Gasoline

[W. Gray]

In another thread, I mentioned Fina Oil company as having a big advertising blast at the end of 1966 that they were going to introduce pink air by January 31, 1967. Those were the days in which one had very little method of communication other than the phone and one did not talk on the phone unless it was absolutely necessary—long distance was out of the question. Therefore, I could never ask anyone what this was all about.

Newspapers, TV, and radio back then commonly did not comment on advertising campaigns by big business because it was like giving them free advertising. Unfortunately, I found myself overseas on January 27 and had to miss the big introduction.

I kept writing home to see if Fina was really pumping pink air but no one knew what I was talking about. Fina apparently dropped the advertising when the end of January came. It turned out to be an advertising gimmick that had many people, like me, wondering.

I also recall Clark Super 100 gasoline stations. Their stations were brightly lit and decorated in orange. If you pulled into Clark you better have a big wallet. They did not sell regular. All one could get was 100-octane ethyl. One day I pulled in and put in a 1.00s worth but my car did not run any better. Clark also did not have a garage like most stations of the time had. It was gas only with attendants in white uniforms with orange accents.

In the 50s in high school, I never filled up. It was always 1.00 at a time. I sat next to a kid in one class whose family must have had some money because they owned a big Oldsmobile. He mentioned in class one day that when they filled up with ethyl it cost 6.00. I was wowed and wondered how anyone could afford that much to fill up a car.

Before I started driving, Standard Oil had Red Crown, Blue Crown, and White Crown gasoline. Each pump had a glass "King's Crown" on the top with the respective color. You asked for which one you wanted. Standard always sponsored the Channel 4 sports at 6:45 every evening. I never understood until I began driving that those colors were the grade of gasoline Standard sold.

Hudson Oil Company had a station on Kellogg in Wichita in 1974 that began selling gas in liters rather than gallons. I think a woman founded and managed this company and she said this was the coming thing. The Federal Highway Department began posting mileposts on I-70 and elsewhere of the distance to the next town in kilometers. It was a test and it busted. So did Hudson's liter campaign.

Someone in this forum has mentioned an old gas station (the building still stands and someone did or does live in it) that was on K-99 between Severy and Eureka. I think it sold Mobil gasoline, which had a Flying Horse emblem. It seemed to be out in the middle of nowhere and was always going out of business and then reopening.

There was a gas station on K-99 in Howard about where the beauty shop is, I think. I was a little guy and one day was inside with my Uncle Johnnie Miller visiting with the attendant. A young kid drove up in a Vespa motor scooter and wanted five cents worth of gasoline. After he left, the attendant and my uncle could not stop laughing.

[Marcia Moore]

     Waldo, I believe this is the station you are talking about between Severy and Eureka.  Bus Bonnett owned and operated a service station about a mile south of Climax.  It was situated on the west side of Hwy. 99.  This building is still standing, the physical location being 627 State Highway 99. 
     Also, located south of Climax and/or five-plus miles north of Severy, was yet another gasoline station.  This filling station was built for Ed Forbes who ran it awhile himself.  In June 1938, Walter Burdette began leasing the station, and in March 1940, Harold and Roy Smith had the lease.  It is thought the last to operate this station was Robert Moore.  This station was situated on the southeast corner of what is now the Hwy. 99 and 60th Street intersection, and if it were still standing today its physical address would be 598 State Highway 99. 

[W. Gray]

Thanks,

Sounds like the Forbes station was before my time.

The Bonnett station has had someone living in it and last year or the year before they had Christmas lights up.

[W. Gray]

Marcia,

Wasn't there once a gas station at K-99 and the road leading into Climax?

[Marcia Moore]

     Yes, Waldo.  There were actually two stations at what is now the 80th Street and Highway 99 intersection - one across the road from the other.
     When Hwy. 11 (now Highway 99) was moved west, bypassing Climax, Buck Conley moved his gasoline station to the northeast corner of what is now the intersection of Hwy. 99 and 80th Street.  If this station were still standing today, its physical address would be 802 State Highway 99.  In February 1938, Art Hokanson took over the business, selling Skelly gasoline at that location.  Soon after, Hokanson moved in a building on the west side of the highway, across from his station on the east, and Art's son, Ralph, began operating the west station while Art operated the east one.  Ralph later moved away and Art began operating the station on the west, discontinuing the east station.  If the west station was still standing today, its physical address would be 801 State Highway 99.  After Art Hokanson was killed in an automobile accident, the station was operated by Bus Bonnett, who ran it until the rent became too high, at which time he built his own station a couple of miles south, along the highway.

[W. Gray]

On my last trip to Howard a couple weeks ago, I noticed the old gas station on the east side of K-99 just before Washington Street had been torn down. It used to be either a Phillips 66 or Mobil, or maybe it was both.

I thought I heard that someone wanted to put a liquor store in the old building but not sure.

Someone must have had an incentive to tear it down.

Anyone know what is going in there?

[frawin]

Waldo, that was Parker's Phillips 66 Station. I worked there some for John when I was a kid. I don't know wht they are going to do with the location. I remember when John Parker built that building. Before that there was a little wooden building there and Myrtle Kingsley and her Husband ran it. John took that over and eventually built the new building.
Where PJs is was originally a Mobil Station. Earl Garison built the Mobil Station and russel Gilbert was the first operator, I worked for Russel in it and later my brother Bob ran it.

[frawin]

Waldo, do you remember the service station that was on old 99 that went South out of Howard to the "Y". It was on the the NW corner of the last East-West street as you went out of town. It was closed sometime before 1946 and the building and the pump island  sat there empty for years. Frank Stewart bought the location, tore down the building and built a house there, later Willis and Ruth Osborne lived there when they moved to town from the farm.
Frank

[W. Gray]

I don't recall that station and that would have been old 99 on Pine Street, right? Somewhere on old 99 there was a motel or a cabin court.

Since you mentioned Parker's 66 I recall that name. I have been searching my RAM but I don't remember the Mobil station where PJ's is but that is probably where I got the idea Parker's might have once been a Mobil.

Do you recall a Flying A station in Howard?

When I was in high school, it seemed all the boys who worked after school and on weekends worked in either a grocery store bagging groceries or in a service station working on cars and at the gas pump. I went to work in a grocery store and was glad I did not have to be out in rainy or freezing weather. However, had I been in a gas station I probably could have learned a lot more about cars than I did. I was clueless when it came to figuring out why my Ford would not start.

It seemed that if a boy got a job somewhere else, all the grocery store boys and the gas pump boys were really envious. There was one boy though who I could not decide if I should be envious. All through high school he worked evenings and weekends in a funeral home embalming bodies.
 

[frawin]

Waldo, I don't recall a Flying A station in Howard in my day. There was a Soverign Service (O & B) and later that was an APCO. Two Sinclairs, a Mobil , Cities Service. Frank