Best Years article by Joy Vancos  first appeared in the Rhinelander Daily News 2009

During the early 1920s, if someone wanted to buy gas in Rhinelander, they purchased it at a pump owned by a service garage or dealership.  Or they bought it by the can at a hardware store.  It wasn't until around 1924 that gas stations were constructed along the most popular city routes.

In Rhinelander, there were nine stand-alone filling stations by 1927.  three were within one block of each other in the downtown area -- the Deep Rock Oil Co. was the first to establish a station (157 S. Anderson) and was quickly followed by Standard Service nearby at 186 S. Anderson.  Within walking distance at 120 S. Brown, William McRae opened a Sinclair station in  1925, only to sell it to the Wadham Oil Co. two months later.  Next, the Northwestern Oil Company constructed a station at 304 Lincoln.  Directly opposite to the north, Wadham Oil owned a second station (today's Burger King site).  At the eastern city limits was East Side Service on Newell Street.

The Soo Filling Station was located across from the taverns in the Hollow at 301 Thayer.  Further to the north, Art Larson established Northside Service at 1451 Eagle St., a prized location since during this time period, Stevens Street had not yet been extended and the highway to Eagle River (63) ran from Eagle St., across the bridge and along today's Highway W.  Years later, other stations were constructed along the way.  Leaving the city to the west, the Genett family poured gas at the Hillcrest Station, 1430 River St.  This gas business was the only one owned by a woman -- Edna Genett.

Of these nine, four of the buildings are still standing, but only one is still in use as a gas station.  The Marathon station on S. Anderson, currently owned by Jason Loka, has the honor of not only being the first gas station in Rhinelander, but the only one of the original nine which is still active.  During the following years, filling stations popped up "like jack pines", reported one newspaper.  The Standard Oil Co. built a second station on N. Brown St in 1930.  This building later became Jet's Dairy Bar.  Further north, the Rhinelander Oil Co. built across from Rueckert's Grocery (today's Thrift Shop) and Delore Plankey managed a station at the triangle of Pinos and N. Stevens.

The number of stations within the city limits or immediately outside, peaked around 1953 at 29.  Most were small, new buildings, but some took advantage of various empty businesses along a well-traveled street, like the Track-Side Station which occupied the old, stone jail on Davenport.