H. Earl Clack Service Station
The service station industry was still in its infancy when businessman H. Earl Clack began building a network of retail gasoline and bulk oil outlets across the northern plains into the Pacific Northwest. His company headquarters were in Havre, and the orange and green Hi-Power logo could be found during the 1930s in virtually every community along the Montana Hi-Line. Prior to World War II, Clack outlets in Montana comprised the most extensive network of retail stations marketing regionally produced petroleum products. Clack was an early proponent of functional gas station design and one of the first retailers to adopt the modern flat-roof that came into vogue in the early 1930s. A rounded canopy over the pump island and three sets of raised chevrons incorporated into the design are distinctive stylistic additions that established Clack’s corporate identity. This vintage example, first operated by Walter “Timber” Woods in the early 1930s, is one of few remaining in the state. Husky Oil Company acquired Clack assets in 1955, and the station was vacant for several years after 1957. In the early 1960s, the Town of Saco leased the property. The community added a picnic shelter east of the office and repaired the inside facilities so that the former station could be used as a rest stop for weary US 2 travelers.
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