Local History
Along the nationally recognized historic Route 66 sits an abandoned gas station that is fenced off and boarded up. To the immediate passerby, it may appear to be a nuisance or an unsightly building. But really it is much more than that. There the building sits with its integrity fully intact and a story of rich, diverse history to tell.
This property came to my attention in the 1970’s, after it had been closed as a service station. From 1972 until today, travelers on what is now Foothill Boulevard have seen this structure housing other varied temporary businesses while retaining its 1920’s “gas station” architecture.
One of our goals in establishing the Historical Preservation Association of Rancho Cucamonga is to advocate retaining and resurrecting portions of Alta Loma, Cucamonga and 
Etiwanda to become historical tourism destinations. The Richfield Station on Route 66 in Cucamonga is a “diamond in the rough” not only for our city but for future generations, and could easily become a well visited historic site and museum.
The current property owner is TLC Properties. They retain this site to protect the large advertising billboard on the eastern edge of the property. From a meeting with their representatives, we believe them to be in favor of retaining the single-story gas station in its historic and current configuration.
Architecture
The gas station, also known as the Cucamonga Service Station, is located on its original site along Historic Route 66 (Foothill Boulevard) in the community of Cucamonga. It is a fine example of Mission Style Spanish Colonial architecture that was very popular starting from the 1850’s and is still very common in this area today. Typical character-defining features of the Mission and Spanish styles are the flat roof canopy surmounted by square columns with vertical color insets topped with tile coverings. The surrounding decorative feature above the pump islands has curved arches and topped with a Spanish style parapet extending around the entire structure. Many local structures have copied these features in an attempt at historical continuity.
A secondary building of the same general design and used as the service bay area is situated to the rear of the main building.
The exterior of this historic Richfield Station remains as it always was since 1920 except for the removal of signage, gas pumps and the small secondary “bathroom” building on the east side of the lot. The door and windows have been boarded up.
Route 66
The 1920’s brought 210,000 people from the Mid-west on Route 66 into California to escape the despair of the Dust Bowl. This station witnessed the migration and many of these tired and mostly unwanted migrants (ref. novel, Steinbeck- The Grapes of Wrath) passed by or stopped at this station for fuel or water. From 1933 to 1948, thousands of unemployed youths were put to work as laborers on road gangs to pave the final stretches of the road. This station was there. The Chicago to L.A. Route 66 highway was reported as “continuously paved” in 1938.
From the 1920’s until its closure in 1971, this station survived the trials of our country from the 1929 Great Depression on through World War II, and served its community until it was no longer modern enough and too far off the new routes that detoured growing traffic around our community.
History
In 1914 the property where the station now stands was the Hugh Larson Ford Repair building. The sign said, “General Repair Welding and Brazing.” This large wood-framed structure was later moved to the rear of the lot and the doors and roof remodeled to become the service bay area. A small 400 square feet building was added to the front (facing south) area of the property for fuel pumps to provide drive-in service for gas and oil.
This Mission style Spanish Colonial gas station was built in 1915 as a refueling and automobile service stop for local residents and travelers on the “State Route.” By 1925 this historic highway was designated as US Route 66. Families were coming from all over the United States and following the “Mother Road” (Route 66) from Chicago to LA through Barstow, the Cajon Pass, San Bernardino, Fontana, Etiwanda and Cucamonga toward their final destinations in Southern California.
Richfield Oil Company
The Richfield Oil Company opened their main headquarters in downtown Los Angeles on Figueroa Street and began supplying many of the stations along the Southern California Routes. The “Cucamonga Service Station” became a Richfield Oil Distributor in the 1920’s until the 1970’s when the name changed to the new “Atlantic Richfield Company” (ARCO). The Richfield Petroleum Co. was also environmentally friendly for its time. It created a new method making high octane fuel in 1932 that eliminated the use of acid in the process and cutting down on the corrosive properties for later versions of the fuel.
This type and style of station is one of the very last remaining that once numbered in the thousands and lined the pre- World War II highways across the U.S. and the west coast from California to Washington. It also added a small separate “bathroom” building for its tired travelers.
William Harvey- First Station Owner, 1915-1925
When Cucamonga was only a very small area near Etiwanda and Ontario, one of the very few places to get auto service or fuel was the service station on the state highway, west of Archibald. It was opened in 1915 by William B. Harvey, who had lived in California since 1903.
Ancil Morris- Second Owner, 1925-1944
In 1925, the garage added a mechanic to the directory listing. His name was Ancil H. Morris (wife Dolores) and his name remained with the station until 1945. He resided in Cucamonga for 44 years and was very active locally. He was a Richfield oil distributor, a charter member of the Cucamonga Lions Club, Life member of the Cucamonga Service Club, member of the Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the American Legion. Mr. Morris died in 1970 at the age of 83.
Arvid “Chief” Lewis- Third Owner, 1945-1971
Cucamonga’s first full-time Fire Chief, Arvid Lewis, was the stations last owner. He was very active in the small community of Cucamonga. His obituary from the Daily Bulletin on February 15, 1994, called him Cucamonga’s first full time Fire Chief. He joined Pete Klusman and Rudy Pimentel in forming a fire department for Cucamonga in the late 1940’s. Mr. Lewis was a founding member of the Cucamonga Fire Department and served as its chief from 1954 until 1972 when he retired from the garage and the fire department. He was also past president of the Cucamonga Service Club, a charter member of the Cucamonga Lions Club and a member of the California State Fire Association. Mr. Lewis “had the garage because of a lifelong love of cars,” daughter Donna Rogers said.
This lonely little unsightly station could be remodeled to reflect almost any time period from the early 1900’s to the 1950’s and remind our future generations of a long ago era that was a true part of the lives of their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. Many local residents can still remember their families “filling up” at the station and having a meal at “Dolly’s Diner,” a converted bus, next door to the station.
The Historical Preservation Association of Rancho Cucamonga recommends that the Cucamonga Service Station be remodeled and preserved as a museum and a living part of community life and development, in order to foster an understanding of the city’s past so future generations may have a genuine opportunity to appreciate, enjoy and understand Rancho Cucamonga’s rich heritage. We have a rare opportunity to return this 93-year-old icon and its surrounding area to a historical destination within Rancho Cucamonga, a landmark for the State of California and a part of the National Historic Register.
Ed Dietl can be reached at (909) 985-2231 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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Rex Gutierrez is a twenty-year resident of Rancho Cucamonga. Rex has a wide background in government, public policy, and finance. Rex was elected to the Rancho Cucamonga City Council in 1992 and re-elected in 1996. He left the council in 1998 to operate the Grapevine Press, but was again elected to the City Council in November, 2002 and 2006.