How early drivers got their gas
A few issues ago we talked about when cars were new and there were hardly any paved roads to drive on. A gas gauge was an “extra” in a Model T and the gas tank was under the front seats. But where did you get the gasoline to fill the tank?
Of course today there are gas stations everywhere, but when cars were first invented gas stations weren’t around yet. People actually bought their gasoline at the general store. They filled their own buckets with gasoline and used a funnel to pour it into the car’s gas tank.
As more and more companies got into the business of making gasoline, stations began to appear. Some of them were just a single gas pump right alongside the curb with an attendant ready to help when you drove up. Unlike the automated gasoline pumps today, old-fashioned ones took some muscle to hand pump, but at least you didn’t have to slosh a bucket around. Customers pumped their own gas and the station attendant wrote up the bill on a piece of paper.
Starting in 1920 stations got fancier. Some put up neon signs to advertise their name and many added water fountains and vending machines for thirsty customers. New pumps offered two grades of gasoline without hand pumping. The new pumps had glass covered gauges that displayed the amount of gas being dispensed and the cost.
