Thursday, May 1, 2008

I'm a little teapot short and stout...

...here is my handle...
...and here is my spout...
...and here is my window.
In 1922, Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall entered into a lease of the oil fields at Teapot Dome, Wyoming, to Harry Sinclair without competitive bidding. Although seemingly legal to all appearances, a painstaking investigation by the Senate uncovered the fact that Fall had received some large interest-free loans from Sinclair, and from Edward L. Doheny, who took a similar lease on another oilfield.
Local businessman Jack Ainsworth was so disgusted by the Teapot Dome Scandal that, in order to protest, he built this gas station in the form of a teapot. The station was open again for some time in recent years, but in its location off the beaten path was not able to make it. The city of Zillah is hoping to move it into town as a historical centerpiece.It won't be the unique building's first move. When we moved to the Valley, the teapot was located in Naches. It was later moved back to its current location near its origins.

8 comments:

Jane Hards Photography said...

Wow. How wierd is that teapot. It's a
great post .

Daryl said...

Oh what a fun bunch of photos .. cant believe you didnt save it for Odd Shots!
Daryl

becky aka theRAV said...

I thought you were doing your Odd Shot early at 1st. Still it is cute and I like this post. Glad you liked my O post. Thanks for the comment.

dixymiss said...

He got all "steamed up" and built a teapot? Neat piece of history and fun photos, Katney. Although the builder obviously didn't intend for it to be whimsical, it certainly does have a storybook quality.

Paulie said...

That is so neat! Thanks for the history on it. I love it!

TwD said...

Thanks for sharing, it's cool!

Max-e said...

What an interesting story - what a way to protest.
Thanks for the comments left on my site. I will start on the posts of our trip to Lesotho over the next few days

John-Michael said...

I am charmed and delighted by this combination of art, fact, history, and all woven by a hand of delicate storytelling skill. Wonderfully done!