Free previewStop 5 of Route 66 in Illinois: Chicago to the Chain of Rocks Bridge
The Add-On That Saved Odell's Station
You've pulled into Odell, a small Livingston County town on old Route 66, and the little building in front of you is the Odell Standard Oil Station. Look at its shape first. A small house, with a canopy reaching out over the spot where the pumps stood, so a driver could fill up out of the rain. Now look at the work bays on the side. Those weren't part of the original plan. They're the reason this place is still here.
In 1932, a contractor named Patrick O'Donnell bought a narrow strip of land on the southwest side of town, about 200 feet by 60. He wanted to build a gas station he could lease to his son. He modeled it on a 1916 Standard Oil of Ohio design, the house-and-canopy style you're looking at. Pull over, buy gas, keep going west.
That's the opening. The rest plays at stop 5 of Route 66 in Illinois: Chicago to the Chain of Rocks Bridge (3 min in all). Unlock the tour to hear it all, or try stop 1 free first.
