It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a driver in possession of a full bladder, must be in want of a rest stop. However carefree the feelings or views of such a driver upon first embarking on their journey, this truth becomes well apparent in the driver’s mind when they experience an urgent, relentless need to visit the lavatory.
All hail the travel plaza, whether it’s the Flying J, Husky Truck Stop, Esso Travel Centre, ONroute or any other facility that provides travellers with “fresh and exciting food and beverage options, gas, and other amenities that improve any road trip experience.” Travel plazas offer “food, gas and more.” Let’s be honest, what brings us to them primarily is the “more.
Canada’s first gas station was opened in 1907 by Imperial Oil in Vancouver at the corner of Cambie Street and Smithe Street. According to writer Chuck Davis, employees grew tired of carting pails of gasoline to motorists and introduced a 59-litre kitchen hot-water tank with a rubber garden-hose attached to it. They erected a corrugated shed. The “company put night watchman, J. C. Rollston in charge. He “had been in poor health,” writes Davis.