Whiting Brothers Gasoline Stations

Whiting Brothers was a chain of gasoline stations founded in 1926 and based in St. Johns and Holbrook, Arizona. ¹ At its peak, the company operated more than one hundred filling stations—at least forty of which were located along U.S. Route 66, as well as fifteen motels ² and several truck stops. ³ The business operated under the slogan “Quality Gas for Less.” ⁴

The chain’s origins were rooted in the Whiting family’s earlier ventures in lumber. ⁶ The father of the four founding brothers owned a lumberyard, allowing the family to construct small, inexpensive service stations using their own materials. The first station was built on the National Old Trails Highway in St. Johns. When that route was bypassed by the newly designated Route 66 in 1926, the brothers opened their first Route 66 station in nearby Holbrook. ⁷ Construction continued through the Great Depression, fueled by the westward migration of Dust Bowl refugees from Oklahoma and Texas.

Whiting Brothers stations were typically modest in size, with one or two pumps and a six-foot roadside sign. They offered lower fuel prices than the major chains, did not extend credit, and provided discount cards that reduced the cost of a gallon by an additional cent or two. The company also distributed trading stamps redeemable for merchandise or savings and gave away free ice with summer fuel purchases. ⁸

Station operators were housed on-site and paid commissions on fuel sales. Profits were reinvested into further expansion, with stations and motels built along major U.S. highways, usually on inexpensive land at the edge of town. ⁹ The Whiting family promoted its broader business legacy, dating to 1917, which included ventures in lumber, steel, gasoline, cattle, and real estate. During World War II, the company entered the Northern Arizona logging industry. ¹⁰ Executives regularly traveled the highways to maintain oversight of station operations. ¹¹

In later years, the company expanded westward into Mojave, Lenwood, and Barstow, California, and eastward to Shamrock, Texas. ¹¹ However, by the 1970s, the rise of the Interstate highway system and national fuel shortages led to a sharp decline in business. Stations in profitable areas were sold off individually during the 1980s, while many others were abandoned altogether as traffic bypassed the old U.S. routes.

A number of these vacant stations, with original red-on-yellow signage, still stand in various states of decay along bypassed stretches of Route 66. One of the last active sites to retain its original branding was Sal & Inez’s Service Station in Moriarty, New Mexico, purchased in 1985. ^{12 13} Restoration of two historic signs at that location, supported by the National Park Service’s Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, culminated with the re-lighting of the first sign in December 2014. ⁵