Anybody remember Deep Rock gas stations, where the yellow sign had a red arrow sticking through it? We used to have them all over Minn. until about ten years ago. I got curious recently and called the Kerr McGee Oil Company (which distributed Deep Rock gas), and they told me that Deep Rock and Kerr McGee got out of the service station business 7 years ago. Too bad.
We also had a lot of those small Clark Super 100 stations, too. I worked at one in Minneapolis for a couple years as a young teen in the late 1980s. It was a full-service station and the pumps still had all the old Clark globes on top! The round Clark signs on the two corners of the street had special "banjo" lights that made it look like the bulbs were moving in a circular motion--very cool!
There were 10 gas pumps (just Regular--which was actually a super grade like leaded Premium--and Unleaded). I was the only attendant, wore a complete outfit, and even had a coin changer attached to my belt. I was required to greet each customer in their car, wash all windows, check oil and all fluids, offer to fill tires, sell cigarettes without them having to leave their car (we had cigarette pack holders attached to the tall light signs on each island), etc. Really gave customers the royal treatment. (And this is just a little over ten years ago!) On top of that, I had to keep the station clean, and the "Ladies" and "Gentlemen" restrooms clean, too (yes, there were separate rooms NOT the unisex ones like nowadays). We did a good business, too. It got so busy sometimes that I never had a break all night. But hard work is good for you, huh?
When the station closed, gas was selling for 77 8/10 cents a gallon! Wow--the good old days! Clark Oil Company came and removed all the pumps. The globes were given to another Clark station in town (yup, they also had globes on top). Sadly, all the Clarks are gone from Minn. now, too, and the new blue Clark logo used at stations in other states stinks--looks awful!!
And it seems that now Standard Oil is leaving Minn., too. Most of the "Standard" and "Amoco" torch signs are being taken down and replaced with some dumb green-and-yellow "BP" signs. I can't believe it, because Standard Oil has been around here forever!
