Long ago on independence square (Kansas City, Lee's Summit: apartment complexes, mall, homeowner)

[MRG Dallas]

In 1957, a Clark's Super 100 Service Station shows up at 1002 N. Main. There was no listing for 1954. So it must have started and stayed at that location, then moved by 1959 out by Strike N Spare.

I remember gas at 19.9 cents/gallon for Regular one summer, I think 1969, at a cut rate station right where Crysler intersects US 40.

[WCHS'59]

The lowest gasoline price I ever saw was 14.9 at the One Pump Oil Company that was out on east 24 Highway somewhere around Kiger. This would have been around 1958, or so. They had one pump and their normal price was usually 1 cent below everyone else. At this price there was a price war but I still only filled up with $1.

1002 N main was on the corner of US Highway 24 and Main, so that would have been it.

[WCHS'59]

Hudson Oil, a regional or national company, was making some inroads in the area in the fifties. A large Hudson Station was on Independence Avenue in the Fairmount Area. A woman owned the company as I recall.

There were a couple others in the area also, but I cannot recall where they were at. The commonality with Clark Super 100 and Hudson was that you could not get service at either place, only gasoline.

Fast forward several years to the Wichita area in the late 70s where I was then residing. A Hudson station was built on Kellogg Street and it offered gasoline for sale only by the liter. I think I was the only person, so it seemed, that understood the metric system and I gassed up there often. But, no one else apparently did. It went out pretty quickly.

The only problem I had was that it took a little time and arithmetic to figure out what my miles per gallon were.

[MRG Dallas]

I remember Hudson Oil.....I think its logo was a map of Canada with Hudson marked. Site was also a fuel-only place too as I recall.

Both had their 2 stations on US 24 and US 40. Hudson @ 10711 US 24 and 9013 US 40. Site was the aforementioned US 24 and also just east of the Blue Ridge Mall

Other stations with 2 locations:

Peden Bros. Skelly 927 Noland & 10501 US 24 (lots of stations on 24)
L&H "66" out WCHS way: 1134 S. Noland & 120 E. Alton
Garner Oil Co. 600 S Crysler & 324 S. Main

Other "brands" back then:

Apco
D-X
Conoco
Mobil
Standard
Cities Service

Lots of independents listed

BTW, while searching the Hudson logo, I see where it owned the trademark for The Workingman's Friend, a discount, no frills station. Its logo was a worker in safety helmet carrying a wrench and a lunch pail. Also remember the folding maps with each station's logo on the front.

[WCHS'59]

Here is a question. What year did McDonald's arrive in Independence?

I know I was patronizing one in 1963 or 64. It was a few doors down from Cascio's Food Mart on US Highway 40--and I do not believe it is there any longer. I dont know whether it was the first one or not.

I don't recall the year McDonald's arrived, but I do recall being happy because there was finally one in town.

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Here is a question. What year did McDonald's arrive in Independence?

I know I was patronizing one in 1963 or 64. It was a few doors down from Cascio's Food Mart on US Highway 40--and I do not believe it is there any longer. I dont know whether it was the first one or not.

I don't recall the year McDonald's arrived, but I do recall being happy because there was finally one in town.

There was not one listed in either Independence or KCMO in 1960.

Where on 40 was Cascio's? I'm drawing a blank.

[WCHS'59]

I believe the location of Cascio's Super Market was west of 47th Street several blocks at Beverly Road.

Last time I was in Independence, I could not recognize it--the building has been chopped up into a number of stores, including a family dollar store. An O'Reilly auto parts store has been added to what was then a large side parking lot.

When it was built in '62, it was billed as the largest grocery store west of the Mississippi. It had 30,000 square feet of sale space and 10,000 square feet for a back room. At some point they quit advertising that because there was a larger grocery store in the St. Louis area.

The owner, Ben Cascio, moved from Kansas City to Manor Oaks in Independence. At the time, Manor Oaks was the richest subdivision in town with $100,000 houses. I don't know what the richest subdivision would be today.

I think Big Boy is where the McDonalds was at or it could have been just east of there.

[pearjas]

I recently purchased a book from Amazon that has all kinds of great older pictures of the Independence Square in it, but I don't want to get in trouble if I post any of them. If I post a link to the book on Amazon and give proper credit, I'm assuming this wouldn't be a problem? Of course I haven't began the scanning process yet though..

[MRG Dallas]

Pearjas,

I spent some time on Amazon last week and was amazed at the number of books on Independence (& KC) history. Haven't bought any yet but did save several to my Wish List.

WCHS

I can't find a Beverly and 47th. I must not be looking in the right direction. What was Cascio's close to?

Ironically, I was just thinking about the Manor Oaks neighborhood recently. I remembered where it was and found it on the map but didn't remember its name. It sure had some "Wow" type houses back in the 60s. It was in the Van Horn HS district as I recall.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

Pearjas,

I spent some time on Amazon last week and was amazed at the number of books on Independence (& KC) history. Haven't bought any yet but did save several to my Wish List.

WCHS

I can't find a Beverly and 47th. I must not be looking in the right direction. What was Cascio's close to?

Ironically, I was just thinking about the Manor Oaks neighborhood recently. I remembered where it was and found it on the map but didn't remember its name. It sure had some "Wow" type houses back in the 60s. It was in the Van Horn HS district as I recall.

Cascios was just east of Chrysler.

At 47th, move west on 40 and Beverly will be on the left or south in a few blocks. I think River Boulevard runs into 40 before you get to Beverly. However, I dont remember River Boulevard crossing 40 highway in the 50s and 60s.

Cascio's east side backed onto a residential neighborhood. I mean you could look out one of the back doors and there was a privacy fence with houses on the other side. Cascio always burned cardboard boxes--why I do not know. Most stores used them for carry out but we were instructed to burn them. On his east side, he had a huge heavy duty incinerator accessed inside in the back of the store and it had a really tall smoke stack. In other words you could wheel trash into a separate room and there was an incinerator totally inside with a large foot operated door. One time I and some others were throwing boxes in and there was a huge fire going. Someone told me to go look outside. Flames were shooting up several feet out of the top of the tall stack. Someone in the housing area had called and complained about it.

I dont think it would be possible to build a grocery store today with an incinerator. And it could be that cardboard is too valuable to burn.

Cascio sent me down to his house one time on an errand. I could not believe the opulence. Like Blevens Davis, he had a black maid in a black outfit trimmed in white with a small maid's hat.

One time also, he sent me down to a railroad yard somewhere in Kansas City. He had purchased a whole freight car load of Red Top beer. My sole job was not to work but to get the guys unloading the beer onto a truck to get in done in a timely manner.

At his grand opening, he had a display aisle that was loaded with only Van Camps pork n beans, number 303 cans. The display was a far as you see and as high as you could see, chuckle. He had purchased one or two freight car loads.

I think the last time I saw Cascios in business, maybe in the eighties, the east side had already been converted to a Berbiglia Liquor Store.