Don't have much in the line of photos, except post cards, but I wanted to share a little about the Starks Station, which was torn down quite recently. Highway 47 was one of 2 main N-S routes in Illinois up until recently. When US 20 was routed to that intersection (forming a triangle, hence the other name, Starks Triangle), it was quite the little boomtown, and Standard had the lock on the gas. There was a little diner and a root beer stand on the property, and to the west, a big roadhouse and dance hall.
You could see the neon Standard sign miles to the south, and when we traveled, I was only certain we were really on our way when I couldn't see the Standard sign in the rear window any more.
They were always updating that station. It had the first T pumps I ever saw, which sadly, drove out the globes. They also had the dual crowns for the older dual pumps and the grey crown diesel pump to the side. We'd get maps there, but never soda.
Starks wreckers also made a lot of money in the area. US 20 was borderline "Death Alley" until the Tollway pulled away the truck traffic.
Seeing the picture brought back a lot of happy memories. The BP station is slightly to the north of where the Standard was and fills all the roles in one big building, except for repairs. Pingree Grove, the neighboring town, appears to have annexed Starks, but there's still a small sign to be seen. The motel a mile or so west is also gone. But there's an antique mall in the roadhouse.