Covey’s Little America, Granger, Wyoming, 1957
A moody watercolor sky casts a perfect glow on a moment of stillness at this king-size roadside beehive of activity. A penguin watches over “America’s New Travel Center” perched high atop an unapologetic freeform amoeba shaped signboard. Little America is spelled out in smart, strong letters set politely, slightly tilted below the handwritten name of the man that built the deluxe 24-hour stop spot on the well-worn road between Cheyenne and Salt Lake City in 1949. It soon became famous for having “the largest gas station in the world.”
The best poser parking space is graced with the perky presence of an orange creamsicle-colored ‘57 Plymouth Belvedere. The optional factory tinted glass, from the exterior, gives the interior a tropical aquarium look. Above the Plymouth the entrance sign stands out against the thin mint brick Early American-meets-modern style buildings. (From now on lets call this hybrid style “Early Amoderan.”) It goes so well with the Antarctic theme Mr. Covey was going for when he named his nomad village for the Antarctic camp pioneer polar explorer Richard Byrd set up in 1928.
This year Little America celebrates its sixtieth anniversary. Though I understand it has been updated and stripped of its original style at least one thing has been there since the beginning, the other Penguin.
In keeping with the Antarctic theme Mr. Covey wanted to have a live penguin in a cage on display for his customers. So he did what anyone would do that wants a penguin he ordered one from a penguin dealer in the Antarctic. When the bird arrived it was dead. So Mr. Covey did what anyone would do. He called a taxidermist and had the poor thing stuffed. To this day the dead penguin remains mounted on a fake block of ice in the hotel for us all to enjoy!
Here’s to Mr. Covey, Little America, the dead penguin and YOU!
I found a set of Penguin Salt & Pepper Shakers with the name Little America at a garage sale. after calling corporate the gift shop worker was amazed that i had such a thing because they stopped using the penguin back in the 50′s or 60′s. Could anyone tell me anything else about them?
Thanks,
When my mother was pregnant with me, my parents passed through this little town on their way south. They stopped for a break from being on the road. They ate a restaurant there and on the table were place mats that told the story of Stephen Mack Covey who had a rough time here many years before. As I understand it, he swore that if he live through that tough experience that he would come back and create rest spot for travelers. As I understand it, he did just that and created this place and called it Little America. I was named after Mr. Covey and now have two last names. I was born on November the 3rd, 1957. My parents started out in Seattle, WA when I was due and two weeks later, I was born in Jackson, MS where my mother’s mother lived. I hope to visit here one day. I was named Covey Arlet Gibson. Arlet was my father’s name.
I am a decedent of Enoch Covey and I have the advertising printing plate used for his place mats ( 14″x14″ ) in his restaurant. The place mats can only be printed with a very large printing press. I found one at BYUI after much searching. It is like the one that the LDS Book of Mormon was printed on over a century and a half ago.
the story is intriguing and true. The winters were terrible in the deserts of Wyoming. Enoch Covey was a real visionary but also a real entrepreneur and one of the largest sheep man in Wyoming.
Well there’s a road trip begging to be taken, just to pay homage to the stuffed dead penquin, if anything.
Thanks for sharing!
Have you put in any of Denver’s famous places in your books? There is a small but passionate group of Googie fans here in Colorado, are you planning on coming back this august to our Mid Century Modern show?
Desolate, WINDY place. Quite INVIGORATING.
Woo-Hoo!! You’re coming to the Henry Ford Museum in June! I’m dizzy with anticipation :~) Thank you for being you and doing and what you do, Mr. Phoenix! XOXOX
This takes me back to the mid 70′s when are family would drive from California to Colorado. We’d always stop to gas up, eat and buy a trinket or two! Thanks Charles!
Your slides are wonderful windows into the past. Thank you for posting them and allowing those of us that were born after the 50s and 60s to get a glimpse of life back then.
there is a picture of the penguin at roadsideamerica.com
During one of my cross country trips with my parents ( I was 14 years old-1968), we stopped here for lunch. There was a woman in her 60′s-70′s playing the piano as we entered the restaurant (she winked at me) and I could have sweared there was a couple of live penquins in a large refrigerated glass display inside. It was really hot that day (July) & hoped they did not have a power failure or those birds would have been toast. We got our Sinclair gas and off we went to Wisconsin
Lindsay
Do you have any pictures of the dead penquin?
OMG! I remember stopping there with my parents in the early 50s on a trip from eastern MT down to visit my grandparents in LA. It was the only sign of life in an otherwise flat, desolate, dismal drive through WY.
Charles – you add much fun to our lives!
We live in NJ and only rarely get to your area.
We’re going to plan a trip specific to a date
that coincides with one of your shows.
Thanks! Bob Donlan
I love the S&H Green Stamp logo on the bottom of the sign!