Esso Service Stations, Humble Oil and Refining Company, September 1963

There are certain advertisements that seem especially evocative of the era in which they were created, and this one is a perfect example of that. So many elements of this Esso ad are reflective of a lost era, when even a stop at a service station could be a fun and memorable experience.

In the 1960s, as construction of the United States interstate system was well underway, many families took extended road trips as a part of their vacations. And for these trips, the full-service gas station was a key part of the experience. Not only could motorists have their tanks filled by the station attendant (a service that is rare in much of North America today except for New Jersey and Oregon), but could also have their oil and fluids checked and their windshields cleaned. There were also maps available for the taking, with guidance as to the best routes to take for a particular destination (this was *long*before the days of GPS!) And of course, as most road travellers would have agreed in 1963 (as well as today), clean restrooms were a must. At a time when facilities at service stations could be very hit or miss, Esso/Humble  prided itself on its sparkling restrooms (and even promoted them with prominent signage indicating just that).

In this ad we see a typical family of the time with two children, enjoying a drive through Wawona in their bright yellow sedan and peering down from the crown of the State of Liberty. We see Mom and Sister marvelling at the clean restroom paper towels (a contrast from the often-grimy rotating cloth towel-on-a-roll dispensers commonly used in public restrooms at that time). We also see Son enjoying a soft drink (in a glass returnable bottle!) while Mom and Sister wait for the attendant to finish cleaning the car's windshield (Dad is presumably inside the station getting maps).

Much has changed since 1963, as even the Esso brand itself was changed to Exxon in the United States  in 1973 (although the Esso name is still used in Canada). The smiling attendant and the Happy Motoring! signs are now long gone from most Exxon stations throughout the country. But the road trip continues to be a popular travel experience, and for many people, the memories remain of a simpler, and perhaps more enjoyable era.