Flying C Ranch manager may revive Milagro gas station

Milagro gas station, Milagro, NM

The closed Milagro gas station west of Santa Rosa, New Mexico, may be resurrected by the manager of the nearby Flying C Ranch travel center.

Last week’s print edition of The Communicator newspaper in Santa Rosa reported Frank Tavenner, manager of the Flying C off Interstate 40 about 10 miles west of the Milagro station, is negotiating with the owners after its longtime operators retired last month.

“I’m tired of businesses going away and not coming back,” Tavenner told The Communicator this week, saying there were various issues that still need to be worked out before a final deal can be worked out with property owner Honstein Oil & Distributing LLC. […]

The Tavenners are no strangers to the area. Frank Tavenner said his grandparents used to operate a little restaurant in Milagro called El Rancho Grande.

So Tavenner might hold some sentimental value with the property.

He told the newspaper he plans to bring the Milagro gas station “up to par again” as a roadside oasis. Tavenner said he hopes to have a deal worked out in a few weeks.

Rudy and Doris Marquez turned in the keys to the Milagro station in late September after 24 years because of health issues. The station proved to be a oasis for I-40 and Route 66 travelers because of its remote location — it’s nearly 30 miles west of Santa Rosa — and its huge “Milagro” sign.

The settlement of Milagro sits a few miles south of the station. Some movie fans think it’s the setting for the Robert Redford-directed film “The Milagro Beanfield War.” But Redford shot the movie about 100 miles north in Truchas, near Santa Fe. The Milagro portrayed in the film was fictional.

Flying C Ranch is helmed by the Bowlin family, which boasts business roots in New Mexico dating more than a century. The Flying C sits 70 miles from Albuquerque and 40 miles from Santa Rosa, offering a Dairy Queen, fuel and lots of souvenirs. Flying C also proved itself an able competitor with the historic Clines Corners oasis further west.

(Image of a 1968 Oldsmobile convertible in front of the Milagro gas station sign in 2008 byPeter Barwick via Flickr)

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