Eddie Shumway was poking through an abandoned junk pile on his property along the Owl Creek in Hot Springs County, Wyoming, when he found a rusty sign and base. When he examined the sign closer, he could just make out the face of a penguin and the words “Little America.”
“I’ve seen those signs when I used to drive up and down the highway, and I knew this was a special sign,” Shumway said. “Here it was, just laying in the junk.”
The sign was from a chain of eight travel centers that were founded in Wyoming 90 years ago.
Their popular billboards used to line the highways of Wyoming to signal that an oasis was close by. For decades, these signs featured the waving penguin that Shumway had just discovered on his property.
By the early 2000s, the penguin had been retired and is now a relic of the past.
Shumway believes that the Little America sign found its way to the junk pile through the property’s previous owner, Leonard H. Larson, who used to deliver fuel in Thermopolis.
Before being discarded, Shumway guessed that it had been one of the signs hanging up in Larson’s filling station in the 1960s.
It had been thrown near an abandoned fuel truck and on top of other rusty discards from Larson’s career. Before settling on the old homestead, Larson had traveled the upper Midwest building oil tanks for Chicago Bridge and Iron Co.
“Well, the sign was left on the place, and I thought, that's unique,” Shumway said. “I know where Little America was in Rock Springs and thought it's just too neat of a sign just to throw away. So, I put I had my daughter paint it and we stuck it up.”
In the middle of nowhere, a historic Little America sign has been placed by Eddie Shumway. He found the treasure in his inherited junk pile and his daughter, Susie Brinkenhoff, painted it for him. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
When Eddie Shumway was going through an abandoned junk pile on his property, he discovered an old antique Little America sign. It was rusty and had been in the weather for decades, but Shumway said he knew he had something special that needed to be saved. When the newly painted Little America sign was installed, Shumway realized that the blue text was hard to read. With the help of his daughter and his tractor, he erected a haybale stand to repaint the letters white. (Courtesy Eddie Shumway) 
When Eddie Shumway was going through an abandoned junk pile on his property, he discovered an old antique Little America sign. It was rusty and had been in the weather for decades, but Shumway said he knew he had something special that needed to be saved. (Courtesy Eddie Shumway) 
Eddie Shumway inherited property and a junk pile from his dad who had bought the property in 1977. When going through the pile one day, he discovered an old antique sign from Little America. With the help of his daughter, Susie Brinkhoff, he restored the sign and placed it along Highway 120 between Cody and Thermopolis. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
Eddie Shumway has lived nearly his entire life in the Owl Creek district of Hot Springs County, Wyoming. He is keen to protect the heritage of the area and this includes painting old rusty signs and giving them new life. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
The only new addition to the Little America sign was a sign with Eddie Shumway’s name. The sign is located on Highway 120 in the Owl Creek region. Motorists can view it on their way to Cody from Thermopolis, Wyoming. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily) 
The only new addition to the Little America sign was a sign with Eddie Shumway’s name. The sign is located on Highway 120 in the Owl Creek region. Motorists can view it on their way to Cody from Thermopolis, Wyoming. (Jackie Dorothy, Cowboy State Daily)
History Of Sign
The Little America sign with the penguin got its inspiration from a Wyoming blizzard.
As a young shepherd in Wyoming, Little America founder S. M. Covey was lost in a fierce blizzard in the 1890s. Stranded overnight in freezing temperatures, he longed for warmth, food, and shelter. That night, he promised himself that one day he would build a refuge in that exact spot.
Nearly 40 years later, after finding success in sheep ranching and business, Covey and his brothers returned to fulfill his promise. In 1934, they opened the first Little America along U.S. 30 near Granger and at one point, the Little America near Rock Springs was known as the largest filling station in the world.
The name came from Admiral Richard Byrd’s Antarctic base, also called Little America. Seeing Byrd’s isolation reminded Covey of his own ordeal. Inspired, he built a haven for travelers in the same place where he had once suffered with a black and white penguin as his mascot and tribute to Byrd.
It is appropriate, then, that the penguin Shumway discovered in his junk pile would be erected along Highway 120 that runs past his rural property in Hot Springs County, another isolated Wyoming countryside still known for its sheep and cattle.
Restoring The Sign
Shumway recruited his daughter, Susie Brinkerhoff, to help him restore the sign. She had never restored a sign before, but her dad was confident in her abilities as an artist. The pair went to the local hardware store who recommended the best paint for metal, and she got to work.
“It's just really a neat sign,” Brinkerhoff said. “It's one of a kind.”
They could see remnants of red and blue paint so chose those colors. However, once they placed the sign by Highway 120 near Shumway’s property, they realized the blue text was hard to read. Rather than take the sign back down, Shumway got creative.
“We repainted it when it was already high in the air,” Brinkerhoff said. “Dad put hay bales and some scaffolding in place. Then, he held it up with his tractor.”
Shumway steadied the makeshift structure while his daughter repainted the letters white so the “Little America” would pop and be visible to travelers.
“It was scarier than heck,” Shumway said. “It kind of wiggled a little bit.”
The finished sign features the iconic penguin and waves out all the travelers driving by on Highway 120 between Thermopolis and Cody.
As for Shumway, he is pleased to have helped preserve a piece of Wyoming’s rich history. Although he still scratches his head that this iconic sign was just rusting away in his junk pile for over 50 years.
Contact Jackie Dorothy at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
