Sinclair Gas Stations – Part 1

I saw this ad in a Lorain Journal from May 1961 on microfilm at the library last week, and it brought back memories of Sinclair gas stations. Remember them?

Courtesy Sinclair website

There used to be quite a few Sinclair service stations in the area. But in Ohio they eventually went the way of... well, the dinosaur. According to the company website, there are no Sinclair service stations in Ohio. They all seem to be out west for the most part.

I don't recall my family ever being a regular customer of Sinclair. We were more of a Sohio or Sunoco family, as those were the two stations nearest our house along with the PURE station at Meister and Oberlin. My Mom still prefers Sunoco.

I remember as a kid noticing the Sinclair stations in the area though, mainly because of the colorful dinosaur mascot – named Dino – on the signs. After all, all kids like dinosaurs. (In my case, he probably reminded me of Dino on The Flintstones.)

Some of the local Sinclair stations even had those inflatable dinosaurs hanging outside their building. What a great marketing gimmick.

The ad above shows kids sitting on the inflatable Dinos out in the water. I wonder if they really could support the weight of a kid back then?

I kind of doubt they could today.

Next: The local Sinclair stations