Vernal Auto Company

Herbert M. Snyder operated the Cobble Rock Station for one year, 1927-1928. During his tenure, he changed the name from Vernal Auto Company to Snyder Service, moved the gas pumps so they were more visible, and uniformed all the station employees.

A well-known Vernal family changed the business name again, and, with Howard Woolley as manager, operated Ashton Service from 1928 until 1930. They finished the “car wash room,” complete with pressure washing machines, and became a leading local seller of Goodyear tires.

Lawrence Carter and Mick Batty ran the station briefly before Tom Karren took over in January 1931. They gave the place its final name: Conoco Service. The station’s Triangle Café was then a major attraction. Chuck Henderson purchased Karren’s lease the next year and continued as manager until 1936, when Claude Banks took over. Banks stayed with the business for the next twenty years, including a break for military service during World War II.

After Banks quit Conoco to become Vernal City Police Chief in 1956, the station sat empty until Herb Snyder, one of its first operators, leased the building to use as headquarters for his Vernal Cab Company. By the time he retired, the old community gathering spot was in poor condition. It sat empty and boarded up until 1970, when owner N. J. Meagher razed it to pave a parking lot.

This is #9 of the 21 stop history walking tour in downtown Vernal, Utah. See the other stops on this page:

• Vernal’s Walking History Tour

This marker is located at Cobble Rock Park, which is at 25 South Vernal Avenue in Vernal, Utah.