Post #498358 by Mo-Eye on Thu, Dec 10, 2009 11:54 AM

I also remembered that Charles Phoenix just did an email on this a little while ago, and just found it with a nice color picture, and a little more info on the penguin:

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!