Reminders of the 70’s along Rio Grande 85 – Gruver’s Service Station, Thompson Springs

Gruver’s Service Station is located at the center of the town on south side of Frontage Road (old US Hwy 50 &6), opposite the Rio Grande Section Tool House. It used to have a large canopy over the pumps in front of the structure[1].

In 1936, Maurice Edward Robertson (Maury, 1906 – 1965) established a UTOCO filling station named Robertson Service[2, 3]. In 1941, Sidney B. Clark (1895 – 1947) purchased the filling station from James Addison Lair (1876 – 1966)[4]. He immediately modified the facilities as the Clark’s Service Station & Grocery Store with cafe service[5].

Virginia Frances Gruver (1898 – 1978) purchased the Clark’s in 1943 and operated till 1972 selling Chevron gas with the phone number 285-2236[6]. Virginia moved here in 1942 from Cisco where she had managed a boarding house since 1929: she was the aunt of Ethel Spears who later operated Ethel’s Cafe at Cisco.

Virginia also contributed “Thompson News Items/Notes” to the newspaper Times-Independent from 1960 to 1976. The structure has gone by May 2019.

All the photos were taken on Sep. 10, 2017.

revised, Jul. 19, 2020

revised, Feb. 1, 2021

[1] Farewell, R.C., (1999) Rio Grande Secret Places Vol. 2, Colorado Railroad Museum
[2] Jun. 4, 1936 Times Independent;
[3] McGills, James, (2019) Bob Robertson's Boyhood Memories of Thompson Springs, Utah, JamesMcGills.com;
[4] Oct. 10, 1941 Times-Independent;
[5] Nov. 12, 1942 Times-Independent;
[6] Sep. 14, 1978 Times-Independent;


: Nov. 12, 1942 Times-Independent


Gruver’s Service Stationは、Thompson Springsの中心部にあった、カフェを併設するガソリンスタンドである。かつては給油ポンプの上まで天蓋が延びていた。その痕跡がファサード上部に遺っている。

このガソリンスタンドは、1942年までCiscoで下宿屋を営んでいたVirginia F. Gruver (1898 – 1978)が、1943年に営業を引き継いだものである。1972年まで営業していた。彼女は、隣町CiscoでEthel’s Cafeを営んでいた、Ethel Spearsのおばに当たる。

また、Virginiaは、1960年から1976年まで新聞Times-Independentに、ThompsonやCiscoの動静を寄稿し続けた。