And the West is History: 11th Street Station – 1932

Standing next to his work truck in front of his service station and tire store is Charles “Chick” Sheehan. Sheehan purchased the nearby Foley Tire Shop in 1923 and moved it to this location in 1925. It was also the home of his Spanish Trail Service Station. Sheehan died from injuries suffered in a vehicle collision in 1934 and William “Art” Pearce took over. Ernie Schaaf became owner in 1946, running his Ernie’s Conoco Triangle Station at this site until 1970. Various businesses were located at this corner throughout the ensuing years. In 2017, it became 11th Street Station culinary collective with the service station repurposed as Ernie’s Bar, named in tribute to longtime proprietor Schaaf. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org (Catalog Number: 22.13.10 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)