Union 76

This 8 foot porcelain sign is kind of a fluke. A picker / collector in Salem Oregon had this sign. I was headed to visit my sister in Oregon and knew about this picker and planned to stop and visit him and his collection. We had been up the coast through Northern California and then into Oregon. When visiting this picker I had bought some glass cylinders from him when he asked if I wanted to buy the Union 76 sign. I didn’t have the room for this but we made room. It sat at home for lots of years and then when we built the Event Center Museum we had the perfect place to hang it. So happy I bought it way back when as it is a beauty and perfect addition to the wall.

The 1957 Nash metropolitan

Sparky’s father bought a brand new Nash Metropolitan for his wife in 1957. Making this a memorable car . When he saw this car he could not pass it up and had the vision of putting in up on a sign pole. He got it from a friend in Woodscross, Utah who has a huge collection of antique cars. We actually have two of these. The second one came from New Jersey and we had it shipped here to Utah. Neither are on poles at this point but someday they may be…

the sparks sign

This sign was made in 1965 to go on a 48 unit apartment building in Provo that Sparky and his father built. This sign was on there along with the name Roman Gardens. When the building was sold they kept the Sparks sign and hung it in the garage. We, of course had to add the sign (since it is our name) to the collection.

Western Auto

This sign also came from Gary Phillips who got it from an auction. This is the first company that started a franchise. They sold auto parts and sold them to others to sell. They were the supplier and years ahead of there time in the franchise idea. This also came from Indianola, Iowa.

amoco

This sign came from Indianola , Iowa from a Picker named Gary. Amoco was a Standard Oil company where they went from Standard to American to Amaco. They bought out UTOCO. All gas and oil is connected somewhere as it started with ONE and branched and sold and sold again which is why we get to have so many brands and beautiful signs displaying in our Musuem.

IMPERIAL

This sign came from Ozark , Missiouri which is about an hour from Joplin. We were driving through after buying signs in other areas and found this sign from picker named Chris Walters. He always has great signs and we have purchase many from him. We love the shape of this sign. It should have prices under the sign which we have but we like the look without so left it as is.

WhIPPET AND WILLYS-KNIGHT

This is an original sign we purchased of f of Ebay. We have had it many years and found the perfect space to place it in the museum. We like almost anything old and that has something to do oikWhippet and Willys Knight was and Antique car that was made in the 20s and 30s. We just liked the sign so bought it.

Chrysler Pymouth

Plymouth sign came from our friend and picker Chuck Dudley. It was a rough sign that we needed because of the colors and look. Again it is a sign we just like:)

1931 Phaeton Model A beauty

Some history of the Yellow 1931 Ford Model A 2 door Phaeton Deluxe. This was the last year that Ford made any Model A’s . This Ford was restored by Stan Francis at Golden Restoration. LaVorn Sparks Sr. bought the rough old body and then begin gathering all of the parts needed where he would send them off to one of the best restoration shops in the Country at the time. It was in Golden Colorado. This car was restored to mint original condition. It has every extra that Ford made available. It is not only bewith only 2200 made.

Ever heard of the cord automobile?

The 1947 Cord automobile refers to the models produced by the Cord Corporation, which was a significant player in the luxury car market during the early 20th century. The Cord brand was closely associated with designer and entrepreneur E.L. Cord, who was pivotal in its development.

Key Features:

1. Model: The 1947 Cord is often identified with the Cord 810 and 812 models, which originally debuted in 1936.

2. Design: These cars featured a distinctive, streamlined design by the famed industrial designer, Gordon Buehrig. Notable features included hidden headlights, a low-slung profile, and innovative engineering with front-wheel drive.

3. Engine: The 812 model was powered by a V8 engine and was known for its performance and handling, making it a luxury as well as a sporty vehicle.

Historical Context:

• E.L. Cord: The Cord Corporation was founded by E.L. Cord in the 1920s. He already had a successful career in the automotive industry, having acquired and managed several car companies, including Auburn and Duesenberg.

• Innovation: The Cord 810 was significant for its modern aesthetics and technologies that were ahead of their time, including a front-wheel drive system and a unitized body construction.

Production and Challenges:

• Post-War: By 1947, Cord automobiles were produced at a time when the automotive industry was beginning to recover from World War II. However, the company faced several challenges, including financial difficulties and competition from larger manufacturers.

• End of Production: The Cord Corporation ceased production in 1937 due to financial issues, only producing a limited number of vehicles. The legacy of Cord automobiles lingers on as a symbol of luxury and innovation in automotive history.

Legacy:

• Collector Cars: Today, Cord automobiles are highly sought after by collectors due to their rarity, unique design, and engineering. The 1947 models and those from the 1930s remain iconic representations of American automotive history.

Sparky aquired his Cord from a Doctor in Chicago and had it shipped to Sparks Museum and Event Center. We like to call it our “gangster” car. It sits inside and can be viewed from the front of the Event Center.

A & W Rootbeer

In 1919 a young veteran named Roy Allen began a Root Beer stand in Lodi California. In 1922 he brought in a friend named Frank Wright and they opened another stand in Lodi. soon they leased their stands to others to operate and trademarked the new name of A & W from their names and went to Sacramento and began franchising A & W Restaurants. They pioneered restaurant franchising . Our A & W sign came from Helper Utah and is a reminder what a good idea plus hard work and ambition can do. The International franchise is huge!

the Hays gas Pump

We bought this from a friend in Joplin, Missouri who had it and couldn’t resist since we have never seen one in Utah before. We love this pump that stands out in front of our Steam Tractor collections.

pegasus Collection

Our Pegasus that stand tall on the East entrance came from Texas and is custom made especially for us. Sparky knew how he wanted it and what he wanted and had him make it for us. Another Pegasus that hangs inside the museum came from a guy that came by our Storage Park and asked if we would be interested in some of his Father In Laws collection who had passed away. He had a cookie cutter Pegasus that we could not pass up along with our 7 up Machine, shell Globe and a few other globes.

Our

Marilyn Monroe, elvis and the rat pack

A friend in Gillette Wyoming , named Jeff Wonder had acquired the collection of our famous people who changed the world in one way or another. Elvis through Rock and Roll, Marilyn Monroe with not only her beauty but what the world doesn’t know is she had an IQ higher than Einstein. She was the sexiest most impacting Movie star in the World taking the industry by storm.

The Rat Pack (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis JR) came together and became the gang that played in movies together as well as just ran around together. Individually each having their own sound, singing songs that are timeless.

The Blues Brothers are a more contemporary group. In 1980 they stared in the Movie The Blues Brothers and many went on to star in Saturday Night Live.

steam tractor collection

When Sparky was a young guy he remembered seeing someone with an old steam tractor that he fell in love with. Years later he saw a collector selling his collection in Oregon and thought ,”I will bid on those since Oregon is close to Utah” he bid on many different tractors winning the bids on 6 of them. The oldest being a 1907 Minneapolis Moline. The steam tractor revolutionized farming in America. Not only could they pull huge plows but they could run combines and other ancillary equipment in farming. Going from the horse and plow to the Steam tractor. It 1917 Henry Ford came out with the Fordson Tractor which was a gas operated tractor. They build factories all over the world making it affordable for farmers to buy .

Big Boy

Our Big Boy came from Joplin, Missouri from a friend named Chuck. He purchased it at a swap meat called Dixie Gas in Sevierville, Tenesee put on by Chip Floe . It is the largest gas show in the Southeast. Chuck knows we are always looking for cool stuff so bought it and held it for us. Big Boy has always been a favorite from when they started in Los Angelas. Great memories eating the french toast and blueberry syrup.

Hand carved Native American indian

Our hand carved out of one tree Native American Indians came from an antique store out near Tremonton ,Utah. While Sparky was visiting an antique event near Ogden that has dealers from all over that come to show and tell as well as sell their treasures. This is where he met a dealer that had one of these beautiful carvings. After discussing price he actually had three that we could not pass up. Sparky bought two and his son bought the other. They sat at his home in Sundance out front for years until we recently relocated them to be on display in the Museum.

How do we set our signs

Since we are in the business of “growing” signs we have it down to a science. First we pick the place that we want to “plant” the footing:) We then dig it and pour the cement and put in the rebar so our sign is nice and secure ! We don’t like shallow rooted signs, they need to withstand the stormy weather. Next we pick our pole, either one that has been collected or one that we have custom built (yes we do that too) Then the ring on top. Which ring for which sign. Pick the sign and ring and set the pole on the footing. Just like that our beautiful new sign on a pole has been grown into what we like to call our field of signs.

holy grail gas pump

Another of our “Holy Grail” items is the Canadian Clear Vision double head 700. Canada used Imperial Gallons which are bigger that American Gallons. One side of the pump is for regular gas and the other side for Ethyl, which today is Premium. these are extremely expensive and difficult to find gas pumps.

A friend in Joplin told Sparky the he had traded for the upper cast portion of a CV700 pump an dit was for sale. Sparky obviously bought it plus some of the parts that another friend had accumulated to go with it. It was lacking a lot of parts but had the beginnings. He found the cool nozzles in Indiana and the glass cylinders at the swap meet in Hershey, PA. He had the new skins made locally. Some of the smaller parts, [price glass, and a few details he found in Edmonton ,Canada. The owner refused to ship the parts so a road trip it was. Eventullay he had all the parts to restore it and put it on display next door at AAA Lakeside Storage until we build Sparks Museum and Event Center when he moved it inside. Red Indian is a Canadian gas brand and they were bought out by Texaco that that is why we have it in front of our Texaco collection.

the “fluted” gas pump

Every collector knows the Holy Grail of gas pumps is the Roman Column Pump. Sparky looked for a Roman column for years and never was able to find one he could afford. They sell for $20-$60k at auctions. One day a manager at the Lakeside Storage called to tell Sparky that a guy stopped by and the office and left a note asking if we would be interested in a “fluted” gas pump that he had.

Sparky knew exactly what “fluted” meant and immediately called the guy. He was from Nevada but was living in Springville and when he was a kid worked at the Stateline Service Station where they had the “fluted” gas pump for pumping Kerosene. The mans father had worked at the station and he assumed his dad had actually pumped his gas from the pump so he bought the pump from the sation ages before to restore it as a family memory. Later he found out that his dad actually had never pumped gas from it so he was ready to sell.

Sparky bought it at a fair price and hauled it home to paint and assemble parts. It lacked the glass cylinder which he replaced and restored it for our collection. The hose that is on it was a new old stock original hose he got from Max Egertson who used to own the Texaco Bulk Plant in Provo and he had a few hoses he gave Sparky that he had many years ago. The pump was sold to the Stateline Serviece Station and maintained by a SLC gas pump company.