Did You Know? - Cucamonga Service Station
Today we bring you another installment in our "Did You Know?" series. I'm sure many of you have noticed the Cucamonga Service Station located near Archibald and Foothill. Today we will tell you about it's history.
The service station was built as a place to get auto service or gas in 1915 with William B. Harvey as the owner. He remained the owner for 10 years, until 1925 when Ancil Morris and his wife Dolores became the next owners. At this point, the garage also had a mechanic. It remained with Ancil Morris until 1945 when Arvid "Chief" Lewis became the next owner. The station remained open until 1971.
The service station was a Richfield Oil Distributer in the 1920's to the 1970's. This company was environmentally friendly for it's time, in the way they made high octane fuel. At the Vintage Vault we have a restored 1930's Richfield Hi-Octane gas pump. Next time you stop by, you can see up close how they looked back in the day.
The service station opened before the historic highway was designated to be what we know now as US Route 66. It saw much through its time: the paving of Route 66, the Great Depression, World War II, and more. This station is one of the last in it's category to remain standing.
There is so much more interesting information available on this local landmark, which can be found on the website below (the source for our information and the old photos above unless otherwise noted.) http://route66ieca.org/?page_id=95
