The Bowman Truck Stop originated in 1997 when Farmland Industries Fieldman Roger Hansen and Equity General Manager Roger Goodfellow were were enjoying breakfast at the Gateway resturant in Bowman. They noted that the combined truck and light vehicle traffic was extremely heavy on the highway 12 and highway 85 intersection, and felt it could possibly be a good site for a truck stop. Goodfellow brought this to the attention of the Equity board of directors who authorized him to purchase the six acres of land on the corner of highway 12 and 85 - for the future location of a truck and travel center.
The project was placed on hold twice as a new agronomy plant and a concrete elevator expansion at the Equtiy took priority. In 2003, news that another party was looking into building truck facilites in Bowman again fueled interest in the project. Goodfellow felt there was may advantages of having Prairie Fuels as a partner. These included giving the Equity more expertise and access to the oil field busienss served by Prairie Fuels, and the use of transportation assets owned by that company. The Equity board agreed and a limited liability company was formed owned entirely by the two companies. A seperate board was appointed to manage the project. This board consisted of Equity Manager Roger Goodfellow, Equity Board President Allen Grimes, Equity Board Vice President Mark Kelner, and Prairie Fuels owner Larry Merwin. The four board members then hired Ron Green of Williston to help the board design and later manage the new facility. The result was one of the most attractive businesses of its kind in the state!
It was with much regret that Larry Merwin later decided to withdraw from the partnership to be able to spend more of his time in Arizona, leaving Scranton Equity as the sole owner of the business.
The current facility currently has the ability to fuel up to eight cars and six semi tractors concurrently. It contains a trucker's lounge, a convenience store, and a deli. There is adequate parking for up to twenty trucks. A "touchless" car wash and additional office space was constructed in 2007. The resturant area was enhanced by the addition of the Piccidilly Pizza Franchise. A "beer cave" was added in 2009. The operation remains open 24 hours a day. Becky Brooks is the current manager of the facility.
Frontier offers a unique atmosphere with displays of mounted wildlife, a variety of unique tourist items, and painted murals by local artists. Several years ago, the Bowman Economic development corporation re-located its tourism booth to the Frontier location making this an ideal place to stop for people traveling through the area.
R. Goodfellow
Scranton Equity
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