A Vision Born on the Open Road
In 1932, a Utah sheep herder named S.M. Covey saw what others had overlooked. Travelers crossing western Wyoming faced hundreds of miles of rough roads, unpredictable weather, and precious few places to stop. He built a modest way station along what was then the Lincoln Highway — not just for fuel and food, but to offer genuine care to those making the crossing.
He wanted a name that would capture that spirit. He found it in the farthest place imaginable.
Named for the Ends of the Earth
During Admiral Richard E. Byrd’s first Antarctic expedition in 1928, his basecamp on the Ross Ice Shelf was called Little America, a lifeline of warmth and safety in one of the harshest environments on earth. Covey saw the same spirit in his Wyoming outpost: two remote places, separated by half a world, united by the promise of shelter and welcome.
In 1934, Little America Wyoming officially opened its doors. To honor that Antarctic connection, a real Emperor penguin named Emperor was brought from Antarctica in 1939 by Captain Isak Lystad, a veteran of Byrd’s expedition. He became the property’s beloved ambassador and a symbol of Little America’s promise ever since: When you arrive here, you are safe. You are welcome. You are home.
A Legacy That Kept Moving West
In 1966, Earl and Carol Holding acquired Little America and carried its legacy forward, expanding the brand’s tradition of Western hospitality to new destinations across the region. What began as a single Wyoming outpost grew into a family of distinctive properties under Grand America Hotels & Resorts — each one rooted in the same founding promise of care, quality, and a genuine sense of place. The Holding’s vision has continued in Cheyenne, Salt Lake City, and Flagstaff, with each property sharing the same foundation built here in Wyoming in 1934.
Still Here. Still Open. Still Welcoming.
Today, Little America Wyoming remains true to the promise Covey made nearly a century ago. The hotel rooms may have passed into history, but the spirit of the open road lives on through the RV Park, Travel Center, and Fuel Center, serving the thousands of travelers who still make this crossing every year.
Whether you’re fueling up, grabbing a homemade meal, or stretching your legs on a long haul, Little America Wyoming is still the refuge it has always been.
