Little America Hotels
Encyclopedia
The Little America chain of hotels consists of 4 hotels in the western United States
. The very first Little America, called Little America Wyoming
, is 24 miles (38.6 km) west of Green River
, Wyoming
, and 35 miles (56.3 km) west of Rock Springs
, Wyoming
on Interstate 80
. Built in 1934, the property began with 12 guest rooms, 2 gas pumps, and a 24 seat café. Today the location has 140 rooms, and expanded gas pumps for both truck drivers and travelers. For a number of years this location boasted of having the world's largest filling station, based on the number of pumps in operation.
A penguin
was used for many years as their logo, and penguins can still be seen on the roofs at Little America Wyoming. The penguin was used on most of the numerous billboards advertising the Little America hotel. These billboards were located along Interstate 80. In partial reference to the famously remote Little America station in Antarctica they reminded travelers in vehicles at regular intervals how close they were to the Little America hotel and that there was nothing else available for many miles in either direction. The last of the penguin billboards were removed in the early 2000's.
Other Little America properties include the Little America Hotel in Cheyenne
, Wyoming; the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City
, Utah
; and the Little America Hotel in Flagstaff
, Arizona
.
The properties are owned by Earl Holding's Grand America Hotels & Resorts, who also owns Sinclair Oil Corporation
. The hotels were named after the Antarctic exploration base, Little America.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The very first Little America, called Little America Wyoming
Little America, Wyoming
Little America is a census-designated place in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 56 at the 2000 census. The community got its name from the Little America motel which was purposefully located in a remote location as a haven, not unlike the base camp the polar explorer...
, is 24 miles (38.6 km) west of Green River
Green River, Wyoming
Green River is a city in and the county seat of Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 11,808 at the 2000 census....
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, and 35 miles (56.3 km) west of Rock Springs
Rock Springs, Wyoming
Rock Springs is a city in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 18,708 at the 2000 census. Rock Springs is the principal city of the Rock Springs micropolitan statistical area, which has a population of 37,975....
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
on Interstate 80
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...
. Built in 1934, the property began with 12 guest rooms, 2 gas pumps, and a 24 seat café. Today the location has 140 rooms, and expanded gas pumps for both truck drivers and travelers. For a number of years this location boasted of having the world's largest filling station, based on the number of pumps in operation.
A penguin
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
was used for many years as their logo, and penguins can still be seen on the roofs at Little America Wyoming. The penguin was used on most of the numerous billboards advertising the Little America hotel. These billboards were located along Interstate 80. In partial reference to the famously remote Little America station in Antarctica they reminded travelers in vehicles at regular intervals how close they were to the Little America hotel and that there was nothing else available for many miles in either direction. The last of the penguin billboards were removed in the early 2000's.
Other Little America properties include the Little America Hotel in Cheyenne
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
, Wyoming; the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
; and the Little America Hotel in Flagstaff
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
The properties are owned by Earl Holding's Grand America Hotels & Resorts, who also owns Sinclair Oil Corporation
Sinclair Oil
Sinclair Oil Corporation is an American petroleum corporation, founded by Harry F. Sinclair on May 1, 1916 as the Sinclair Oil & Refining Corporation by combining the assets of 11 small petroleum companies. Originally a New York corporation, Sinclair Oil reincorporated in Wyoming in 1976...
. The hotels were named after the Antarctic exploration base, Little America.