This site, at the “Y” with Minnetonka Blvd. in the shadow of the Roller Garden, has a long history as a gas station. There have been many changed in owners and type of station. This chronology is pieced together from phone books and other ads; dates are dates certain, and the actual beginning and ending dates may be different. Please contact us for corrections.
1933: Worel’s Phillips 66, owned by Francis Worel
1938: L.S. Peterson’s Phillips 66 Service Station
1939: Holmberg and Hermstad Gas – Phillips 66
1940: Vince Hermstad Station (Independently owned)
1941: New building built
1943: Vince Hermstad’s Phillips 66
1945-47: Vince and Byron Hermstad’s Phillips 66
1949: Hermstad’s Mileage
1950: Victor Holmberg Mileage
1952-54: Mileage
1951
1952
1956: Victor Hermstad – Western Oil
1960-63: Mileage
1963: Building demolished, new building built
1963
1970: Western Oil
1974: Western Convenience Store. Grand opening April 4-7, 1974. Ad does not mention gas.
1975-88: Continental Oil (Conoco)
2002: Marathon
Note: Western Oil & Fuel operated Mileage and Direct Service stations. Lore has it that stations that were near railroad tracks were named Direct Service, perhaps to indicate that rail cars delivered the fuel. Western was a subsidiary of Conoco.