Gas Stations

On a warm summer morning along the Strip in Geneva-on-the-Lake, the hum of engines mixed with the laughter of vacationers just arriving in town. Automobiles had changed everything. Where once travelers came by train or carriage, now families packed into cars, chasing freedom and fresh lake air—and they all needed one thing along the way: gasoline.

Right here stood a small but busy Sohio station, run by a man named John Zimmerman. Each spring, as the season began, Zimmerman would open his doors to the steady stream of tourists. By fall, when the crowds faded and the lake grew quiet again, he would close up shop, waiting for another summer to return.

Zimmerman wasn’t just pumping gas—he was part of the rhythm of the resort. Travelers pulled in dusty and road-weary, and he greeted them with a smile, topping off tanks, checking oil, and sending them on their way to cottages, dance halls, and lakeside memories. His station stood near the cottages he also operated, tying together lodging, travel, and hospitality in one small corner of town.

Over the years, others joined the growing network of roadside stops. Hernando’s served visitors on one end of the village, while Wycoff’s Amoco near Chestnut Grove and a Gulf station along the curve of the road helped keep the flow of cars moving. Each station had its own personality, its own regulars, and its own stories—mechanics leaning over engines, attendants wiping windshields, and families asking for directions to the lake.

By the late 1920s and into the 1950s, Zimmerman’s station remained a familiar sight, until it eventually passed into the hands of Maurice Holmes. But even as ownership changed, the purpose stayed the same: to serve the people chasing summer.

Today, the station is gone, but the stories remain. In old photographs, you can still see the men standing proudly beside the pumps, the early cars lined up out front, and the simple building that once welcomed travelers. It’s a reminder of a time when a full tank of gas meant possibility—and a small roadside stop could be the beginning of a perfect summer day.