Wikipedia says it has 5,000 souls. “Worland is a hub for business in the Big Horn Basin. The economy of Worland is supported by agriculture and oil/ gas drilling. Sugar beets are the top agricultural product of the area. Top employers in Worland include Admiral Beverage, Wyoming Sugar Company, Crown Cork & Seal, and MillerCoors.

The building on the left looks like the original facade has survived, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was pressed metal. You can see the seam; it looks as if you could take a crowbar and pry off the entire front.

This is fascinating. Why?

Because it shows that the early “domestic” architectural vernacular of gas stations was so convincing that they actually looked like homes with just the addition of a lawn and a picket fence.

Usually I’d applaud the restoration, but the glue-dots suggest it was made over in an interesting style - modern, machine-age. Even though I took this a long time ago, let’s see if going back to run the google time machine turns up anything. I’ll bet it does.

Ah:

D’oh, I could have just looked at the next picture.

Creamy beige metal. Linking two buildings. One store? Certainly one owner.

The traveling facade-salesman made a killing when he dropped into Worland with a gladstone full of samples:

OUMB:

Looks like that Photoshop effect where you select and option drag.

OUMB #2:

They either look like bunkers or machines for sacrificing humans. ENTER O CHOSEN TO GIVE YOUR BLOOD FOR THE GLORY OF MOLOCH

ALSO FREE TOASTERS WITH NEW ACCOUNTS

Nice clean cream brick. Does the tree really help? Does the tree do anything?

Looks like it was a big renovation project to link several structures. Probably paid off by now, which is a good thing, because it’s not overflowing with commerce at the moment.

This is all dull. Where's the interesting stuff? Why did I do this town?

Ah. You can’t tell me this isn’t what I know it was.

If you know what I mean.

And here’s your proof. Movie poster frame.

Okay, googling . . . Yes, of course. It was the Kerby.

Cheerful!

Look at that fantastic space-age metal:

Whoa, what explains this sudden burst of space-age googie wonderfulness?

I wouldn’t say it’s aged well, or matches the rest of the building, or the town, but when it first went up - why, people must have been proud. And then they thought of Sputnik and got a little uneasy.