The saga of Gilliland Tire goes back to the
1920’s when Elmer Gilliland left home with a dream of establishing a new life
and a new home in a new community. Intrigued
always by machines and engines, Elmer worked first at the Studebaker dealership
in Ottawa, then decided to further his training and start out on his own in a
new town.
In 1925, after graduating from Sweeney
Automotive School in Kansas City, he moved to Centropolis. In early 1926 he set up a blacksmith and
repair shop one block north of what is the main street today. Later he moved to the present location at
809 Barnes Avenue, where he operated a general repair shop and gas station.
In those early days, he was fond of saying,
“a man had to do what a man had to do”.
He cut a 1930 Erskine in half, using the motor to power a sawmill behind
the shop, furnishing native lumber for area barns and homes. He installed a sawdust-covered ice house,
supplying ice regularly to the town, hauling it from Bennett’s Ice Plant in
Ottawa, 12 long miles away.
With Yankee ingenuity, he rigged up a series
of storage batteries, wired his own home and then others, furnishing electrical
power to surrounding homes in the small town.
In early 1940, when he sold the enterprise to Kansas City Power and
Light, fourteen homes were being supplied by his room of storage batteries.
The ’30’s were hard, lean years but as the
town fought grittily to stay alive, so did the fledgling business. Cash was scarce; the barter of cream, eggs,
chickens and grain was common. “Town
night” — Monday, Thursday, and Saturday — when local farmers brought produce to
the Farmers Union general store across the street, also found the shop open. It provided a popular place for the men who
clustered around the big pot-bellied stove swapping local news and yarns.
Adversity and setbacks — two close
companions of the depression years. Too
much work, too little pay, too many unpaid accounts. The helplessness of seeing a neighbor lose a farmstead; the worry of a friend’s loss of a job; the constant strain of wondering if there
would be shoes on children’s feet, food for the babies’ mouths. Then, an almost crushing blow: a deposit made in the community bank, only
to have it close the next day. The
‘dirty thirties’, in more ways than one.
Not always does life play fair.
Yet for each downside of life, there is the
upside – the struggles easing as better times come; the growth of business, the expansion into new lines.
Early in the 1940’s Elmer affiliated with
the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, selling its products continuously
through 1997. Goodyear recognized the
business as the second oldest continuous dealership in Eastern Kansas.
Son Leland (Bud) grew up in the shop,
pumping gas when it was 9.9 cents per gallon, washing windshields when he stood
on a box to reach them. In 1947, after
graduating from Appanoose High School, he joined in full-time operation of the
shop, receiving training from the General Motors Training Center in Kansas
City.
During the ‘50’s, expansion was made into
the area of tractor tire repair. The
became on of the first businesses in the area to offer on-farm repairs and
services, serving the surrounding counties with their trucks.
Disaster struck December 18th, 1959. Fire broke out in the early morning hours
and local neighbors, aided by the Ottawa Fire Department, battled to save the
business – and the town. With 8,000
gallons of gasoline stored adjacent to the building, the very being of the town
was indeed threatened.
And humans are odd creatures indeed. With sheriffs officers calling for
evacuation of the town, most of the wakened villagers went instead to the long
porch of the general store, sitting there to watch the blazing inferno across
the street.
By spraying the remaining wall of the
building between the fire and the storage tanks, the gasoline was kept cool
enough to prevent explosion. Nothing
was salvaged from the building itself except for a few melted coins from the
cooled rubble of the cash register, but no lives were lost – all else palls in
comparison.
So the rebuilding began. Never actually considered was the leaving of
the small town. Centropolis was home. Neighbors came in with tractors and blades
as soon as the ground was cool, leveling and preparing for a new
structure. Within weeks a quonset frame
rose as if in defiance of winter’s snow, rain, and cold. By spring, it was ‘business as usual’,
picking up the pieces, as life goes on.
Recapping equipment was installed, and for eight years both car and truck retreads were produced and sold over a wide area. At the same time vulcanizing and section repairing were added, one of the few locations in eastern Kansas offering such a service.
During the 60’s it was a third generation,
Leland Eugene (Gene) trailing in father’s footsteps and manning the gas
pumps. 1967 saw Elmer’s semi-retirement
and Bud became sole owner. In 1971 new
son-in-law John Bowman joined the firm.
With his coming, emphasis on tractor overhaul and repair was added.
Another facet was added to the business in
1981, when Gene returned from Air Force duty.
He added a complete machine shop for engine rebuilding in an adjoining space
at the rear of the original building, and thus Gilliland Engine Service was
born.
In 1987, due to continuing health problems,
Bud was forced to retire leaving the third generation of Gillilands to continue
the business.
1991 was a year for changes. It began with the loss of the gasoline
pumps. Then the addition of outdoor
power equipment lines and a convenience store followed John’s departure for
other employment.
October 1997 rocked the business when Goodyear decided the business no longer fit their mold. Bridgestone, Michelin and others soon filled the void in what has become a very successful commercial road service venture.