Glimpses Fill'er Up Memoirs & Memorabilia

ISBN 978-0-692-05807-7

03200>

9 780692 058077

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Contents Thank You

IV

Introduction

VII

Prolog

IX

Chapter 1 Pumps

1

Chapter 2 Have you seen the one at

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Chapter 3 Signs of the times

161

Chapter 4 Stations

193

Chapter 5 Globes

217

Epilog

227 Index

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v

H

Prolog

ave you ever looked for the proverbial needle in the haystack? Or maybe you have looked for the considerably harder to find glasses on your desk? After my first book, the most often asked question was, “Have you seen the one at…” I also had 50 stations in my computer unused from the shoots for Remnants. The hunt was definitely not over; there were certainly many interesting stories yet to be told!

So keep on, Judi, and have fun!

Steve and I celebrated my birthday with a trip to Wichita to enjoy the Wichita Symphony Orchestra.

We always love to go to the pre-concert talks with the Maestro. The guest this evening was Natasha Paremski. As she and Daniel Hege, the conductor, discussed the evening to come, I was spellbound by one of their thoughts. They explained that music on a written page does not become music until it is performed. As the musicians play the notes, they give life to the manuscript. The music moves people with deep emotions. How it is interpreted could be very

different from what the composer heard in his head as he scripted the piece. The beauty of the written script is in the interpretation.

When I started my first book, Remnants: Prairie Gas Stations Remembered, I had about a thimble full of knowledge about gas stations. My passion was photography. I had stored stations fondly in my memory bank called Childhood, where my emotional involvement was vivid. As I traveled the State looking for stations and folklore, the people I met brought the stations forth from their sleepy graves with rich accounts of life. I heard stories about fathers, brothers, and uncles involved in the gas business and life sprang back into the stations that had faded with age. So, the symphony came to life with the performance, just as the gas stations came to life with wonderful memories. As I experienced the metamorphosis, I wanted more. There is always another town, always another station, always another story. So…I bring you Glimpses: Filler up Memoirs and Memorabilia of even more gas station memoirs.

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and cozy areas amidst the bustle of the city. In the 1990’s a new channel was dug and dikes were placed around town in the Dike Flood Management plan, essentially cutting off the flow of water through town, creating dry river beds now silted in. “ Friends of the River Foundation” was recently created to restore the river to its former glory and let life flow through Salina again. In keeping with that theme there is also downtown revitalization planned and a new Street Scape in the works. I stopped to enjoy a quaint shop where a friendly lady helped me find the filling station redone by Brad Stuewe. It is now the headquarters for the Friends of the River Foundation with an interior river embedded in tile inside the front door. There is enough room inside to also house the Prairieland Market. Brad received the Outstanding Design Award and a Landscaping Award for his work on the station.

This is a class act for sure. Every element of the structure has been restored; from the sculptural roof line to the wainscoting boards it is beautiful. There are few stations with the graceful detail involved in this one. It is breath taking and inviting. Brad truly showed us what can be done with a building if you are willing to work at keeping the details true to the original intent.

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In 1956 this station was Sid Oil Co with guaranteed tune-ups. The ad from the city directory is from that era and very explicit in its simplicity. Wish we could tell that clearly what is being advertised in some of the ads I see now. Also bringing the service back to stations would be a real bonus.

The river flowing through town again will draw me back for a future to celebration. Can’t wait!

St George

I

love a wedding! All the girls are so lovely in their matching gowns and the guys are handsome as they squirm uncomfortably in their tuxedos. Everyone is

GLIMPSES: FILL’ER UP MEMOIRES & MEMORIBILIA

happy (except the guys maybe) and all is good. We were invited to a wedding of a friend in Junction City with reception following in St. George. Where in the world is St George??? When we went to KSU we thought we knew the area pretty well. St. George is six miles east of Manhattan on Riley Boulevard. Hum, guess it was not on our path from class to work to Potawatomie County where we lived. Steve looked it up on the internet and spotted a cool gas station. We packed my camera for this wedding but it was not for taking pictures of the bride and groom, no sirree, I had a station to explore. I told the groom’s mother that we might be late to the reception.

On the way from the wedding to the reception we had a fun time in St. George. With the help of Theresa, at Double T’s Snack Shop and Canoe Rentals, we discovered a wonderful story.

St. George was one of those moveable towns, like Greensburg and Paxico, in its early days. Someone put it in place and then someone else wanted it moved, and did so. In 1857 it was platted at the original site, then in 1879 it moved about a mile so it would be on

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the new railroad. Those new railroads caused a lot of trouble but the move made sense…good for the economy and in my opinion a perfect place for a lovely town. The rolling Flint Hills and scrubby trees are a lovely setting for a laid back town.

We entered the old part of town hoping to find the station. It was very easy since it was on the highway as we entered. What a beautiful domestic station! It was superbly painted with plants around the massive pillars and large trees for a backdrop. Double T’s Snack Shop and Canoe Rental found its home there, accommodating people at the nearby river. A steady stream of people came in as I conversed with Theresa about the town. The station was a Conoco Station until 1972. At one time Ed Dalton owned the station and Wynn Dalton ran it. Yes…they are related to “the Gang” but, wait a minute, I am getting there. The Dalton Gang was in Kansas City, as the story is told, until they got kicked out of town. Hmmm… wonder why or even better how? They went to St. George to stay with relatives. Who could say no to them? The lovely Victorian house on top of the hill where they stayed with relatives is just as lovely today as it was then. Soon the Store across the street from the station became known as the Dalton Store. No one knows

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if they paid rent, but that became their headquarters while they lived there. That legacy holds lots of mystery and sparks many imaginations to this day. What a story you can dream up, huh! Later “The Gang” settled temporarily in Meade where they took advantage of a long underground escape tunnel.

Other amazing things kept popping up as we drove around the old town. There was the Black Jack Spring, where a man on a riding mower stopped on his way through town to splash cold water on his face and wet down his cap. The spring was always known for its sweet water. People from all over Potawatomie County would bring jugs and fill them for use at home. The

GLIMPSES: FILL’ER UP MEMOIRES & MEMORIBILIA

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school up the street would let the children run to the spring after recess for a cool drink. Wonder if expended energy had anything to do with that tradition. One tale told was that there used to be a heavy metal lid that rested on top of the concrete storage box. It was made to keep the water clean. Mysteriously it would always end up stolen at the end of the school year but somehow was always found. Then one time, no one could find it. It was a mystery. The person who told

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me this tale told me she could take me to the place in the stream where it is‌ but she was not going to do it! I am told the spring was just always there.

Wow, in my part of Kansas that is rare! The plaque on front dedicates the spring to the early settlers but I bet there were many Native Americans who were well aware of this spring long before settlers began their trek across the plains.

Behind the station are two octagonal grain bins.

These wooden structures are meticulously dovetailed together and stand true today. You can see the flood line stains from the infamous 1951 Kansas River Flood. There is only one other set of these in Kansas and it has been disassembled. The twin bins sit at ease in front of an old elevator that has character of its own. A delightful train station resides beside the grain storage units, hidden amongst the trees, quietly guarding the railroad to this day.

On the other side of town the St. George United Methodist Church stands proudly. Its limestone exterior has weathered well and is picturesque against the

GLIMPSES: FILL’ER UP MEMOIRES & MEMORIBILIA

azure sky. It was built of limestone quarried across the Kansas River.

Interestingly, the church cornerstone was laid April 18, 1879, with E.H. Gill officiating but the land wasn’t transferred until May 23, 1879, for a fee of $5.00. The building, valued at $1,400.00 on August 29, 1880, was dedicated debt-free.

This historic little town drew me like a magnet. I wanted to explore more. We had to get on to the reception and I was shocked when we left the cozy old town. It was surrounded by new houses and why not? People wanting to get out of Manhattan also found St. George enchanting and wanted to live there. Lucky them! Dalton Gang, you are not the last people to find this town inviting!

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