BLAUVELT'S HILL Traditional Cache

While traveling in the late 1920s W. A. Blauvelt had the idea to open a gasoline filling station on the Kansas-Nebraska state line south of Superior. With the gasoline tax being lower in Kansas than it was in Nebraska, his idea was well received. It wasn't long before he was selling two truck loads of gasoline per day. The fuel was shipped to Warwick via the railroad, unloaded and trucked to Superior. When his older sons show little interest in the business he sold that first station to the Hill Oil Company. It has been remodelled and remains in operation today on the stateline. In 1929 he purchased the 80 acres the first station was located on and proceeded to build a farmsted. In late 1934, he decided to return to the gasoline business and with his youngest son, Roy C. (Bussie) Blauvelt opened another station on the stateline. Both stations were on the stateline near where the former route of Highway 14 turned west. The new station opened on Feb. 1, 1935. That May the Great Republican River Flood of 1935 swept down the valley. The Blauvelt Station was not only surrounded by water, it was swept off it foundation. The underground tanks were washed out and later found full of mud and caught in the trees near Warwick. The tanks were cut open, cleaned, welded shut and returned to service. In 1942 the Kansas portion of the Highway was rerouted and the station moved onto what has become known as Blauvelt's Hill. Knowing road was changing Roy Blauvelt had the year before constructed the first building on Blauvelt's Hill, a home for his bride. For the next 30 year the Blauvelt family operated a business on the hill. The business was expanded to offer on farm delivery of petroleum products and the sale of things like fencing and well supplies, grain bins and grain handling equipment, feed and hybrid seed, sporting goods including boats, motors and campers and the typical items sold by service station. The station was open 365 days a year from early in the morning to late at night. But the product which drew the most attention was their fireworks stand. They advertised it into central Nebraska as the largest fireworks stand in North Central Kansas. On busy days Roy's father served as the parking attendant directing customers to parking spaces. The Blauvelts were jobbers for Champlin and Skelly petroleum products. Though the name wasn't used then, the business was much like a modern convenience store with a large selection of candy, pop, ice cream, eggs, milk, chips, etc. It offered the largest selection of work gloves available in Superior. Watermelons and cantaloupes were raised on nearby fields and sold at the station each fall. Some years roasting ears and tomatoes were also available. In the late 1960s Dr. James Teachworth located his office on Blauvelt's Hill. His son Dr. Lance Teachworth continues a practice in his father's building just a short ways south of this sign. In 1972 Blauvelt Station was sold and Roy Blauvelt retired. The 1973 Arab Oil Embargo brought lasting changes to the business. It operated another 10 years before closing. The property has had several owners since. Most recently it was sold to Diane Nelson who plans to tear down the original building and the attached tire shop. Many of the other buildings have been removed over the years but the Blauvelts' two houses and a concrete block building remain. At the peak of their popularity, five filling stations operated near Superior on the Kansas side of the state line. Three were located on the Webber road and two along Highway 14. The Blauvelt family continues to own a few acres where this sign is located. W. A. Blauvelt died in 1967 and Roy Blauvelt in 2013.

Thank you Bill for all you have done to make this cache possible.