"What an amazing collection of stories, images, and, of course, beautiful vintage gas stations! Draeger and Speltz provide gallons of premium detail that make for hours of fun reading and reminiscing." - Brian Butko, co-author of Roadside Attractions: Cool Cafes, Souvenir Stands, Route 66 Relics, & Other Road Trip Fun
"Draeger and Speltz reliably guide readers back to the auto age in Wisconsin when travelers found the benefits of community along the way at gas stations. They also advocate for the preservation of these gas stations through which we can visit our common past." - Keith A. Sculle, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and co-author of The Gas Station in America
"Whether your interest is automotive history, architecture, petroliana, travel, culture, or any combination of these, Fill 'er Up will appeal to you. With the "Your Guide to Hitting the Road" section, Fill 'er Up might more likely end up in your glove box than on your bookshelf." - Ken Nimocks, President, Wisconsin Chapter of the Society of Automotive Historians
Jim Draeger is an architectural historian with the Wisconsin Historical Society with more than twenty years of historic preservation experience. From roadside architecture to North Woods resorts, Draeger celebrates the importance of ordinary buildings to our daily lives through his research, writing, and lectures. He shares a historic 1936 International-style house in Monona with his wife, Cindy, and son, Nick.
Mark Speltz is a historian at American Girl and is completing a master's degree in history with a specialization in public history at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He has worked as an independent researcher on exhibits for museums, including the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, and is active with several museums in Mineral Point, where he lives with his wife, Kari.