Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Gas Stations in Montana

I would like to hear from the members about any old station sites and historic brands that were in Montana. I work for the Montana DOT (MDT) and part of my job is investigating historic gas stations facilities--we just removed a riveted steel plate underground storage tank yesterday that was installed at a small town garage before 1916. Too bad the hand pump had long dissappeared. I have started a collection of photos and information which I would like to add to and share. If you can provide any Montana related photos, history, and information it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Brian

Hi Brian,
Welcome to Oldgas.com Shop Talk.

If you need help with posting photos you already have here on Shop Talk, just ask. I can help.

Hope you find more interesting Montana petro history.

------------------
Jim "Oldgas" Potts
Your host and moderator

Hey, Brian. I am in your neighborhood. Let's see, old gas......(stretching the memory cells in the brain)

Power Gasoline (former Montana Power)
Litening (Billings)
Laurel Leaf (Billings Area)
Grizzly
Arro Gas (Lewistown)
Powerized (Sunburst Refinery)
Montana Chief (Wash/Ida/Mont)
Clack (Havre) H. Earl Clack, Heccolene bought out by Husky Oil in the 50s.
Carter Oil (bought out Grizzly and then was bought by Enco/Exxon)
Glacier Gas
What have I forgoten????

More "main stream" brands I remember in Montana.

Texaco (the best--it's what I collect)
Phillips 66 (Refinery in Gt Falls)
Mobil
Enco/Exxon (Refinery in Billings
Conoco (Refinery in Billings)
Standard Oil
Union 76 (Refinery was in Cut Bank)
Chevron


In addition there were lots of mom and pop gas stations that bought gas where ever they could.

There are a few old gas stations in Butte that are now being used for other things. Great looking cottage style gas station on Park uptown.

Tom
AKA Alex


[This message has been edited by Alex (edited 01-26-2007).]

GREAT POST ALEX,, YOU PRETTY MUCH GOT-R-DONE.. WHATS OLD " GAS GEZZER" UP TO?? TELL HIM HELLO.. FROM FRANK..<<<<<>>>

Hey T-Bone. Have not talked to Les in a while. He is probably out making another great find.

I have a Wasatch map on ebay #280074246464 which mentions Silver Gas being sold in Montana...Ron

Silver Gas......good catch, Ron. And I have a small Silver Gas piece inmy collection. they were in Great Falls. What else did I forget???

Hart Gas out of Missoula

Monoco... (Montana Oil Company)did canning in Helena. I know they had gas as I saw some Ad glasina Tall Tokheim 39 withit in it.

[This message has been edited by Alex (edited 01-25-2007).]

I recently discovered that the Transcontinental Oil Company (Tulsa, Ok.) was expanding into Montana before their buy out by the Ohio Oil Company in the Late 1920's to early 1930's.
Chuck

chuck. I have never seen anything on them. Wonder if they just became Standard Oil when they were purchased? i posted a picture of a can the other day from the Mututal Oil company that had Missoula, MT printed on the side. But, I don't know if they were associated with any gasoline brand.

"investigating historic gas stations facilities"

Brian sounds like your in the enviromental business and on the look for underground storage tanks from the old stations/stores. Does the state pay for tank clean up?

Alex;
This is the only evidence that there were stations in Montana I have. I have never seen any company literature telling of it.
I saw a Green and Cream colored matchbook (Transcontinental Oil colors) sell on ebay also that had a Montana address, that is how I know they had them before the Ohio Oil bought them out. Couldn't tell you who they might have sold out to.
Chuck





[This message has been edited by Gaspedler (edited 01-26-2007).]

Hey Frankie, Thought you disapeared form the frozen south Idaho. There were close to 100 independent tries at gasoline marketing in Montana, Probably more than any other state. Possibly Pennsylvania or Texas had near as many. Out of all of them only a few had any real lasting luck at it. After the war they were about all bought out by the big companies. A few held on such as Husky by sheer determination. Some of the most rare and graphic signs and globes are found here but in relatively sparse numbers. Tom outlined a bunch and there were lots more but few examples are ever available for sale or to be found...........Les

Thanks for all the information. If anyone has Montana related Peltrolia or station e-pics please feel free to forward them to me at bgoodman@mt.gov. FYI-there is a very good 2-part article in Montana Magazine on the history of petroleum refining in Montana that appeared in Spring/Summer 1998.

There was a mention of Husky in one reply. They were originally based out of Wyoming until they sold off most of their U.S. assets and retreated to Canada. They later re-entered the US market and also aquired Earl Clack's operations in the mid-1950s. They continued to operate many stations in MT until the early 1970s and of course are still widespread in Canada. Thanks. Brian

Brian,
I have some H. Earl Clack station surveys with pictures and inventories of some stations in Montana and Idaho that were taken just before and during the time that Husky bought them out.
But like minuteman I am kind of curious as to why you want them.... you never really answered his question.
bob

Sorry I never got back to respoding to the questions in the post. One of my jobs with the Montana DOT (MDT) is to research historical gas stations particularly those adjacent to our right-of-way, prior to construction activities. This is primarily for environmental concerns such as subsurface leaks from the tank and dispenser systems. Also we often expanded our right-of-way and purchased portions of these properties and for legal reasons we need to know where the dispensers and buildings were located. Often we have no records and there are no local historical records especially in the smaller towns in Montana. Also we have a department historian that may be able to help preserve the station if it meets certain criteria. I hope someday that we can incorporate one of these historic properties into a roadside park with a restored station. I am sure it would be a tremendous public attraction. Also I ultimately would like to put together a road guide to historic stations in our state. There is a H.E. Clack station in Saco, MT (US 2)that is on the national historic register, but I believe it is still in private ownership. Thanks for any information or photos you can provide.

Brian S. Goodman
Montana Department of Transportation
Environmental Services
2701 Prospect Ave.
P.O. Box 201001
Helena, Montana 59620-1001
406-444-7632
bgoodman@mt.gov