The Arrival of Big Oil in Coulee City
A new $11,000 facility brings bulk gasoline storage to the region, promising cheaper prices and modern efficiency.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
About a month ago the Standard Oil Company opened an $11,000 plant here. C. A. Stapleton, a former business man of this city, has charge of the plant and is also a special agent for the territory on the Washington Central composed of Hartline, Almira, Govan and Wilbur. All the modern fixtures for economy and convenience have been installed. Bulk goods shipped in in car load lots are pumped into three 20,000 gallon tanks. From these tanks, pipes have been laid to all convenient places in the yard for filling barrels, etc. One pipe line extends to the wagon shed so that the tank wagon may be filled while the wagon is still in the shed. All bulk goods have reduced in price from 3 to 4 cents per gallon. Gasoline may be had now at the local dealers for 27 cents per gallon or 23 1-2 in barrel lots direct from the station.
“All the modern fixtures for economy and convenience have been installed.”
This piece marks the transition of the regional economy into the industrial age of fossil fuel dependence. The focus on 'modern fixtures' and bulk efficiency echoes current debates about the infrastructure required to shift away from the very dependency this plant once fostered.
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