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 love the S&H Green Stamp logo on the bottom of the sign!
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
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.
Do you have any pictures of the dead penquin?
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
there is a picture of the penguin at roadsideamerica.com
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.
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!
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
Desolate, WINDY place. Quite INVIGORATING.
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?
Well there’s a road trip begging to be taken, just to pay homage to the stuffed dead penquin, if anything.
Thanks for sharing!