Bragg Creek family stops selling gas after 86 years in the business

It was the end of an era for a small-town Alberta gas station.

The Teghtmeyer family stopped selling gas in Bragg Creek, Alta., this week, after 86 years in the business. 

They marked the occasion by offering 32-cents-a-litre gas, prompting lineups around the block. 

"It was meant to be a thank you to the Bragg Creek customers. The word spread far and wide and overwhelmed the whole corner," said Barbara Teghtmeyer, who owned the station along with her husband Robb. "A little bit of chaos is the best way to describe it."

The Bragg Creek Trading Post first opened in 1932, and the price was set to celebrate the shop's legacy.

The station has been leased to Shell Canada who will manage the day-to-day operations, but the Trading Post will continue to stay open and be managed by the family. Teghtmeyer said the change was to allow her and her husband to spend more time with their family.

When it first opened in 1927, the station was a log cabin, with moss packed into the cracks to make it weather-tight. 

Teghtmeyer's family opened their station in 1932 down the road, and moved into the current location in 1940. 

"When this store became available this was kind of the main crossroads at that time," Teghtmeyer said.

At the time, gas was hauled out in drums and pumped up by hand to be served to customers from a gravity-fed pump.

In 1997, the business expanded, going from one to five pumps and adding "a great big convenience store." 

Teghtmeyer said what she'll miss most are the people.

"They're more than customers, they're friends and neighbours and their loyalty and support has been unbelievable throughout the years."

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