Nice pumps! Does anyone find it suspicious that the attendant's white uniform hasn't a single stain on it? This photo does give me an idea that the middle pump would be perfect for converting into a coffee machine... yum!
It was probably the beginning of his shift. I do remember seeing those kind of pumps at a farm auction west of Milwaukee. Have you notice those poles with the umbrellas in the background. Lights?
Before it became final that the Pan-American Canal would be dug through Panama, the term caught on. Once they dug the canal nobody called it that any more, but the name was used to sell many things.
Wow, back when there was only a four cent difference per gallon between regular and premium. That guy waiting to get into traffic is going to burn half of what he just put in waiting for someone to make a hole... Up here now it's north of 25 cents per liter... Nice cars.
Nice picture - 3 stations in that shot, there is a Sinclair station in the distance and American. I've never seen the name American with the Standard symbol before.
It happened. After all, it was AMerican Oil CO. I remember seeing some of their maps back in the day that showed both Standard and American versions of the sign, so travelers wouldn't shy away from the one they weren't used to.
They introduced "American" (and later Amoco) to enter markets outside of Standard Oil of Indiana's marketing area (Midwest and Rocky Mountain states). The same with Standard Oil of NJ - Esso - Using Enco and Humble in other parts of the country that there were other Standard Oil companies operating (California, Indiana, Ohio). Pan-American Oil was the Southeast division of Standard of Indiana, they eventually rebranded to Pan-Am using the Torch and Oval emblem, then finally Amoco/American by 1960.
I have to find some old folding road maps I have in my collection that have one fold panel full of logos of gas stations. IIRC it was from the late 1960s or early 1970s. I remember Humble, Sinclair (with the dinosaur!), Husky, etc. I loved staring at maps when I was a kid, and still do. Like an old world atlas published in 1919! Virtually travel in both space and time!
Found them! 1970ish road map of the province of Québec by Esso: Nice how CN and CP sneak in there with their hotels . One of Ontario, by BP, about the same time: Cool! And they have lots of mileage on them...
There's that guy, apparently looking to make a left hand turn across a solid wall of stopped traffic. Some things never change.
Those are great Mike. Fun fact that GG-1 stylist Raymond Loewy was also employed by British Petroleum and Shell to modernize their logos, and he created Exxon's. In the case of BP's, he hired Dartmouth University's color research laboratory to find the most visible shades of green and yellow under a wide variety of weather conditions.
