Many residents visit the “Y” along US Highway 93 and the State Route 319 that runs through Panaca. Every year, the gas station sets up a holiday display of pumpkins and/or hay for the fall season. The display sits on an old wooden wagon, and has a history almost as old as the store, which dates back nearly 80 years.
Purchased in 1936 by John M. Lytle of Panaca, the section of land where McCrosky’s “Y Service now stands cost $1,000.
In 1937, Mr. Lytle built a small convenience store comprised of one room and one lone gas pump, built of railroad ties and aggregate material, plaster and stucco. Eventually, garage bays were added with the increase of automobiles and tourism in the 1930s and ‘40s.
The building was leased out to the Kutcher and Standard Oil in the early ‘40s. In 1946, the Lytle family sold half the interest of the property to Kutcher, and half to the Findlay family, both in Panaca. In 1953, the Kutchers sold their interest to the Findlays. At the Time, Texaco was the gas branded at the station. Prior to Texaco, it was Standard Oil.
The service station was remodeled in the ‘50s by the Clifford and Mary Jo Findlay, adding two additional buildings. Although, it is unclear as to which structures they were, if they were additions to the station, the house that was moved on site, or to another associated structure. History was obtained by going through the owner’s notes from that time, and comprised in a Historic Survey Report for the business. Information was also gathered from A Century in Meadow Valley: 1864-1964.
By 1961, the business had a Dodge, Desoto and Plymouth dealership, along with a bar, mini market and gas station. 1961 was the year the Findlay’s moved their dealerships to Las Vegas, and leased the station to brothers William, Howard, Robert and Max McCrosky. In 1971, the McCrosky brothers purchased the station, returning it to the original family that owned it. One of the McCrosky’s grandmothers was a Lytle.
In 2004, Steve McCrosky, son of Robert McCrosky, took over and purchased the business from hisi uncles.
He started a remodel process, updating every aspect of the convenience store, replacing outdated gas pumps, adding a dining area, more coffee selections and 10 times the refrigerator storage space that was available before. He said, “We wanted to make it more modern.”
The family ran business could be looking at its third generation in ownership, as Steve’s daughter works at the station.
Every year, McCrosky’s sets up their fall display, with autumn colors and themes, and this year is no exception. And the wagon used for the display, an old wooden cart, was actually used on Grandma Lytle’s farm. When it became unusable anymore, the family couldn’t bare to part with the carriage and brought it to the convenience store, where it’s used annually.
The new dining area in McCrosky’s tells the tale on the walls, with photographs depicting the family and service station over the years. Black and white and classic, you can see the original gas pumps the store had available, and the cars that used to frequent the highway during that era.
McCrosky said, “We’d like to thank all the locals who support us. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be open.”
couldn’t bare to part with the carriage and brought it to the convenience store, where it’s used annually.
The new dining area in McCrosky’s tells the tale on the walls, with photographs depicting the family and service station over the years. Black and white and classic, you can see the original gas pumps the store had available, and the cars that used to frequent the highway during that era.
McCrosky said, “We’d like to thank all the locals who support us. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be open.”
