Do you think about gas stations? Probably not much, until you notice that your vehicle’s fuel level is low, and you then stop at one near your home or your work. You vaguely assume gas stations have always been around and always will be. Of course that’s not true - at least that they’re always existed.
Petroleum is a natural substance produced by nature. It comes from ancient organic matter that’s been buried underground, under pressure, for millions of years. It can be burned, making it a fuel source, something that humanity continues to require increasing amounts of. But it wasn’t until the middle 1800s that anyone finally figured out that this could be done to any significant degree with the black stuff that seeped out of the ground in certain places. Gradually petroleum — oil — would come to replace wood, coal and other oils from natural sources as the go-to source to burn for power.
This development happened to conveniently coincide with the invention of the internal-combustion engines that were utilized for the first automobiles as they evolved in Europe and the USA, beginning in the 1880s. And it was gasoline in particular, which is just one of the liquids that can be refined from crude oil, that was the most useful.
The first two autos to be imported to the Hawaiian Islands arrived in 1899, and you would understandably assume that this meant that the suppliers of petroleum-based fuels like kerosene — the most useful at that time — would need to start supplying gasoline soon after. But you’d be wrong, because (perhaps surprisingly) those very early cars didn’t use it. How could that be? Simple - they were electric! That’s not a new technology, as you might think; it’s one of the first that was used for cars.
Obviously, though, it was gasoline power that would soon take over. In those very early days, though, there were no gas stations nor any gas pumps to fill up the tanks of automobiles. Gas was often delivered to retailers in large cans, from which the liquid was poured into smaller containers to eventually end up in cars. This was clearly a slow, cumbersome and inefficient process.
As automobile manufacturing exploded in the United States in the early 1900s, putting it ahead of every other nation’s per capita car ownership, the delivery of gas to individual vehicles was greatly improved with the system we use today: a large tank is installed underground, and electrically-powered pumps pull it up from below ground and then into the machines that use it. With Hawai‘i’s annexation by the USA being finalized in 1900, we naturally followed what was happening throughout the entire country, including automobile ownership and all its related activities.
It might be surprising that the first gas pumps weren’t placed as they are today. Instead, they were placed on sidewalks next to streets, meaning that cars stopped to get gas might be blocking other traffic. It took awhile for the next step to occur, which was to create a dedicated space off the streets for refueling to take place.
By the 1920s in Hawai‘i, the familiar gas station was in use. This was the same as we have today: a space with a building whose roof protects one or two islands on which several gas pumps are installed. The pump hoses and handles can be used for vehicles stopped on either side, which accommodates more cars at one time, and everything is moved safely off the street and away from traffic and pedestrians.
The oil companies that owned the gas stations often wanted two things for their facilities. First, they preferred to use a standardized architectural style that made their brand’s buildings quickly recognizable to motorists, in hopes of creating customer loyalty. This was particularly because, until the 1980s, there were no credit cards that could be used universally for any kind of purchase. Drivers had to carry a different credit card for each specific gas company, making them more likely to seek out a particular brand where they could charge their purchase. And secondly, oil companies also wanted their stations to be somewhat attractive, particularly in residential areas where neighbors might be critical of an industrial-looking structure.
A feature of gas stations for decades were the small colored triangular flags that fluttered from overhead ropes above the properties. In use since at least 1940 for special events, by the 1960s these flags were strung up continuously and were an easy way to spot a station as you approached.
Into the early 2000s, motorists expected a number of free services to be provided for their cars each time they got gas. First, and most importantly, only employees actually pumped gas. This was partly because the process could be a little grimy and customers did not want to dirty their hands, but also because gasoline was so flammable — and so many people still smoked at that time — that allowing unsupervised handling of the fuel was potentially dangerous. But in addition, windshields were wiped while oil levels were checked under the hood. Tire pressures were confirmed, with air being added if required. As gas prices began to rise abruptly in the 1970s, though, stations began to cut back on such amenities and to gradually shift to self service exclusively.
Possibly the biggest change in the gas station business, however, was the complete abandonment of selling car parts (including batteries and tires) along with actually repairing vehicles. This had been a long-established part of the industry and customers often dropped off their cars for such work at their favorite station. The loss of this service was partly due to the increasing complexity of car engines, but possibly more important was the decision by oil companies to simplify their work - just stick to selling gas and drop all the other stuff. Today, the older station buildings that are still in use have long since repurposed their former service bays into convenience stores, and now gas customers are entirely on their own to fill their own vehicles.
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