Classical Gas Museum
A wonderful roadside attraction in New Mexico
Text + Photos: Larry Hulst
Spotlight | On a morning drive up Highway 68 from Santa Fe to Taos, my wife Laura and I came across something interesting. It’s a stunning drive following the Rio Grande, with the cottonwoods in the brightest of fall color.
Driving through the town of Embudo we passed the Classical Gas Museum. It would be hard to miss. The museum yells at you to stop, even if just for a moment. We first drove past it, then turned back around.
As you pull up you are greeted by a fully restored 1956 Thunderbird with a Continental kit and a number of antique gas pumps. The museum took us back to a time when every gas station provided full service when you purchased gas.
On the porch, a well-preserved drugstore Indian statue keeps his eye on the proceedings. It is the kind of place where the more you look the more you see. Is that a Borax dispenser? A Roy Rogers lunchbox sat next to a gallon can of coffee. Over there is a dining car that seats 12 people with a Bob’s Big Boy burger statue.
Meeting the owner, Johnnie Meier, made the experience even better. Just listening to his stories of finding many of the items over the last 20 years was joy. We walked up on the porch and through the front door into the building, which is packed full of interesting things from a world that is quickly disappearing.
Inside, the visitor is jammed up against the collection. You know that feeling of being inside someone’s world? The room is aglow with neon, and everything electrical is lit up like a candy store. It seems like there are five tons of items stuffed in a 20-by-30-foot room. However, the presentation is thoughtful and professionally displayed.
Some of the best of the collection is outside. Rusted vintage cars and equipment are lined up around the property. Off by itself in the weeds is a rusted-out oval-track race car.
As we were driving away we talked about Meier saying that he had recently had an offer to move the museum to a town on Route 66. I’m sure this would be gratifying for the auto enthusiast, and the museum would be very popular for years to come. But it would be a loss to Embudo.
The Classical Gas Museum is a one-of-a-kind treasure. Its appeal is its funkiness. The idea of a good roadside attraction is so ’50s. If you are traveling Highway 68 through Embudo, keep your eye out for this wonderful piece of history and stop for a bit. It is well worth it.
Location:
Classical Gas Museum; NM-68; Embudo, NM 87531. Closes 5pm.
Contact:
Johnnie Meier; johnniev@roadsideculture.com; 505-852-2995.
Larry Hulst is a photographer living in Colorado Springs. He is renowned for his landscape and Rock N Roll photography. He is the author of From The Vaults, Iconic Concert Photography By Larry Hulst