Derby Station

[Hoss]

I went to the Stokely Event Center this evening to pick up my Tulsa Oiler season tickets (they usually make a big get-together out of it where you can meet the coaching staff and new players) and forgot how much I loved this place and all its old neon and other signs.

I noticed they had a Derby Station sign out front tonight, and wondered how many around here remember those stations.  I do vaguely.  I remember one being just west of Peoria on the south side of 15th street..this would likely be in the early/mid seventies as I was very young and we lived in the 1400 block of S Elgin at that time (no longer exists as the IDL ate that house up).

When we moved, there was another one at Admiral and 91st East Ave (just across the street from the now-defunct Vegas Club).

Can anyone here remember any other locations?  The reason I ask is because it's one of my very first vivid memories as a child...being in a car with my mother when she pulled into the station on 15th and asked them to fill it up with 'Ethyl'.  At 39 cents a gallon if my memory serves correctly.

A memory jog might be in order:

[Red Arrow]

... fill it up with 'Ethyl'.  At 39 cents a gallon if my memory serves correctly.

The expensive stuff.

[dbacksfan 2.0]

There are two that I remember, one across from Skelly Jr. High next to the Briar Village Center that became a flower shop, and the other was on 21st just east of Skate World. I think it eventually became Coastal, had their logo on the old Derby sign.

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.1189427,-95.8738171,3a,34.6y,160.82h,85.48t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sDk7c_GxLqM72UaWoqEnrlg!2e0?hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.1335307,-95.8464235,3a,75y,358.62h,80.36t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sg8RI3NTENcU1tILgPHdPww!2e0?hl=en

The one on 31st across from Skelly was always strange because there was a Conoco or a Skelly right next door that was a full service station. The one on 21st was where the Mexican Bakery is.

[Conan71]

I think that Derby on 15th is what is now Grumpy's Garden, IIRC.

[Hoss]

I think that Derby on 15th is what is now Grumpy's Garden, IIRC.

Yeah, I think you're right.  I only remember the two, although the ones DB2 refer to I sort of remember.

[Conan71]

I remember a few other extinct brands around town:

Consumers at 21st & Columbia where Einstein Brothers is now.
Hudson/Hornet 31st St. north side of the street between roughly Harvard and Marion
Cardon, one in Jenks and I think there may have been one on the south side of 31st near Toledo (Now a garden shop)
DX was all over the place at one point

What were some of the other brands?  Seems like service stations were as common as Walgreens or QT on every major intersection.

[Hoss]

I remember a few other extinct brands around town:

Consumers at 21st & Columbia where Einstein Brothers is now.
Hudson/Hornet 31st St. north side of the street between roughly Harvard and Marion
Cardon, one in Jenks and I think there may have been one on the south side of 31st near Toledo (Now a garden shop)
DX was all over the place at one point

What were some of the other brands?  Seems like service stations were as common as Walgreens or QT on every major intersection.

Vickers.  The one I remember most prominently was the one (now completely gone) at the SE corner of 11th and 101st East Ave.  I lived just north in the Ridge View Apt complex at about 8th and 101st East AVe when I was younger.

Also Total, which I guess is what Vickers turned into.

[heironymouspasparagus]

I remember a few other extinct brands around town:

Consumers at 21st & Columbia where Einstein Brothers is now.
Hudson/Hornet 31st St. north side of the street between roughly Harvard and Marion
Cardon, one in Jenks and I think there may have been one on the south side of 31st near Toledo (Now a garden shop)
DX was all over the place at one point

What were some of the other brands?  Seems like service stations were as common as Walgreens or QT on every major intersection.

Gulf.  Conoco.  Mobil.

And George Gobel's brand - FINA..."with flash...fantastic!!"


Close family member was chief designer of all the DX stations (Mid-Continent Petroleum) in the midwest from the early 60's until the 70's when they stopped selling gas.  By then Sunoco owned them and didn't want to market in the area.  There was one at 51st and Yale - northwest corner that was called the "Circle station"....yep, it was round.

[Conan71]

Gulf.  Conoco.  Mobil.

And George Gobel's brand - FINA..."with flash...fantastic!!"


Close family member was chief designer of all the DX stations (Mid-Continent Petroleum) in the midwest from the early 60's until the 70's when they stopped selling gas.  By then Sunoco owned them and didn't want to market in the area.  There was one at 51st and Yale - northwest corner that was called the "Circle station"....yep, it was round.

The circle station at 51st & Yale was a Cam 2.

Another member had PM'd me Pemco.  I think we also had APCO as well as ARCO (Atlantic Richfield).  The ARCO I remember was on the north end of Utica Square where Valley National Bank is now.  Didn't AMOCO also maintain a service station on the corner of their old campus at 41st & Yale where OU Tulsa is now?

[TheArtist]

I remember a few other extinct brands around town:

Consumers at 21st & Columbia where Einstein Brothers is now.
Hudson/Hornet 31st St. north side of the street between roughly Harvard and Marion
Cardon, one in Jenks and I think there may have been one on the south side of 31st near Toledo (Now a garden shop)
DX was all over the place at one point

What were some of the other brands?  Seems like service stations were as common as Walgreens or QT on every major intersection.

I remember the U-tote'm stores with the totem pole signs.  And of course the Git-n-go with the little neon boy that would run. 

[heironymouspasparagus]

The circle station at 51st & Yale was a Cam 2.

Another member had PM'd me Pemco.  I think we also had APCO as well as ARCO (Atlantic Richfield).  The ARCO I remember was on the north end of Utica Square where Valley National Bank is now.  Didn't AMOCO also maintain a service station on the corner of their old campus at 41st & Yale where OU Tulsa is now?

Started out as DX.  I was there when it opened with the rest of the family and a bunch of DX functionaries.  And the family guy designed it.


Edit added;
Yes, the Amoco was there - right on the corner - right in front of their research facility behind it there.

[heironymouspasparagus]

This page has a picture of the station when almost new.  Can't remember exact dates - was somewhere around 1962 to 1965.  The site says 1962, but I thought it was just a little later than that.  Looks like a '60 Chevy...I would have thought they could have found a newer car for the picture!  Go to the page, then use the toolbar at top of browser to search for "circle".  

The DX 'premium' had that gold decal around the base of the pump (see in picture).  I managed to snag a couple of those decals one time and probably still have them in a box somewhere....

http://pleasantfamilyshopping.blogspot.com/2011/03/golden-age-of-gas-stations.html

[Breadburner]

Gibble Gas.....

[heironymouspasparagus]

I remember the U-tote'm stores with the totem pole signs.  And of course the Git-n-go with the little neon boy that would run. 

Can't remember how many of those Git-N-Go signs I got to climb around in during assembly - many!  All porcelain panels, screwed together here in town.  Neon made here, too, at a great sign shop!  Would love to have one of those today!

[Conan71]

This page has a picture of the station when almost new.  Can't remember exact dates - was somewhere around 1962 to 1965.  The site says 1962, but I thought it was just a little later than that.  Looks like a '60 Chevy...I would have thought they could have found a newer car for the picture!  Go to the page, then use the toolbar at top of browser to search for "circle".  

The DX 'premium' had that gold decal around the base of the pump (see in picture).  I managed to snag a couple of those decals one time and probably still have them in a box somewhere....

http://pleasantfamilyshopping.blogspot.com/2011/03/golden-age-of-gas-stations.html

Great photo!  Tulsa used to be on the cutting edge of architecture.  We still have a few MCM gems in and around the 31st & Yale to Harvard area.