This Gas Station Was Left To Rot – Now It's One Of Route 66's Most Popular Landmarks

We don't often pause to appreciate just how big the supposedly small things in our lives really are. When you take a detour to the gas station to fill up, you might not stop to think about what a marvel it is that we can simply pump fuel into our vehicles given the extraordinary journey that gas has taken to get there. Often, a gas station is a simple pitstop to fill up, get some food or a drink for the journey ahead, and maybe use the bathroom. (Though at this point several gas stations have become giant convenience stores.) Sometimes, however, you might be lucky enough to come across a special, historical one that offers something more. Take, for example, the Cucamonga Service Station on Route 66.

Located on Foothill Boulevard in Rancho Cucamonga, California, this service station was used for almost six decades before the national network of highways funneled traffic away from Route 66 in the 1970s and there were no customers left to service it. You might expect, then, that little of the former service station would remain all these years later. On the contrary, it's been transformed into a fascinating and beautifully nostalgic museum. The key to its success, of course, is its location, as Route 66 became a popular tourist site. Let's take a look at this now beloved landmark and highlight of one of the most famous stretches of road on the planet.

There are over 150,000 gas stations in the United States, but this Richfield spot is a real rarity. The service station, lovingly restored to look just as it did when it was still new, is one of the biggest draws to California's historic Route 66. It was in October 2015 that the famous museum reopened as it is seen today, but it took quite a process to get there.

That year marked a century since the initial opening of the Cucamonga Service Station. It was initially built by William Harvey, an Illinois man who brought the plot of land it would be built upon as a means to expand the Cucamonga Garage and Cyclery. He began to build on the new 400-square-foot plot of land and constructed the service station in November 1915. In addition to servicing bikes, cars, and tractors, Harvey also had gas pumps out front in the expanded business and sold ice cream from a soda counter inside.

The Cucamonga Service Station flourished for many decades until Route 66 was made irrelevant by the Interstate Highway System's growth. The service station closed in the 1970s and was left to rot for decades, until Rancho Cucamonga made it an official city landmark in 2009. Ultimately, volunteers from a nonprofit called the Route 66 Inland Empire California worked to restore it to its former glory. Today, the building has been renovated and exists as the Cucamonga Service Station & Route 66 Museum. It was returned to its 1930s appearance, complete with the same eye-catching color scheme that surely drew motorists in back then.

This museum is a crucial piece of Rancho Cucamonga history. As such, it's a popular spot, unassuming as it may be. Approximately 2,400 to 3,000 people visit every year, with some auto history enthusiasts making quite the trek to get there. In October 2025, Route 66 Inland Empire California board member David Dunlap told  the Daily Bulletin that, "My wife and I were volunteering one day and our first visitors were from Luxembourg." 

Though it's small, the museum is packed with artifacts of the Richfield oil company and the building's history. Of course, the museum is far from the only thing bringing visitors to the area. The legendary Route 66 once reached from Chicago, Illinois to California's Santa Monica, making it one of the longest highways in the United States. Though it was ultimately pushed out of service, it's remembered in such majestic landmarks as Santa Monica's pier, Amarillo's incomparable Cadillac Ranch, and, of course, this formerly forgotten gas station.  

In a lot of ways, old gas stations were far better than the equivalents we have today, and Rancho Cucamonga's is one of the oldest and most iconic parts of the proud tradition. Those interested in visiting for themselves can enter the museum between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. local time, Thursday through Sunday. It appears the museum has been well-received, as several awards and accolades have been bestowed upon it since its opening in 2015, including the California Preservation Foundation's Design Preservation Award and a Best Of Rancho Cucamonga award.