History Images of vintage gas stations ~ pre 65

A small Shell Gas Station is next to the Richfield, but obscured in the photo.


Hello,

A long time ago, the old, two lane road came from inland Orange County to end at the beach. The end result was the beautiful ocean in the city of Laguna Beach. Back then, it was a center of long road trips from those inland cities, the up the coast cities on the way south to San Diego and perhaps, Baja, Mexico.

But, those that live on the coast, had the PCH highway that ran from north of Santa Barbara known as Highway 1 along the coast. It was one of the only northern highways from Canada to the Mexican border. So for various cities, any traffic always comes to the coast for travels North or South.

The old Laguna Canyon Road Highway ran from inland beyond the coastal mountain ranges, seen in the old photo to join other roads to other cities all over the So Cal area. If anyone wanted to go to the coastal highways in Laguna Beach, one came from the North or South along the coast. But for inland folks, it was a slow winding road between tallish local mountains to wind up in downtown Laguna Beach and finally the ocean.

What would be waiting for travelers upon arrival at the beach? A definite “T” intersection with PCH and 4 gas stations dating back into the 30s. The city fathers knew the importance of gas for all travelers and it supplied the means, even though it took up valuable ocean front properties. Well, at least two of them at the intersection of Broadway (Laguna Canyon Road turned into Broadway) and PCH.

Jnaki

So, the old travelers road was also tied into the auto industry in this coastal city. Ford, Chevrolet and Oldsmobile/Cadillac, as well as other shops/dealers line up on Broadway. Those days the road led all the way into the city to attract the locals, plus the thousands that traveled to the ocean almost daily and definitely on the weekends. Even into the late 60s before the mass exodus of auto dealers was capped with the last Chevrolet and Cadillac dealers moving away from the ocean.

Today, there are two historic gas stations in their modern forms, still located on the inland side of the highway intersection. One is next door to the latest car dealer to move back into the city. In a converted old theater no less…

Note:

The coastal intersection could be considered the most congested of all highways, roadways and byways in all of So Cal. Millions of travelers for work and play use the coastal route and the flow out/in the highway leading to the inland industrial areas and cities draws the residents away+ back daily.

But, there is no arguing about the intrinsic value of a great ocean view, especially to give some relief and enjoyment of the contrast of traffic and the wide open Pacific Ocean. We would all like an ocean view at times, to enjoy one of the best things about living in So Cal along the coastal plains...

If only, our dad had approved our mom buying that cliffside oceanfront property in South Laguna Beach back in the early 1950s... Our whole lifestyle would have been much different and our poor dad would have had a 100 mile drive everyday to Los Angeles and back. Besides, it being the early 50s and women did not always have the chance to buy property, our dad used the excuse of a daily long drive as the main problem. Not that he did not want to live in Laguna Beach.

He would have had more grey hair than the two brothers gave him during our teenage years... Yikes! Wait, two teenagers living in an ocean front house with all of the ocean, coastal communities and highways for explorations? What a better way to grow up... Our eventual surf adventures would have had a nicer home base for sure... YRMV

Today:
No coastal beach front gas stations due to the value of beach front areas for the city and residents. Let alone the millions that drive by daily… If anyone has gone by South or North on the Coast Highway during any hour, it is crowded. But, the beach sand/water/ocean views are some of the best in the world… if one ignores the amount of traffic always near your car…

 

Elberta, Utah..

 

Here's a couple on California State Highway 50, halfway between my home town of Placerville (Hangtown),
and South Lake Tahoe.

 

A Texaco service station in Oklahoma City in the 1940s
=AZV

 

Early car at the gas station.
Before there were widespread gas stations, how did the owners of early motors vehicles get their fuel?”
In the early years of motoring, before dedicated gasoline stations existed, motorists could buy gasoline, which at the time was considered to be a waste product generated by the production of the far more salable kerosene, from hardware stores, general stores, and even pharmacies. These businesses had pre-existing relationships with the refineries through their sale of kerosene which was used as a lighting fuel.
In those years gasoline was not the only motoring fuel. Naphtha and benzene were also used for internal combustion engines.

 

Description: Mini-scooter formation-riding team in Walnut Festival Parade, September 23rd 1956
They are sponsored by Rett White Ford of Walnut Creek. Formation of 16 riders on Main Street at Mt. Diablo Blvd. On the left corner is Flying A Service Station. Along Main (west side): Arthur's Liquors, Van's Repairs, Daniel Furniture, Grand Rapids Furniture. On right (east side): Marshall real Estate & Insurance, Lee's Soft Serve (ice-cream), Norwalk Gasoline, Bank of America, McCall Realty, First Savings Bank

 

Looks like that 34 5 window has a Ardun in it.

 

These three young ladies are all dressed up and standing with their dad at his Sinclair Pennant station most likely along Route 66, circa 1935.
In 1928 William Clay Pierce embarked upon a business enterprise to link the chain of Pierce-Pennant gas stations with motor hotels and restaurants. The plan was to establish roadside hotels and taverns approximately every 125 miles on Route 66, connecting Chicago and Los Angeles. In July 1928, the company opened the Pierce-Pennant Motor Hotel in Springfield, Missouri. This first motor hotel complex included a bus terminal, restaurant, soda fountain, restrooms, gas station, automobile shop, and car washing facilities. Other Pierce-Pennant hotels and taverns opened later in Rolla & Columbia, Missouri, and in Miami & Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1930 Pierce abandoned this business enterprise and sold the chain to Henry Sinclair of the Sinclair Refining Company, who later renamed the chain the Sinclair-Pennant Hotels.

 

The Diamond Filling Station, Washinton DC, 1920.

 

The Longhorn Ranch in Albuquerque

 

State Library of Victoria, Oz, but there is nothing to identify it. During construction, failed construction, abandoned?

 

'View looking west, south side of Moreland Road towards corner of Nicholson Street, Coburg' (Melbourne) 1945; State Library of Victoria

 

'Frank and Whippet' [note the HUDSON SERVICE STATION sign and bracket propped up against the wall] - 'People and rural scenes around Victoria' - (photographic album relating to Hearnes family) compiler: Vincent Joseph Hearnes (1903-1986); State Library of Victoria

 

State Library of Western Australia; 1950 photo; [the van has been dressed up with chromed hubcaps and rear bumperettes from a 1937-38 Ford 7W sedan]

 

'H. Armstrong & Son's Mt Lawley Garage' 1950 - State Library of Western Australia

 

This one is right on the main drag before Carlisle fairgrounds. Would be cool to see pics of this in its heyday next to the turnpike

 

'Ford Central Garage, Penrith' - photo by Sam Hood (1872-1953), Mitchell Library and State Library of New South Wales [E83W van and Anglia tourer, both 4 cylinders, in showroom]

 

Not exactly a gas station but very closely related ... 'Dummy petrol pump to advertise Purr Pull petrol on the Bathurst road; for Horan Brothers' garage' - Sam Hood photo; Mitchell Library/State Library of New South wales

 

Those were the days

 

Postcard for Oakleigh Auto Court & Richfield station on Route 66, Duarte, 1920s

 

'Refuelling rally cars at Bond's Chalet' [Alice Springs] first Redex rally, 1953; photos by Kevin Harris; State Library of South Australia

 

Covey Gas station at Little America, Wyoming, 1936. Courtesy Wyoming - Early History of the Cowboy State:

 

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In 1948, Kingman, Arizona, was a bustling small town along the iconic Route 66, serving as a key stopover for travelers crossing the vast desert landscapes of the American Southwest. Located in the heart of Mohave County, Kingman was already deeply rooted in history, having been founded in the late 1800s as a railroad town during the construction of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. By 1948, Kingman had grown significantly, fueled by the post-war boom and the increasing popularity of automobile travel. The town's proximity to the Hoover Dam and its location on the "Mother Road" made it a strategic hub for commerce and tourism. Kingman's historic downtown was lined with classic diners, motels, and service stations, reflecting the optimism and expansion of post-war America. This era marked a golden age for Kingman, as it became an emblematic stop on the journey through the West, capturing the spirit of mid-century Americana.