DWIGHT, ILLINOIS. The Ambler-Becker filling station in Dwight, located
on the once busy intersection of U.S. Route 66 and Illinois Route 17.
You could park your lawn chair and get some sun on that intersection
today. Built in 1933, the station actually sold gas until 1999, and was restored in the 2000's. The business operated as a Texaco under Mr. Ambler, and as a
Marathon under Mr. Becker. It was probably always a good place to pick
up some smokes.
Locals Jean & Fred were attending the station
for Route 66 visitors during my visit, and gave me a tour of the place. Fred grew up on a farm
in the area, so I inquired about the local history. He explained that basically the same amount of
land is being farmed in that part of Illinois as compared to his day, with a lot fewer owners. A small number of big companies have
replaced a large number of family farms. You can't halt progress - the
big companies are a lot more efficient, which offers all kinds of
benefits - but you can mourn the loss of a way of life. I left these
folks a little bit sadder.
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