaco through the use of advertising both on a regional and national level.
By the 1970s, the service station model was quickly becoming a thing of the past. As automobiles became more reliable, the need for services through the neighborhood service station was no longer necessary. The stations of the past were two to three pump facilities but by the 1970s, it was not uncommon to see “gas islands”. These type of facilities offered large amounts of area for gasoline distribution. In addition, the OPEC oil embargo, which started in 1973, caused a major crisis in the oil and gasoline business in the United States. Many service stations that had offered many different services to their customers could no longer afford to offer services beyond gas fills.
In 1973, 226,000 full service gas stations dotted America’s roadways. Between 1970 and 1990, more than half of these stations were no longer in existence. There were many factors that led to the decline of the full service gas station including increased automobile reliability and fuel efficiency, the 1973 Oil embargo, change in demographics throughout the nation and environmental regulations. The service station model was replaced with the type of gas station we have today: a “retail gasoline outlet” that offers speed and convenience. The profit on gasoline is very low so the introduction of high profit convenience food proved to be favorable to gasoline station owners.