 Emperor the Penguin
Died 1950 -
Little America, Wyoming
Little America -- well-known to I-80 travelers as The
World's Largest Gas Station -- was named after Admiral Byrd's camp on the
South Pole. Opened in 1932 by S.M. Covey, the refueling stop along the Lincoln
Highway grew to include scores of gas pumps, a hotel, restaurants and a post
office.
The owners wanted Emperor the penguin to be its live mascot, but the penguin
died on its way from Antarctica to Boston. Wanting to make the best of a bad
deal,
Little America had Emperor stuffed and shipped anyway.
You can visit the famous bird in a wide, wood-paneled hallway on the ground
floor of the Little America hotel. He stands on a fake block of ice.
Emperor's
glass case is inviolable; you'll never see this bird wearing a Santa's
cap or a New Year's diaper. In the words of one Little America employee: "The
management doesn't allow joviality with the penguin."
As the symbol of the business, a stuffed penguin also stands in the lobby of
the hotel in Cheyenne and other Little America properties.
Emperor the Penguin:Address: Little America, WY [ Show Map] Directions: Little America, I-80 Exit 68
Emperor the Penguin:Address: 2800 W Lincolnway, Cheyenne, WY [ Show Map] Directions: Little America Hotel. I-25 exit 9 or I-80 exit 358. On the north side of US 30. In a glass case in the Little America Hotel lobby.
...Previous
Grave | Next Grave
| 
