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Watch Fill ’er Up: The Glory Days of Wisconsin Gas Stations

Intro (length 1:49)
A brand-new documentary produced by Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) takes a look at vintage gas stations as icons of architecture, economics and pop culture.
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Filling Stations (length 4:55)
With the arrival of hand-cranked pumps, the first gas stations appeared on the landscape. The shack-like buildings evolved to look like little houses to better fit into the neighborhoods.
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The Service Station (length 4:15)
In an effort to increase profits during the hard times of Great Depression, gas retailers began adding service bays to the filling station.
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Designing an Icon (length 3:36)
Milwaukee architect Alexander Eschweiler’s Japanese inspired pagoda-like stations paved the way for modern fast food structures.
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Restoring the Glory Days (length 3:17)
In Independence, Loren Nelson restored a 1931 Texaco station back to its former glory.
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The Oblong Box (length 2:48)
Increased competition set the stage in the 1930s for an entirely new station—an efficient design that lasted for the next 30 years.
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End of an Era (length 3:33)
During the 1970s rising gas prices, self-service pumps and strict environmental standards caused some stations go out of business or convert to convenience stores.
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Historic Gas Stations (length 3:43)
Almost 70 Wisconsin gas stations are now listed on local, state and national registers of historic places.
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Take a closer look

Documentaries produced by Wisconsin Public Television explore Wisconsin's automative history and the growth of our infrastructure. Visit the Web sites and watch the programs online with RealPlayer.

Wisconsin Stories: Car Show | Explore Wisconsin's rich automotive history through three stories: Build ’Em, Drive ’Em and Race ’Em. Watch whole program here.

The Great Race (7:01) | This segment from Wisconsin Stories: Making History takes a closer look at an 1878 experiment with steam-driven carriages that may have been the world's first car race.

CCC (4:52) | Before gas stations, there had to be roads. After the U.S. economic crash of 1929, the federal government created the CCC, which employed 90,000 young men in Wisconsin. The CCC transformed the Wisconsin landscape via soil conservation and reforestation. It constructed bridges and roads, and state park infrastructure. Part of the five-part Sesquicentennial Wisconsin Stories: Building a State.

Pre-order “Fill ’er Up” book coming in 2008

Look for the companion book of the same name by historians Jim Draeger and Mark Speltz. Pre-order “Fill ’er Up” from WHS Press.