Gray’s Service Station and Plainview Cafe are among the most iconic experiences in Maryville. The station dates from 1936, when Alvin Gray opened a small station where he lived above it. He also sold apples. It is located on the highest point of 71 for hundreds of miles (at 1,168 feet by my measurement based on topo maps — higher than the reported highest point on the Wabash between Council Bluffs and St. Louis at the Wilcox curve).
It has been hit by at least two tornadoes and was featured in a recent tornado-chaser video. There have been 10-foot-high snow drifts by standing motorists. Being the only place out of the middle of nowhere, it has had its share of tragic accidents.
The cafe still has the vintage charm of an old trucker diner.
On a personal note, I didn’t realize until writing this that I had delivered his Forum back in the 1960s when he lived on Sunset. He was the nicest guy. I couldn’t find adult pictures but I posted a picture of him at the Harmony school by Clearmont (he thought enough f the school to buy it and move it to Maryville although I’m not sure where it was or if it’s still around).
Here are some items about the station. This is just the tip of what’s out there.
The November 1923 rally for the Bearcats-Bears football game, then described as the biggest in Maryville history, was notable for several reasons. The rally, which was held at both the courthouse and the steps of the Elks Club on Main, where Congressman 
