Old gas stations

[tonyb]

Minneapolis, 1941, according to the source I lifted this from.

 

[tonyb]

 

[DeaconKC]

Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1916...


In 1916 a man named Ernest Holmes modified his 1913 Cadillac with a pulley and crane and created the very first tow truck. It was known as the "Holmes Wrecker" and the basic set up would be used for years to come.


This is a picture of a 1916 Holmes Wrecker courtesy of Jonas Brock.

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^^^
Tow trucks were still commonly called “wreckers” in my early years. It’s been quite some time since that was the more common usage.

 

[RossRYoung]

Could be common in the Midwest still, though my exposure to the term has only been through a handful of coworkers who are all CDL tractor drivers.

 

[tonyb]

Could be common in the Midwest still, though my exposure to the term has only been through a handful of coworkers who are all CDL tractor drivers.

Makes sense, seeing how my early years were spent mostly in the Upper Midwest. Maybe that’s still the more common usage there. I’ll ask a cousin or two.

 

[tonyb]

Hanksville, Utah (Note the phone-less pay phone box.)

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Tow trucks were still commonly called “wreckers” in my early years. It’s been quite some time since that was the more common usage.

Could be common in the Midwest still, though my exposure to the term has only been through a handful of coworkers who are all CDL tractor drivers.

I think “wreckers” are still used for big, off-road recoveries but with the advent of front wheel drive, transaxles, etc, “roll offs” are the more common now.

 

[BobHufford]

“Gas station attendant. Millburg, Michigan.” 1940 photo by John Vachon.

 

[DeaconKC]

What a great picture.

 

[BobHufford]

Diggin’ the Chevy Cameo pickup.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Were pipe cleaners sold in the gas stations all around the U.S., in the 60s/70s?

 

[tonyb]

Were pipe cleaners sold in the gas stations all around the U.S., in the 60s/70s?

Not as I recall. I do remember crafts projects involving pipe cleaners, though.

Smoking in general is much less common than it was back then.

 

[LizzieMaine]

We had an entire display of pipes and pipe accessories on top of the Coke machine. My uncle had bought it from a snappy-talking salesman at some indeterminate point, and as far as anyone ever knew he was the only one who ever bought any of the stuff off the display. Or at least I think he "bought" it.

The entire office of that station was filthy with nicotine. I spent an entire afternoon, when I was about fifteen, scrubbing off all the yellow that had accumulated on the walls and cabinets since 1940, but nobody warned me I should wear gloves. I was sick for three days.

 

[Fading Fast]

We had an entire display of pipes and pipe accessories on top of the Coke machine. My uncle had bought it from a snappy-talking salesman at some indeterminate point, and as far as anyone ever knew he was the only one who ever bought any of the stuff off the display. Or at least I think he "bought" it.

The entire office of that station was filthy with nicotine. I spent an entire afternoon, when I was about fifteen, scrubbing off all the yellow that had accumulated on the walls and cabinets since 1940, but nobody warned me I should wear gloves. I was sick for three days.

When my father stopped smoking in the '70s, my mom and I spent weeks scrubbing "yellow" off of everything in the house. It was a nasty job - I remember using an old toothbrush to clean small nooks and crevices on odd surfaces. A disgusting job, but great - truly great - to live in a smoke-free house. It looked and smelled like a different house when we were done. Thankfully, my dad never started smoking again - a fear my mom and I had for a year or more until we were convinced he was truly done.