Cisco Automotive Service

: Cisco, UT Sep. 11, 2014
: Cisco, UT Sep. 11, 2014


I’m trying to duplicate the whole town of Cisco, Utah in N scale. This post introduces one of the structures in the town.


A few businesses survived along US Hwy 50 & 6 at Cisco in the early 70s; 4 gas service stations, a mercantile/cafe, and a motel. Some private houses also seem to exist along Second Street. The easternmost of the town sat this structure on Lots 1, 2, and 3 of Block 1, Cisco Townsite.


Elton Richard "Buddy"(1906 – 1981) and Mary Aeline Lewis(1919 – 2016) Cowger established the Cisco Automotive Service in 1950[1]. Buddy managed to ride both wheelchair and tow truck to carry out his business[2]. Two 500-gallon underground steel tanks provided the gasoline. But they sold the property and moved to Grand Junction, CO in 1953[1].

Raymond "Ray" (1908 – 1989) and Althea M. Goutierrez (1910 – 1962) Scott succeeded the business in 1955[3, 4]. After the demise of Althea, her sister Mable Goutierrez("Mabel" 1909 – ?) helped Ray run the station[5]. Unfortunately, however, Ray closed the business by 1976 and moved to Reno, NV[6]. The property was offered for sale at a public auction in 1978[7].


After a while, in 1984, Gary M Bizer(1947 – ) of Palisade, CO painted the mural for Larry Lee Sheets(1943 – 1999) who was doing business here as the White Buffalo Trading Post[8]. The remains of the mural can still be seen on the walls.

In 1998, the landscape painter Don Stinson of Denver and the other three artists filled the by-then vacant structure with art as a Collaborative Installation East/West Passage and it was introduced in the newspaper New York Times[9, 10].

: Sep. 29, 1955 Times Independent
: Nov. 1, 1988 photo by Jim Ozment


The structure of Cisco Automotive Service built in 1950 still existed as of 2014, but in a miserable appearance, as you can see in the photos above. However, fortunately, the structure was mainly made of cinderblocks, I could count the joints on the wall in the photos to infer the dimensions to draw plans of the structure.

Aerial photos from Google Maps also helped me drawing plans. Former Rio Grande tracks on the opposite side of the road brought me the approximate scale. The result of my survey is shown below as plans: of course, some imaginations (for example, missing door styles) are included.

revised Sep. 22, 2014

revised Dec. 22, 2014

revised Feb. 4, 2015

revised Jul. 27, 2016

revised Dec. 27, 2016

revised Feb. 16, 2018

revised Mar. 30, 2019

revised Nov. 11, 2019

revised Apr. 4, 2021

revised, Aug. 3, 2021

revised, Oct. 14, 2022

revised Apr. 14, 2023

[1] Hepperle, Mary L. Cowger, (2004) "Memories of Cisco", Canyon Legacy, Vol. 51, Moab Museum;
[2] Ringholz, Raye C., (2002) Uranium frenzy, Utah State University Press;
[3] Sep. 29, 1955 Times Independent;
[4] Jul. 12, 1962 Times Independent;
[5] Miller, Patti "Comment for 'The Streets of Cisco, Utah'", Ghost Town: Cisco, Utah;
[6] Apr. 1, 1976 Times Independent;
[7] Apr. 27, 1978 Times Independent;
[8] Sep. 14, 1984 Daily Sentinel;
[9] Stinson, Don, Chronology;
[10] Brook, Heilman, Elizabeth, (2000) Arts in America; Home of the Range, With Drive-Ins and Gas Stations, Jan. 26, 2000 New York Times;
　
　
: North elevation

: East elevation
　
　
ユタ州を走るD&RGWの沿線にある／あった、Ciscoという町を紹介している。1970年代初頭、この町には数軒の建物しか残っていなかった。この建物はその一番東端に建っていた「Cisco Automotive Service」である。

この建物は1950年にCowger夫妻によって建てられた。二人は1952年にRay Scott氏に全てを売却し、コロラド州のGrand Junctionに転出している。筆者が通った1971年当時は、Ray Scott氏が経営していたようだ。

建物はコンクリートブロックの壁に木造の小屋組を載せている。現況を示す写真でブロックの目地を数えることができるので、正確な寸法を割り出すことができた。Googleの航空写真をD&RGWの軌道幅を基準に拡大したものに、作成した平面図を落とし込むとうまく整合した。

金属製と思われる窓枠は残っているが、扉など木製建具はほとんど失われている。立面図は想像を加え起こしている。

悪趣味かもしれないが、現況の壊れ具合が構造的に無理した部分（スパンを飛ばした箇所）を如実に語っているように見え、興味深い。