Local Casper gas station Old Town Pump to close after 55 years of business - Casper, WY Oil City News

Oct 29, 2024

CASPER, Wyo. — A motoring institution is shutting down the pumps after more than five decades of business.

The Old Town Pump, located at 701 W. Collins, will permanently close its doors on Friday, Nov. 1 after the final day of business on Thursday, Oct. 31.

Current owner John Huff purchased the business nearly a decade ago from original owner Don Bentz. Huff said in a message to Oil City News that a purchasing change made by their wholesaler in 2022 made it impossible to sell gas profitably.

Don Bentz opened the location in 1969 under the name Bentz’s Eager Beaver Oil Co. According to newspaper archives, it underwent an extensive remodel in 1977 and reopened a few months later as Bentz’s Town Pump. In the mid-2000s, Don built a large automated car wash on the site capable of handling commercial-sized vehicles. It was renamed Old Town Pump after being purchased by Huff, and was among the last locally owned filling stations in Casper.

On Monday, customers gave their condolences to staff at the local gas station, which was known for selling affordable fresh popcorn and personalized service.

Longtime regular Donel Alexander said she was shocked and saddened when she found out about the closure the day before.

“I’ve been coming here for at least 20 years,” she said. “Even longer than that, my parents came here when we moved [to Casper] when I was a kid.”

She stops regularly at the station after dropping children off at nearby Dean Morgan Middle School, and appreciates the ethanol-free choice of gasoline, something the station was known for.

“It’s been here as long as I can remember, and I thought it would just always be here,” she said.

Original owner Don Bentz said in a phone interview with Oil City News that he was saddened to hear of its closure. “I’m kind of bummed because it was a big part of my life for 48 years,” he said.

Bentz first got his start in the fuel retail business with a leased Mobil station on CY Avenue when he moved to Casper after serving in the military. He operated that station for a couple of years before buying the property on Collins to open his own business.

“We were very blessed,” he said. “We had a wonderful business here, and John [Huff] did quite well with it for the first few years.”

Features Editor More by Dan Cepeda