Gone were the soda-pop posters and the antiquated oil signs but the remote Rainbow Service station was coming back in style. The aging wooden building in the southern boundary of Rainbow was once a popular oasis where early motorists and their machines were fed. It now bears a formal marker designating it as a county historical landmark, the first such honor in the unincorporated area. The year was 1988 when this old building received this distinction. It was stated by a representative of the County Planning Department that contemporary history is sometimes the hardest to preserve.
People tend to forget about it.
Other residents may not even see it as that important. Places like Rainbow Service had a significant role in shaping the forces of growth of these communities and the region. That is why it is so worthy. If there is anything that made Southern California what it is today, it is the automobile. The designation also signaled the county's new direction in preservation.