Historic Hood River
Hal’s Tire Service
10-16-2014
Notes
Here’s Hal’s Tire Service in August 1927. Our old friend Hal Nesbit is the proprietor. According to the December 4, 1919 Hood River Glacier Nesbit built a service station at 5th and Oak. The 1928 Sanborn map places this at 4th and Oak, which makes more sense. 5th and Oak would place this on the park in front of the library, which was built in 1913.
l.e.
I can picture this at 4th and Oak, but, not 5th and Oak.
Except for the cars, the photo looks modern.
Charlott
Looks like a very well organized and nicely kept business.
Would be interesting to see exactly how that lube rack worked. I would assume that it would have been electric powered. It just doesn’t look all that sturdy to me, but then cars of that era were lighter in weight than now.
Good good photo
Arthur
l.e. makes a good point about the location: while the Glacier placed it at 5th and Oak, the Sanborn map put it at 4th and Oak, showing all the detail including the lift location. I suspect this was just a misprint in the newspaper, as there was no place to develop at 5th and Oak. I’ll correct the text.
Mary Bartmess Kramer
It is 4th and Oak St. My husband Jerry Kramer had a gas station there and I have a framed copy of that picture. I still have the property. It houses The Passport.
Jeffrey Bryant
I have good memories of trading coins to Jerry Kramer at the gas station.
Sally Reichmuth
Curious if anyone knows what the large wooden structure behind the station is?
That would be where Kaze’s and Cutie Pie are now.
Judy
I used to look down on the station from the courthouse and know just when it would be feasible to take my car down there for a lube job.
Steve r
Great lighting – ladies restroom on the left ?
A tree with toes … And ample signage.
Jeffrey Bryant
Here is a description of the first gas station in Hood River:
The Hood River Glacier, June 16, 1910
Gasoline Tank Installed
D. [probably Dixon] McDonald has installed a gasoline tank plant which will be handy for automobile owners to use to replenish their supply of gasoline. The plant consists of a 210 gallon tank which has been buried in accordance with the recommendations of fire underwriters, a patent siphon filler to use in filling the tank and a self measuring pump which is used in taking the gasoline from the tank. It may be pumped out of a faucet in the store or out through a hose directly into the auto tank at the curb. The apparatus is the first and only thing of the kind in Hood River and has been needed to fill the needs of the fast increasing number of autos.
http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071110/1910-06-16/ed-1/seq-10/
Jeffrey Bryant
Hood River Glacier, 1925-03-12, page 11:
Hal Nesbit has decided definitely to construct a building at the corner of Fourth and Oak streets, across the former thoroughfare from the Paris Fair, where he will operate Hal’s Tire Service Shop. Work on the new structure will begin at once.
https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071110/1925-03-12/ed-1/seq-11/