The Last Whiting Bros., oil on linen, 24 x 36 © 2024While driving Route 66 as a kid in the back of the family station wagon, reading billboards was a favorite pastime. The ubiquitous big yellow Whiting Bros. signs proclaiming "Whiting Bros - Gas for Less - 50 miles" were a way to know we were approaching a town. Dad would often stop in for a fill-up and "Free Ice" to replenish the aluminum cooler where Mom's sandwiches were awaiting a roadside picnic. Once a family-owned chain of 100 gas stations and motels from Texas to California, Whiting Bros. went the way of many independent businesses when I- 40 bypassed Route 66. This station, in Moriarty, NM, was the last survivor. It was sold to a longtime employee in 1985 and is still operating as The Sal and Inez Service Station. The Last of the iconic Whiting Bros. signs was restored in 2014 with a matching grant from the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program.