Roadside Architecture and Landscapes Thematic Survey.Indd
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Are We There Yet? Auto Landscapes and Tourism, 1913–1975 Elizabeth Crawley King Forward The Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) conducted this study to identify important places associated with transportation and tourism. Beth King, historic preservation specialist and former SHPO staff member, directed and completed the survey with the assistance of Erin Dorbin, SHPO intern, and Richard Collier, our now retired professional photographer. This work represents a comprehensive statewide study of cultural resources associated with auto tourism and transportation. We hope you enjoy learning about the history of our tourism industry and the development of Wyoming towns around our U.S. Highway system. We hope this work provides the public with a deeper appreciation of the roadside architecture of our state. Mary Hopkins Wyoming State Historic Preservation Officer Front cover photo: Wyoming Highway Marker at all state lines. Circa 1960’s. Published by the Noble Post Card Company, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Back cover photo: Three men consulting a map on the Lincoln Highway, circa 1920. Ludwig Svenson Collection, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming Graphic design by Mariko Design LLC/Elizabeth Ono Rahel Contents Introduction, Methodology, and Accomplishments of the Survey ...........................................3 Purpose of and Goals for the Survey .........................................................................................9 Location, Topography, and Climate .........................................................................................11 The Development of Auto Roads in Wyoming, 1913–1975 .................................................17 The Development of Auto Tourism in Wyoming, 1913–1975 ...............................................41 Roadside Commercial Architecture in Wyoming ....................................................................61 Lodging .............................................................................................................................61 Hotels .......................................................................................................................61 Campgrounds ........................................................................................................ 62 Motor Courts ......................................................................................................... 64 Motels ..................................................................................................................... 70 Gasoline Stations and Automobile Services ................................................................ 80 Early Automobile Services .................................................................................... 80 Gasoline Stations .................................................................................................. 85 Quick-Service Food and Drink ....................................................................................... 97 Attractions ......................................................................................................................107 Tourist Attractions .................................................................................................107 Landscape Features ..............................................................................................112 Infrastructure, Wayfinding, and Highway Beautification ...........................................115 Bridges ..................................................................................................................116 Underpasses .........................................................................................................119 Wayfinding .......................................................................................................... 120 Highway Beautification ........................................................................................121 Rest Areas............................................................................................................. 124 Storefronts and Signs .................................................................................................... 128 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 133 Credit: James L. Ehernberger Western Railroad Collection, Major Bibliographic References............................................................................................ 135 American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming 2 Thunderbird Lodge, Laramie. Credit: Erin N. Dorbin, 2013 3 Introduction, Methodology, and Accomplishments of the Survey his report presents a summary of fieldwork undertaken between July 2013 and September 2016 along the Tmodern-day Interstate 80 corridor in southern Wyoming. Although titled the “Lincoln Highway survey” in order to raise interest in the highway’s centennial year, Figure 1. Lincoln Highway map, 1916. Public domain the survey actually included the built environment of three numbered highway to interstate highway system, mirroring major roads in Wyoming—the Lincoln Highway, U.S. the development of roads in the United States at large. Highway 30, and Interstate 80—which, in many places, are identical to or parallel one another. Indeed, the three In 1913 Carl Fisher and other early financers were successful roadways present a neat evolution from named highway to in plotting the nation’s first transcontinental highway from Figure 2. U.S. Highway 30 map, circa 1950. Credit: Wyoming State Archives 4 INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY, AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE SURVEY that generally ran parallel to the older roads, with a few important exceptions. Together these roads, along with older transportation infrastructure including the Overland Trail and Union Pacific Railroad, compose the preeminent travel corridor to and through Wyoming. Then and now this major artery is the part of Wyoming most other Americans have experienced, unless they have traveled specifically to Jackson Hole or Yellowstone National Park. The purpose of the Lincoln Highway Buildings and Landscapes Thematic Survey was to record types of commercial architecture meant to service automobile travel between 1913 and 1975, the dates that correspond to the completed Lincoln Highway and Interstate 80, respectively. To accomplish this, the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) hired Erin Dorbin of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to complete three months of fieldwork along the corridor in late July, August, September, and early October 2013. The cost of hiring Ms. Dorbin was paid through the State of Wyoming’s Department of Administration and Information internship program. After October 2013 follow-up visits to various sites were Figure 3. SHPO Intern New York City to San Francisco. The Lincoln Highway, completed by SHPO staff over the next three years in Erin N. Dorbin photographs as it was known, primarily utilized existing roads in much historic neon signs east of conjunction with other travel priorities. Evanston. Credit: Elizabeth of the nation, including approximately four hundred miles C. King, 2013 of roads in Wyoming. By 1925 the Federal Government The methodology involved in completing the survey had assumed some responsibility for a nascent national included field notes, conversations with property owners highway system that included U.S. Highway 30, the past and present, photography, and mapping. Field notes “numbered highway” equivalent of the Lincoln. Between have been entered into a Microsoft Access database 1956 and 1976 Interstate 80 was constructed in segments designed for this purpose. Photographs have been labeled INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY, AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE SURVEY 5 Top: Figure 4. Eagle Rock along the Lincoln Highway ten miles east of Evanston, 1926. Credit: University of Michigan Library Digital Collections, Lincoln Highway Digital Image Collection Bottom: Figure 5. Erin Dorbin revisits Eagle Rock and the highway in 2013. Credit: Elizabeth C. King according to a standard labeling system.1 Surveyed sites have been plotted to create a Google Earth kmz file. All digital files are available at SHPO in Cheyenne and have been added to the Wyoming Cultural Records Information System by SHPO staff in Laramie. Two hundred forty-nine buildings, structures, and landscape features were included in the survey; of these, sixty-four had previously been assigned a Smithsonian Site Number and had received some level of survey. One hundred eighty-five properties were newly recorded during the Lincoln Highway survey. Types of properties recorded generally supported the basic needs of automobile travelers: lodging, gas and other automobile services, and food. Several other sites were important scenic landmarks along the highways. A few other properties lacked an explicit tie to tourism activities but embody particular aspects of commercial architecture commonly associated with the built environment after the automobile achieved mass popularity. Lastly, highway infrastructure, notably bridges, was recorded. 1 Smithsonian Site Number_Site Name_Muncipality_Photographer’s Initials_ Month-Year_Photograph Number. For example, 48UT2648_Black and Orange Cabins_Fort Bridger_ECK_08-13_001. 6 INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY, AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE SURVEY this time. Many subject matter experts in Wyoming and a few from other states assisted Ms. Dorbin in her work. SHPO wishes to thank these communities and individuals for participating