North Dakota Gas Station Has Old-Fashioned Feel

The station uses antique fuel pumps and offers charge accounts for local customers.

January 22, 2013

GRASSY BUTTE, N.D. - If you want to take a trip to yesteryear, you don??t have to build a time machine ?" just visit Beicegel Station in Grassy Butte, North Dakota. Owner Don Trotter and his wife Vickie run the gasoline station and convenience store.

Drivers fill up at antique gas pumps, which don??t offer the pre-pay option, then pay Don inside, on the honor system. Free coffee in the mornings bring in the locals, many of whom have charge accounts, for which Vickie sends a bill at the end of the month.

"It??s just like the old days," said Don Trotter. "You ain??t going to find another one like it."

"This store for us has always been our local grab," said Nikki McAlpin, who has a ranch near town and also works at the store. "We depend on it, actually."

The convenience store stocks a wide range of products, including auto parts, plumping supplies, milk and food stuffs. The couple occasionally will come to the station in the middle of the night to help a stranded motorist, as the store??s phone number rings through to the Trotters?? house at night.

With a truck stop under construction nearby, some locals worry that could mean the end of the small shop. But Vickie Trotter said they had no intention of shuttering the doors. "We??ll see how it goes," she said. "Maybe we can close it up and retire, but for now, it??s like you have to help the people."

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement