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Phillips 66 Station |
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01/06/2005
Van Horn provides history of Humboldt service stations
Marilyn Dodgen
John Van
Horn, longtime Humboldt filling/service station businessman,
spent a recent winter creating a history of service stations in the
city of Humboldt, as he remembered them; making a point of saying
that some dates might not be exact and some of the operators and
people who worked there may have been omitted. He wrote everything
down as he remembered it, and did a fine job of recording an era
that is fast fading from the memories of local residents who lived
here during those years.
John worked at the Wagon Wheel service station, north on Hwy 169
(across from where Dodgen Industries is now located), when he was a
14-year-old boy. Pop Wilhite and his wife built a caf and had
gasoline pumps out front, along with about eight small cabins for
tourists.
John has some good stories to tell about who rented the cabins
behind the station (and shouldn't have), and how it was his job to
paint the rocks white along the driveway; empty the cistern with a
bucket on a rope, whenever it got full; mow the grass; pump gas; and
fetch beer from the cafe for the people from town who parked back by
the cabins.
He went away to serve his country in World War II, in the mid 1940s,
and came home to continue where he left off. The first station he
leased as an adult was the one Homer Ericksen built in Dakota City,
south across from the courthouse. He then leased another Ericksen
station in Humboldt, on Hwy 169, and eventually purchased a new
station built on that site, where he stayed until his retirement.
Here is his story:
Starting at the west end of Sumner Avenue, at 9th St. North, by
Bicknell Park, former Humboldt County Sheriff William Hansen had a
Royal 400 station. It was attached to the southwest corner of the
house still sitting there today.
William suffered a stroke and his son, Ron Hansen, who was still in
high school, helped his mom run the station for some time, and in
1941 it was leased to Chris Hansen, who took over the management for
a short time. Then the station was detached from the house and the
station pumps removed and the business was no more.
Peggy (Reasoner) Hansen, Ron's widow, remembers that customers could
buy gum and candy at the station and had to go across to Bicknell
Park to use the bathroom there. She also said that Ralph Bellows
would send cases of Coca Cola across the street from the Mineral
Springs Coca Cola Bottling plant for them to give away, free, so
customers would become acquainted with their product.
On the next corner going east, was a Skelley station, offering full
service, including a tank wagon operated by Lee Bollock. Station
operators were Gulford Bull and Don Gehring. The building next door
was a small grocery store, and both were torn down in 1975 or '76 to
make room for Home Federal Savings and Loan (became Northwest
Federal in 1992).
Bill Fort (whose wife, Linda, is a niece of Gehring) said he and his
auto-related club, The Modifiers, spent a lot of time on that
corner. They have a nice collection of pictures of Don and his
station.
Across on the southeast corner was a Standard Service Station,
offering full service and a tank wagon service. It was run by
Maurice Callahan and later Clifford Stevenson and Kenneth Perin.
Stevenson's daughter, Pamela Evans, who lives in Lexington, KY, sent
a photo of the station taken before the garage side was added.
The station was remodeled into The Unicorn in the early 1980s. The
Sittin' Bull now occupies that corner.
Continuing east, in the middle of the block, on the north side, was
a Conoco station (about where the Fareway Store was built), offering
full service and a tank wagon service. Operators over the years were
Sig Skow, Bill Miller and his brother, Al, Leonard Collins, Neil
Ruse, and Pete Peterson.
Earlier pictures, loaned by Peterson's daughter, Sharon Robinson,
show the building before gasoline pumps were added, when the
business sold only tires, and later, after the pumps were added.
The next two blocks were well established older buildings built
around the turn of the century, with a newer one tucked in
occasionally, so there were no service stations there.
On the corner of the present Humboldt Trust & Savings Bank (now Bank
Iowa), at Sumner Ave. and 5th Street South, was a service station
that sold Conoco Oil products. In the 1930s, Jack Dailey owned it
and then sold it to J.F. Miller. It was operated by Homer Bjornson,
Fred Funk and Everett (Peck) DeSmidt over several years.
Merlin Fort said that he remembers the time Stanley Riles crashed
his car into the station, causing major damage to the canopy and one
of the pumps. The station was torn down sometime in the early 1950s,
leaving a vacant lot on that corner. Yvonne State remembers when
there was a ferris wheel there one summer.
The end building had a jewelry store, run by Ray Priemisberger. Rudy
and Ellen Lowe ran Krissel's Ice Cream Shop from the east side of
that building for a while. Fred Meyer said that he and Margery were
good friends of the Lowes and exchanged Christmas cards with them
for many years after they moved away.
Donnie Wind remembers a time when Albert Morehouse bought her young
son, Rick, an ice cream cone, because he was crying. Dolores
Terwilliger said that Rudy always set an extra small dish of ice
cream in front of her daughter, Paulette, who had an imaginary
friend. There were bar stools at a counter and a few tables and
chairs for patrons to sit and enjoy their cool treat. This building
was torn down when the bank building was built, leaving Prime
Electric as the end building.
Traveling east, in the middle of the block on the south side, beyond
where the Law Enforcement Center is now located, was a white frame
building, with pumps out in front for Mobile gasoline, operated by
Ed Wittman. Longtime resident Yvonne State said that Ed had a
miniature golf game behind his station that she and her sister,
Gretchen Clay, enjoyed playing when they were young girls.
Ed's brother, Al Wittman, had a garage across the street from the
station. Albert died in 1954 and Edward in 1966.
Continuing east, on the corner beyond where Seiler Appliance is
located today, in the early part of the century, was an old
fashioned station that sold gas from a barrel, long before pumps
were invented. A Way Back When photo in today's Independent shows
that station, with two people identified.
Later, in the 1920s, this station was replaced by a modern Standard
Oil Station. One of the owners was Kenneth Cran, who had the station
from 1929 to around 1939. His daughter, Audrey Carter, said that she
remembers her dad working from 6:30 a.m. until 10:30 or 11 p.m. at
night.
When the family moved to Fort Dodge, Kenneth worked for Tobin
Packing for many years. He sold the station to Bernard Callahan,
whose daughter, Bridgett, sent the photo of her dad standing in
front of the station. The Eagles Club had a building on that site
for several years, and it is now Mary's Bar.
Across on the corner of Sumner Ave. and 4th St. North, where the
O.K. Tire Store is located today, sat a station that sold Royal 400
products. Some of the operators were Fred Funk, Eldon Collins and
Lester Stevenson. Butch (Duane) Dreyer purchased the corner lot in
March of 1957 and ran the station, before turning it into a tire
business. The original building is the east side of the present
facility.
The station Russ Christensen retired from recently was built in
1918. It was known as the Manhatten Station and was a full service
operation. Earlier operators were Web Shellenberger, Roy Lowder,
Sammy Clark, Hi Parker, and then Henry and Russ Christensen, in the
early 1960s.
Henry drove the tank wagon and his wife, Georgia, took care of the
bookkeeping. It has recently been remodeled and is once again
selling gas, and is a convenience store owned by Randy and Sue
Allen.
Across the street, where the DeKalb plant stood, was a Sinclair
Station run by Leo Meager. DeKalb purchased the property in 1936 and
Leo had the station moved up on Johnson Hill, where he continued
operating a station for many years, well beyond his 80th year of
age. The property now belongs to the Kum & Go and is a
station/convenience store.
On down east, and on the north side at Sumner Ave. and Second Street
North, was the W & H Coop Station, another full service operation,
with tank service. The outside appearance was changed several times
over the years and was a used car business for a while. It is
presently a print shop.
Clarence and Edna Kramer were running the station in 1943. Over the
years, Wayne Cleverly, Dale Johansen, Leonard Edgerton, Kenneth
Severson, Marvin Gronbach, Bill Greene, Dennis Chantland, Ron Kraft,
and Phillip Crowl worked there. Ray Wogan drove the tank truck.
On the corner of Taft Street North and First Avenue North, there was
a small service station, built in the 1930s that sold Phillips 66
products, with no other services offered. A man by the name of
Coryell ran it at first, and then by 1935, William Greene sold it to
Ray Dearinger.
Greene and his wife, Bernice, were the parents of five sons: John,
Bill, Richard, Channing, and Gary, who all grew up in Humboldt.
There were also four daughters: Electa Roberts, Dorothy Brownfield,
Helen Anderson and Bonnie Bjornson. After selling the station,
Greene became the Allis Chalmers dealer. There was also a coal yard
on that lot that sold coal, owned by a Mr. Buckingham.
Another group of filling stations was built up on Johnson hill, west
of downtown Humboldt, starting back when Highway 16 was routed from
east of Dakota City, down their main street, through Sumner Avenue,
and continued on west, past where the present Humboldt High School
is now located, and on to Gilmore City.
On 4th Ave. South and Sumner Ave. S.W. was a station that sold DX
products. The operator was Lawrence Marvin. Emmett Wiegert remembers
that Marvin was sort of a drifter, who came to town and ran that
station for a few years, in the 1930s, then moved on. Wiegert
delivered Coca Cola to that station. It was torn down sometime in
the 1940s, and an apartment house now sits on that corner.
On the corner where Arnold Motor Supply now stands, on Wildcat Road,
was a small station that sold Phillips products. It was run by
Marvin Brownfield. It was razed in the 1950s, when Gordon Laing
built the present building.
Just south of Wildcat Road, on the east side of the highway, Henry
and Russ Christensen built the new Hilltop Phillips 66 Station in
1962. It was full service and had a tank wagon service. Some of the
operators were Russ Christensen, Bill Jacobsen, Tom McBurney, and
Frank Taylor.
In 1978 it was converted into a convenience store/station, with
several managers, including Virginia Wood, Marie Torgerson, Joyce
Rolland, and Peggy Behrens. It was sold to Wessels Oil Co. of Palmer
in 1984 and is now the Pronto Station.
A block north, and across the highway east, was the station Leo
Meager had moved there from the old DeKalb Plant site in 1936. Leo
worked until he was well into his 80s, and was admired by his
customers, especially the youngsters, who would stop to buy pop and
candy and just visit with him.
For years he lived in a small building next door, and then he moved
to Torgerson's Rooming House. When his failing health forced him to
retire, Leo sold the station to Four Sons, who added to the building
and made a convenience store, now Kum & Go, that is still in
operation there today.
Several blocks north, across the river bridge, to the corner of 4th
Ave. North, is Johnny's Service Station. In 1937, Glen Newbrough
built a station and operated it for a couple of years. In 1939 or
1940, it was purchased by Homer Ericksen. He operated it for a
while, and then built a station in Dakota City.
He leased the station on Hwy. 169 out to Fred Odgaard, John Buchan,
Jasper Reed, Kenneth Soppeland, and then John Van Horn. The
building to the east, where Pete Holt has had his insurance
business, was Hollar's Electric and a small laundromat.
The station had a small caf in it. During those years, Ericksen ran
the tank wagon. In late 1950, Ericksen tore down the old station and
built a new one (minus a restaurant), to the south, on the same lot
where it stands today. The south end of the old complex is still
used as a garage/storage building, south of the present station.
In 1961, John Van Horn purchased the property from Homer and
ran the station, until his retirement in 1986, and leased it to his
son, Jim, who operates it today. Over the years, the station has
sold Phillips 66, Mobil and Conoco products. It has always been a
full service station.
The second half of this feature will continue in the Jan. 20. 2005,
Independent.
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