Gillette Auto Museum Rescuing, Restoring Vintage Signs For Retro “Neon Park”

The Frontier Auto Museum in Gillette’s latest addition of iconic retro road signs will be restored and become part of a growing collection at the northeast Wyoming museum to become part of its vision of an entire “neon park.”

Two large signs from the Moorcourt Motel dating back to the 1960s were picked up near Moorcrooft recently and hauled to Gillette. Both will be restored to their full glowing glory.

As with many of the museum’s acquisitions, the Moorcourt Motel signs were likely doomed to rust in a landfill somewhere if they weren’t rescued.

“There's no neon left on it, and (they’ve) been neglected and abandoned for a long time,” said Ryan Swanson, the museum’s operations manager. “It's one of those relics of the past that would’ve made its way to the dump, so we’re trying the same way we can.”

Signs Of The Times

The Moorcourt Motel sign the Frontier Auto Museum picked up once stood near exit 154 on Interstate 90, the main exit to Moorcroft and Devils Tower National Monument. Swanson said the sign would’ve been one of the only things drivers would see from the highway at the time, and was a beacon in a sea of black at night.

“We're wondering if they actually took the sign off the motel itself and moved it out there,” he said. “There are signs it was wired up with bigger power lines, and there was a lot more to it at one point.”

Despite its deterioration, the sign withstood the elements for decades. When the landowner decided to erect a new sign for the new motel he built, it was time for the old sign to come down.

Many of these historic road signs end up in landfills. Fortunately for the Moorcourt Motel sign, it’s found a new home.

Barely Standing

Swanson was with the team that traveled to Moorcroft for the rescue.

The 8-foot by 9-foot sign was difficult to remove, even with original hardware provided by the landowner. Still, it was eventually brought down and loaded into a pickup for the trip back to Gillette.

Swanson said the sign wasn’t securely attached to its supports and suspected a strong windstorm could have blown it over if they hadn’t gotten to it first.

“It was up on two steel posts and it was already loose,” he said. “Usually, those signs are spot-welded onto the pipes or bolted in, but that thing was loose and rocking back and forth. It could have hit the ground and wrinkled up, which would’ve ruined it.”

Swanson said that’s happened before.

“We just rescued the huge Wyoming Hotel sign from Cheyenne that was part of the old Lincoln Highway,” he said. “A very iconic sign, over 30 feet tall. That thing blew over and fell on top of the motel that's still in business. No one was hurt, it just damaged the roof a little bit. But that happens to these things.”

Luckily, the Moorcourt Motel sign was recovered intact. Swanson said it’s the second of two signs from the defunct motel being restored.

“We rescued the main sign from the hotel as well, and it's off getting restored in Salt Lake City currently,” he said. “It’s really cool, with a retro ’60s, space-age vibe like so many things were back then. It will be fully restored, inside and out, fully repainted, with brand-new neon.”

Sign Rescue

Swanson said the Frontier Auto Museum has been on a mission to rescue vintage road signs across Wyoming. They’ve traveled across the state identifying endangered signs and bringing them to Gillette for display and restoration.

“A handful of years ago, these signs would quietly go to the dump,” he said. “No one would ever say or do anything. Now, we’re at the point where most of these signs are starting to get rescued. People are thinking that maybe someone wants this.”

Earlier this year, the museum put up the giant F, O and X from the old Fox Theater — first in Rawlins and then in Casper — and put up a restored giant cowboy hat of a vintage Arby’s Roast Beef Sandwich franchise sign. And like the newly redone neon proclaims, “It’s delicious.”

The inspiration for “neon park” came when Frontier Auto Museum owner Jeff Wandler saw a construction crew removing the large neon sign from the Arrowhead Motel, Swanson said. He narrowly saved it from scrap.

“Jeff drove by that sign all the time,” he said. “One day he was driving by and saw it loaded onto a truck. So, he pulled in and said, ‘Oh man, you guys got that sign.’ And they're like, ‘No, we're taking it to the dump.’ And Jeff said, ‘Forget the dump. Take it to the museum.’ He just happened to be driving by at the right moment.”

The museum wanted to rescue the iconic Tumble Inn sign in Powder River. Jonathan Thorne acquired the 21-foot sign, which is currently being restored by John Huff and Connie Morgan in Casper.

“We were looking at that one too, but we didn't know what to do with it,” he said. “It's so huge, and it would have cost so much money for us to try to rescue it. The fact that someone else rescued and restored it was a win for us. It’s staying in Wyoming, and it’s a lot easier on our bank account.”

Swanson said saving these “one-of-a-kind” signs is important and he’s glad to see the growing interest in preserving these monuments of Wyoming’s roadside history.

“Those signs are all one of a kind,” he said. “That doesn't necessarily make them valuable, and a lot of that stuff can still end up to the dump. Anything gets old enough where it's worthless, but if you wait long enough, it suddenly starts getting valued again. We’re trying to do our part and save what we can.”

Neon Park

The Frontier Auto Museum is full of vintage road signs and is so packed there’s hardly any room for anything else. That’s why the museum is working with the city of Gillette to develop a unique venue for the signs.

Swanson said the museum and city want to turn a vacant lot across from the Frontier Auto Museum into “a neon park.” Once the signs are restored, they’ll be permanently placed as an outdoor exhibit.

“We've been rescuing these things in the hopes of putting them up on display, but they're too big to go indoors,” he said. “Since they've lived their entire life outside, we figured they can live a little longer outside.”

The best signs in the museum’s collection will be mounted on concrete bases and fully illuminated on the small lot. Swanson mentioned the museum would eventually like to place vintage campers alongside the signs, which could be rented for a unique neon-lit experience in Gillette.

“There’s a limit to how much we can do, but we're going to do as much as we can and put these things up on display where people can hang out and see them,” he said.

The museum is still finalizing the details with the city of Gillette to ensure everything’s safe and compliant. Swanson said the hope is to start working on the neon park within a year.

“It’s kind of like what they're doing in Vegas, but at a much more modest scale,” he said. “We want to do something cool, where it lights up at night and give something back for the city and tourists to enjoy.”

Funds For The Future

The Moorcourt Motel signs will be among the other roadside signs being placed in the museum’s neon park. Swanson said restoring the signs is an expensive endeavor but one the museum feels is worthwhile.

“Doing things nice costs money, and we can't spend money into bankruptcy,” he said. “Luckily, the signs do a lot of the heavy lifting. We've drawn it up and done some concept art of it, and it looks really cool. We can only afford so much, but we’re trying to do something nice for everyone as we envisioned it.”

Restoring the neon signs is the top priority now at the Frontier Auto Museum, with work on the recently acquired Moorcourt Motel sign already underway.

“We’ve got to get a lot of neon rebuilt, and that's expensive,” he said. “But these signs are starting to get valued and appreciated again, and this is a way to save these signs from going to the dump and let the community continue to enjoy them in Wyoming, where they belong.”

Contact Andrew Rossi at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com

Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.