Calling all early 50's rural Peoria area Texaco & Sinclair stations

[Danbo1957]

Agree with the above concerning period published maps that list stations, and try to find older phone books that may have station listings. Also, you may have to just do historical research on the names of your family friends to find where they may have lived during that time.

[Curly Q. Bobalink]

Originally Posted by Danbo1957

Agree with the above concerning period published maps that list stations, and try to find older phone books that may have station listings. Also, you may have to just do historical research on the names of your family friends to find where they may have lived during that time.

Good idea on the phone books; interestingly, many older phone books (going back to the 1910's) are available online at the National Library website. I tried looking, but didn't see any yellow pages outside of Chicago, maybe I didn't spend enough time there (I'll probably go back when I have more time, I found the listing for a childhood friend myself in one). It's amazing what's digitized these days. I'm even wondering if the commercial genealogy sites (Ancestry.com, etc.) could offer, without having a surname to search.

[xrhonda91]

Thanks very much for the info and tips and interest---appreciate it !


That is actually just a state highway map given away by Sinclair as a service. Most stations did that long ago. Actually have one, but gas-station locations are not marked.


Have been at this for over fifteen years now (just don't quit or admit defeat easily). Have visited or contacted most if not all of the libraries in the large search area that had old phone directories (most didn't) and copied pages listing gas-stations. Contacted a lot of people, but place didn't sound familiar or their memories weren't clear. Everyone in my family who would know these people's names are gone or have memory issues, so only have my mostly very clear memories (except for names) which that composite picture was "assembled" from. Have contacted the EPA and Illinois Fire-Marshall with no success. You have to provide owner's name to get any archived gas-station info from county records---they're not indexed by brand name. Have also looked at all old Sinclair pics found on-line and 10's of thousands of available individual property vintage aerial photos from the time they had the business from late '60's into early '70's for all involved counties in search area---that took many months by itself and those collections are not complete. I was inside the building and small office area as a kid, but just can't remember the printing on glass door and didn't pay enough attention during trip to remember towns we passed through... Every day I try to remember even a small additional detail to help with search, but no luck yet. Have tried genealogy sites in the past, but not recently...



Thanks again---maybe something will "click" soon ?


John

[Curly Q. Bobalink]

Originally Posted by xrhonda91

Thanks very much for the info and tips and interest---appreciate it !

That is actually just a state highway map given away by Sinclair as a service. Most stations did that long ago. Actually have one, but gas-station locations are not marked.

Have been at this for over fifteen years now (just don't quit or admit defeat easily). Have visited or contacted most if not all of the libraries in the large search area that had old phone directories (most didn't) and copied pages listing gas-stations. Contacted a lot of people, but place didn't sound familiar or their memories weren't clear. Everyone in my family who would know these people's names are gone or have memory issues, so only have my mostly very clear memories (except for names) which that composite picture was "assembled" from. Have contacted the EPA and Illinois Fire-Marshall with no success. You have to provide owner's name to get any archived gas-station info from county records---they're not indexed by brand name. Have also looked at all old Sinclair pics found on-line and 10's of thousands of available individual property vintage aerial photos from the time they had the business from late '60's into early '70's for all involved counties in search area---that took many months by itself and those collections are not complete. I was inside the building and small office area as a kid, but just can't remember the printing on glass door and didn't pay enough attention during trip to remember towns we passed through... Every day I try to remember even a small additional detail to help with search, but no luck yet. Have tried genealogy sites in the past, but not recently...

Thanks again---maybe something will "click" soon ?
John

Sorry that didn't pan out, I was very hopeful - in the map on the "Etsy" site, one of the thumbnail photos of the map shows the map itself - visible within it are small, red letters ("38, 39, 41" etc., I had assumed these numbers were locations of Sinclair stations, and there would be a corresponding numbered list with addresses on the back of the map somewhere. The numbers must indicate something else, but without the map key, I'm just guessing. Darn!

Below is the link to the Library of Congress directory of digital phone books, maybe something there will help you. Incidentally, I have my own "White Whale", I've wondered for years about the location of a house I played at as a kid, actually located in the city I currently live in.
It belonged to a guy my Dad worked with who died when I was maybe ten years old, I'd love to drive by there and see it again. I think I'll be able to find it in one of these phone books, and plan on searching for it soon. If I have any other ideas about your Sinclair station, I'll come back.
Cheers!
https://www.loc.gov/collections/unit...ation:illinois

[xrhonda91]

Thanks much for your help and always welcome any ideas ! I've bookmarked that LOC site---looks like they're just in Chicago area at present...

Finding that house with what you already know should be easy if it's still there.

Yes, I thought the same thing about the map until I saw the legend.

Do remember some of the road lay-out from the trip, but can't find anything that matches in the aerial or topographical views so wonder if those memories are fouled... Seemed that the road that their gas-station turned heating business was on had been closed at one end due to highway construction (maybe why gas-station went out of business ?) and it "teed" with what looked like a newer road to the right which somewhat paralleled this highway and terminated at another which angled slightly, but went through to city or town that we passed through en-route. Too bad there aren't aerial views of entire search area from '69-'70 as I would be able to recognize the place...

Thanks again & good luck finding that house !
John

[xrhonda91]

Originally Posted by Brown Eyed Handsome Man

Early 50's rural Peoria area Texaco Station checking in here!

Do you remember a place like shown in picture ? It was an unusual layout as the right side of the building faced the road... Pretty sure Grandma said it was a Sinclair station, but maybe it was Texaco ?



Thanks !


John

[xrhonda91]

Still wracking my brain trying to remember details of the trip to this place...

As mentioned earlier, the most unusual thing about the gas station building was that it sat sideways on its rural lot with the "right" side of building facing the road with the two-pump island between. The "front" faced left towards house next door...

Have never seen that done before or since, so still hoping after all these years of searching that someone in that area will run across this and remember...

Thanks again for sharing this with anyone you know within the search area !

John

[xrhonda91]

Getting close to another Christmas and wonder if these people are still living...

Would definitely recognize the place viewing aerial images, but not all areas have them available from the correct time period and it's possible that development overtook them.

Still hoping that someone will run across this thread who will recognize their place from picture and description above or know somebody who might...

Thanks much !
John

[xrhonda91]

Still have hope that someone will remember this place after seeing the "composite picture" I put together and posted on the first page of this thread...


Thanks very much for looking and passing it on to anyone you know in the very large search area...


John

[kazimierz]

Might be a long shot, but send a message to

https://www.facebook.com/ppllocalhistory/

They post a ton of old pictures and may be able to help