M&H: The Gas Station Meeting Place Almost As Popular As Scotty's Drive-In

By Richard D’Amico

We often romanticize driving up to a “service station” in the 1960’s and having that special attendant come out to take care of us.

At that time, you could not pump your own gas (why would you want to?), so it was taken care of for you. In addition, the attendant would check your tire pressure, oil and fluid levels as well as clean your windows. And there was a mechanic on duty in two service bays. Because the price of gas in 1966 was about 30 cents per gallon, this level of service was very important to keep customers coming back. 

Service station slogans at the time were: “Trust your car to the man who wears the star” (Texaco) or “Put a tiger in your tank” (Esso). 

If it’s hard to believe that gas was so cheap, remember that in 1966, a bottle of Coke was 10 cents and the average family earned around $6,900 a year.

For our Arizona classmates, a 1966 Christmas dinner at The Flamingo Prime Rib Room, Tucson cost $2.25 for Roast Oregon Tom Turkey, Sage Dressing, Giblet Gravy, Fresh Cranberry Sauce, Christmas Salad or Chicken Gumbo Soup, Sweet Potatoes Soufflé, Whipped Potatoes, Brandy Sauce, Black Bottom Rum Pie, Hot Apple Pie with Melted Cheese, Coffee, Tea, or Milk.

But around the mid-1960s service stations were being replaced by gas stations, particularly among the price-conscious young. At these new stations, gas was cheaper, but there were no service bays or mechanics and you didn’t always get the “service” included. You sometimes pumped your own gas, and if you wanted your oil checked or windshield washed, you had to ask or you did it yourself.

M&H Gas, at Sixth Avenue and South Second Street, was a part of a transition between the old “service stations” and the no-service stations we all patronize today.

I worked at M&H for one year during high school. The pay was $1.60 per hour and we worked no matter what the weather. 

Saturday nights were especially busy at the station, because of all the young people “dragging” Main Street with their cars. At some point they would pull into M&S for the cheap gas. 

There would often be a funny moment where everyone in the car would argue about how much change they could put in for gas and then they asked for 50 cents or more and expected all the service.

When the girls pulled in to the station it was often like the scene in the circus where everyone piles out of the car and rushes to use the bathroom.  It never failed that one of them in a mini skirt would ask if they could get just a little more gas than they paid for since they were a little short of money. (Ladies, you know who you are.)

  

As the evening progressed, the same cars would come back in with different people in them and ask for a few cents more in gas. The guys usually did not care about getting the windows of the cars washed but the girls had a lot of fun pointing out “You missed a spot here.”

One of the most important reasons that kids came to M&H was that no one really checked out their fake IDs.  A lot of cigarettes and 6 packs of beer were sold to classmates who “looked old enough.” Many IDs from older brothers or sisters made the rounds. 

I don’t remember any abusive comments or problems with the high schoolers I sold gas to.

These were special times for us. Now we all pump our own gas and use a credit card at the pump so there is no need for human contact.