Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Showcase and Stories, Petroliana Fill up with Billups....your friend

I have been collecting anything that is Billups for the last few years. The stuff is hard to find. Ash trays, patches, business cards, pictures, and etc......years ago when I was 15 my first job that was payed with a check (who in the heck is F.I.C.A. that is taking a good chunk of my pay?) was a Billups station in Louisiana. Some of you may remember them in the south. remember the hand reaching out with the motto "your friend". They sold there own brand of tires, smokes, oil, wiper blades, and etc.... anyway I have been trying to find a Billups travel map. I check on e-bay, antique shops, flea markets, swap meets, and just about anywhere that you can think of. A few weeks ago I was on a trip...made a wrong turn....drove about 20 miles on an old east Texas farm road that I could not find on my map. Where am I? I drove a couple more miles and on the side of the road were a couple of old Texas ranchers sitting in a old tin shop shooting the breeze. I pulled over and got out of my truck walked over to them and they said......your lost ain,t ya. I said how did you know that? Which they replied we have seen ya drive by a couple of times the last half hour which I quickly answered "YES SIR". Can you tell me how to get to Milam. The gentleman that was sitting with his boots up on an old desk said lets take a look...I havn't been there in years. Reaching over and pulling the bottom drawer of the old desk, reached in and pulled out a fist full of old travel maps. As he was thumbing thru them I spotted a beloved BILLUPS map of the southeasten U.S.!!!!!! Sir could I see that one. It was in near perfect condition!!!! and dated in 1948......Sir, could I buy this map? What will you give me for it? Hummmm, how about ten dollars? Deal! Anyway the told me where I needed to go and how to get there. After thanking them and a couple of firm handshakes I said goodbye. I was headed in the right direction, about 1 1/2 hours out of my way, ten dollars lighter riding in my iron horse with the sun to my back wearing a big smile headed east with my beloved Billups map.

You have no control over your own DESTINY !
IF it is meant to happen, IT WILL. You don't always have a say in which PATH life takes you.
db

So true DB. so true.

Well after you bought the map, what else did they have??????????????????????

I did ask if there were any old gas pumps around. I was told that he had an old pump that he use to pump by hand with a big ol'glass jar at the top! I asked where it was and was told that it quit working and he pushed it in a big hole he had for trash and back filled it with dirt about ten years ago. He use to have some old signs but he would cut them to make patches for whatever he needed at the time.

I have a "Fillup with Billups" tractor trailer tin toy. Here's a link for pictures.
http://chatham-kent.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-...QQAdIdZ59573897

Price: $300
Email: ford@teksavvy.com

Gee. I posted this topic over 2 years ago.
I have 2 of those with the truck....maybe some one else would like it

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Paddy
WTB Billups, Ride with Rose, Spar, Canal, Gulf Coast, and Galtex gas and Oil related items.

[This message has been edited by texaspelican (edited 06-28-2008).]

You didn't ask him where the hole full of "junk" was??My bro was out in Durango Colorado on a hunting trip a couple years back and saw a visible,he made mention of it to the guide and he said they just got done burying a bunch of those.Of course my bro did't follow up for me,but I realize he couldn't hold up the rest of the group either.Time to get metal detectors boys.

As I read your Billups story I got to thinking about haw far back I go in this hobby. (back then I didn't know others shared the same zest for gas things) I must have been no older than 14 or 115 when my folks stopped a a 2 pump Pan-Am station in TN or AL I spoted the credit card exchange poster and asked if I could buy it . The old geezer said yep for $5. I quickly talked my Dad into giving me the % he was holding for me , later when asked what I got for $5 I showed him, if we hadn't gone 20 or more miles I think we would have turned around and gone back. I sure wish I still had it.

This sounds eerily reminiscent of an old Outer Limits episode in which basically the same thing takes place as did to pelican,except the map was free & leads him around in circles and the guys wearing overalls on the porch have guns & continually shoot,spit and giggle at him each time he drives by as the tourist cries out for relief over & over again..