|
C. K. Brown started
delivering by mule drawn wagon
Photo courtesy Mel
Brown |
Editor's Note:
The following letter from Mel Brown, author of Chinese
Heart of Texas, furnished us with these two photos and the accompanying
story, which will begin a new series in TE entitled "Texans at
Work".
At
age five, I went to live with my grandparents in San
Antonio. My grandfather, C. K. Brown was nearing the end of a
35 year long career with The Humble Oil & Refining Co. as a truck
driver and was then marking time daily by running errands for the
regional depot. For most of the previous three decades he had delivered
Humble petroleum products throughout South Texas and all over San
Antonio first by mule team, above, then motor transport. But for
that first year before entering grade school, I became his pint sized
partner running around S A with him to the various Humble stations
in a '49 Chevy pickup truck. We delivered tires, parts and products,
picked up extra cash on hand for bank delivery, took orders, etc.
and I had the time of my young life. "CK" was well known and loved
by all, so at each stop the garagemen vied for my attention by offering
me cold soda pop, peanuts from the penny vending machines, or candy
bars etc. And naturally, there was always the omnipresent bell in
the office to ring by jumping on an air hose laid across the driveway
for customer's tires to hit. Those were needed to alert busy or inattentive
gas station workers to customers needing service in the years before
Self-Serve came along. |
 |
| Anyhow, my very
dim recollection is that the old station featured as "The
Last Humble Gas Station" was out on either South Nogalitos or
Flores streets. Whichever it might have been, it was a delightful
surprise to see it again and still standing. |
| That's
"CK" on the right with his assistant driver in the photo which was
shot at the old Humble depot on El Paso St. just west of downtown.
His truck was decorated for the annual Battle of Flowers Parade of
1930 because in those days the historic event included a commercial
section made up of businesses, merchants and vendors from all over
town. - Mel
Brown, Austin, June 11, 2007 |
C. K. Brown (right)
and assistant driver
Photo courtesy Mel
Brown |
|
|
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