1959 Square Bird
The other day my wife, the lovely Ste. Sue, and I headed down to Moab, UT to meet with the dude I have worked with for extended periods of time in Spain, Morocco and Mexico from the 1970s through the 1990s – Bob Frerck. He, his wife and kids were taking a three-week tour of National Parks in the southwest. We hooked up in Moab, after a tour of Arches, and then met again the following day in Cortez, Colorado for a tour of the Mesa Verde Anasazi ruins.
While on our way to Cortez, Sue and I saw an almost empty field with some stuff that we both knew would trigger massive salivation amongst the Commentariat- The Field of Dreams! The most compelling car close to the road was a 1959 Square Bird, in turquoise (and a bunch of patina), no less.
Satellite View of the Field of Dreams
After I plugged my eyeballs back into their respective sockets, I began to assess the situation.
This place looked like it may have been a former junkyard. Hard to tell from the road, but after I got back home, the images on Google Maps-Satellite confirmed my suspicion-this was a former junkyard.
The junkyard is located at highway 491 (North Broadway) and County Road N.
Birds, Bel Airs, and Caddys
What’s left is an eclectic mix of ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s cars. Maybe the owner, or former owner, wasn’t willing to get rid of his faves. More than likely, the former owner died and the stuff has simply sat and began its slow return to Mother Earth.
Cortez is in southwestern Colorado, close to the Four Corners area. It’s high and dry. The rust that you will see in the following images is primarily surface “patina”, but anything resting on the ground may have serious rustification problems. But anything not in contact with the ground is probably worth looking at, especially the stainless steel trim.
What’s left is fun, so let’s take a look.
’53 Buick and ’55 DeSoto
The ‘53 Buick Roadmaster would have had the first of Buick’s nailhead V8s, and a 12V electrical system. The entry level Specials still had straight eights, but that would end in 1954 when all Buick models had nailheads and 12V systems.
Further on back is a 1955 DeSoto Fireflite Sportsman. The Fireflite came with the 200 hp Hemi with a 4 bbl carb. Lesser DeSotos came with Firedome 180 hp 2 bbl hemis. Both measured 291 cubic inches in displacement. Top Fuel and AA dragster builder/drivers, such as Don Garlits had a predilection for DeSoto hemis early on.
’41 Pontiac and ’48-’51 Hudson
I’m pretty sure that the sedan at the rear is a 1941 Pontiac. It could be either the six or the straight eight. Hard to tell from here.
The Hudson in the foreground could be a 1948 through 51 Pacemaker Club Coupe. In 1951 Hudson introduced a 308 cu in six with a two carb option, otherwise known as the Twin H-Power option, that became the NASCAR terror, capable of beating the new Olds and Cadillac V8s. Having Smokey Yunick as the car preparer for Marshall Teague’s dominating Hudsons in Daytona didn’t hurt either. Yunick was particularly proud of the fact that he could cut the Hudson intake and exhaust manifolds apart, hog them out, and reweld them in a way that escaped NASCAR’s inspectors scrutiny.
Early ’50s Chevys
The rusty hulk on the left is probably a ‘53-54 Chevy 210. Not a particularly interesting car. But the Chevy on the right looks like a 1951 Bel Air, the second year that a Chevy could be had as a two door hardtop.
1951 Chevy Bel Air
Chevies with Powerglides were equipped with 235 cu in (3.9 L) engines, while manuals received 216 cu in engines. Neither one set the world on fire. I know-I had a ‘57 six with a Powerglide and I was afraid that no girl would want to date me for that reason. Fortunately I was wrong on that account.
Eerily Like Easter Island
The chrome, or more appropriately, stainless steel trim, would indicate that this Chevy was a ‘58 Biscayne. The paint would appear to be intact, not patina, and in either Sierra Gold or Cay Coral.
To the right of the Biscayne is a ‘66 Cadillac with pretty straight sheet metal.
An Imperious Toilet Seat
Although ‘58 and ‘59 Imperials are similar, Chrysler did not introduce the “toilet seat” until ‘59. This car could probably be either a Custom or Le Baron Southampton.
’51 Chevy
Hard to tell, with missing parts and all, exactly what year Chevy this is. To my eye it could be anything from a ‘49 through a ‘52 Styleline.
tri fives
Here we have what would appear to be a couple of ‘55s and ‘57s, plus a ‘59 Ford thrown in just for fun. All look pretty much picked over.
’58 Mercury and Friends
‘58 Chevys aren’t particularly rare, or collectible, unless they are Impalas. These ain’t.
‘58 Mercurys aren’t particularly collectible, but they are fairly rare. If you gotta have one, this is the place to go.
’74 Pontiac
In my own eye, this ‘74 Pontiac is one of the more uninteresting objects in this collection, but it’s probably one of the best of the remaining cars as far as condition goes. Don’t know about the late ‘40s DeSoto-Dodge-Plymouth that lost its front fenders, suspension and engine. Sheetmetal still looks good.
Oldsmobile Lurking
A couple of ‘53 Chevys, a ‘47 (?) Plymouth, and a ‘62 Olds hiding out behind.
A Marlin, not from Miami but Kenosha
Probably one of the more complete cars left on the lot was this ‘67 AMC Marlin. Looks straight and fairly rust free. Too bad it’s a ‘67 Marlin.
A Fairly Fair Fairlane
Just so PN doesn’t feel left out, here’s a black ‘63 Fairlane that looks pretty solid. No hood and who knows what else, but it’s black, and a Fairlane. Probably a six given the lack of 260 or 289 badges on the front fenders.
No More Nomading for this Nomad
Some of you may take exception to my identifying this as a ‘58 Chevy Nomad. After all, Nomads are supposed to be 2 dr station wagons, right? That’s true for Tri-Fives, but by 1958 the Nomad designation appears to have been bestowed upon Chevy’s top of the line 9-passenger station wagons. Without being able to see the tailgate with its vertical chrome bars, the paint break on the rear door would indicate that this is a Nomad.
Sources used to identify cars in this article were:
American Cars of the 1940s; Olyslager Auto Library 1972
American Cars of the 1950s; Olyslager Auto Library 1973
American Car Spotter’s Guide 1940-1965; Tad Burness; Classic Motorbooks Intl 1973
Brief Passenger Car Data; Ethyl Gasoline Corporation, Various Years, 1941-1959
New car brochures from respective makes
Balancing Rock, Arches
In case you were wondering, we did spend time in two National Parks. This is an image of Balancing Rock in Arches shot by Sue. Arches is just outside of Moab, Utah. It was 103 degrees F (39.5 C).
Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde
This is the Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde, also shot by Sue. The altitude here is about 7000 ft (2100 m), but the road leading to this site tops out at 8600 ft (2600 m). At a number of points on this road Shiprock, New Mexico can be seen towering above the desert floor some 50 miles (80 km) away. Mesa Verde is about 10 mi (16 km) east of Cortez, Colorado.
Is it just me or does that Squarebird look like the most overwrought, overbearing slab-sided thing ever to pass through an assembly line? Every single curve and flourish on it looks tacked on and incoherent.
No, your eyes do not deceive you, Mr. W.
I just don’t see what people find so attractive about the Squarebird. Maybe it’s just misplaced nostalgia or something.
I saw one restored yesterday in a very nice color and felt sorry for the paint.
Thunderbird is a 1959.
It is a ’59.
That 55 DeSoto hardtop – such a waste to sit there baking in the sun lo these many years.
Makes you wonder how these stragglers got left behind. Out playing and not paying attention when their mothers called them to the tow trucks? I am guessing that these were unwanted leftovers after all the better cars sold at auction, or as you guessed Kevin, the owner held these back.
A great find.
I think the Square Bird is the gem of the bunch for sure, though that Marlin is a not too distant second. Too bad it looks like the Bird’s hood was replaced or at least painted, if its patina matched the rest it would be perfect to me.
I drove by this spot last year on my way back to Oregon. I thought of CC immediately but was in a hurry to get to Lake Powell. Glad someone noticed it!
I went by here and took photos in May, 2010. I was visiting my son in Denver and we did a 3 day loop to Moab, next night in Durango, Co. and then back to Denver via the Million Dollar Hwy(Rte 550). It was on the way to Durango that we passed this property and I did stop to take a few photos. If any one wants to see what cars were in the yard 3 years ago I would be happy to post the photos. There were alot more cars then.
That would be cool if you could add them to the Cohort page.
If I had the time off and the room to put it, I’d rent a trailer and go snag that ‘Bird right freaking NOW. I wouldn’t even paint it. I’d get it running, clean it up, stuff the headlights back in their sockets, and enjoy it for what it is- an original survivor.
At 2,545 made, the ’67 Marlin is most certainly the rarest car here.
Of course, there is a reason for the low production.
I don’t know why I put my email address as my handle- LOL.
Anyways, the low production of the Marlin could be an indicator that AMC was dying even then.
Interesting juxtaposition of that house. Doesn’t look abandoned; and the dog is there watching over.
Given that, I would guess you spoke to someone before wandering out in the field. Did they have a story, or were they country-style tight-lipped about their display?
I had my trusty 2 megapixel Olympus with me (with viewfinder), but I knew that I would need some telephoto horsepower to zero in on some of the more interesting subjects. And that was Sue’s camera. Unfortunately Sue’s Canon did not have a viewfinder, so framing shots in the bright morning sun was a real pain. All photos were taken from the road (491 and County N).
Cool stuff! I feel sorry for that poor Imperial; looks to be a Southampton hardtop coupe.
The Coupe will be gone this weekend. I bought it 3 or 4 years ago. I bought several cars from there.
Field of dreams (past).
Why the hell don’t they ever roll the damn windows up on these things?
I don’t know that it would matter…the climate is very harsh on interiors in that part of the country. The bodies preserve fairly well, but the environmental conditions just powder up the interior materials. It doesn’t really rain that much in Moab, also.
Damn, if I knew for sure that ’67 Marlin was for sale I’d be hooking up my trailer and heading south posthaste. I’m big into AMCs and that is one I’d absolutely love to own…
The white 1965 Cadillac Fleetwood would be my pick.
i agree, but i think its a 66.
Maybe, I can’t really tell those two years apart. Thanks LAx.
The owner says it’s a 67 Marlin
Fascinating shots Kevin, thank you! I spent half an hour or so looking around the site on streetview too, which added to the fascination. The streetview images date from May 2012. Most of the cars are unchanged – although that ’74 Pontiac has moved, and there were a pair of Hudsons alongside the pair of ’53 Chevs. The house looks tidier now too – new guttering and the ‘garden’ has been trimmed. So many stories the cars could tell no doubt.
The 74 Pontiac was the owner’s mother’s car.
Some more research reveals the business was named ‘4 Corners Auto Parts’. There some more interesting user photos of the cars on streetview. They’re all copywritten, so I won’t post any, but here’s a snippet from one showing the business name:
And another snippet, showing what used to be beside the Square-bird, and a greater number of cars behind:
Thanks for the tip on Streetview. I went on and discovered that Rt 491 and County Road N were shot at different times. 491, as you said, was shot in 2012, but Cty Rd N was shot in 2008. Naturally, more cars. Cortez is in the 4 Corners area where Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona all meet, the only such place in the US. You can stand in all four states at the same time
I remember an episode of Breaking Bad where his wife took a trip there to contemplate her destiny.
My 1958 Imperial had the furshlugginer spare-tire thingie on the deck lid. I hated it, because it would trap 100 mL of water, which would be poured into the trunk when the lid was opened. Between that and the rain gutter that didn’t drain, I decided the car had been styled by someone who had no idea that the cars would ever be driven or parked in the rain.
Id take that marlin If I where closer. the areial view ki.da reminds me of an old circle dirt track. There are a few old tracks around here that Id like to see on google earth but they are hard to nail down because they are overgrown.
It was a dirt track that ran till 82
Excellent find! If I stumbled across something like this, I’d have a really hard time not trespassing and risking some yahoo pointing a shotgun at me. The aqua Squarebird would make the world’s most awesomely cheerful rat rod.
I am looking for 58 front right fender and I see some in these pictures. Is there away to get a hold of the owner so see if he wants to sell. Name or number would be great.
earl message me racecar_mrx@yahoo.com