Mount Si with trees in foreground

Twin Peaks Film Location – Mo’s Motor

In Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, Mo’s Motor is a service station that Leland and Laura Palmer visit after being accosted “out of the blue” by Mike the One Armed Man. The former building was located in Snoqualmie, Washington and made a brief appearance in Twin Peaks season two.

WHERE IS MO’S MOTOR FROM TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME LOCATED?

Google Maps
Google Maps

Mo’s Motor was located on the corner of Meadowbrook Way and Park Street in Snoqualmie, Washington. The approximate coordinates for this location are 47°31’31.6″N 121°48’44.8″W.

.Interesting side note, the former Riverside Mobile Home Park, which served as the film location for Fat Trout Trailer Park in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, was located in the field found in the upper left corner of the map.

THE BROOK THEATRE IN MEADOWBROOK

The Brook
Photo courtesy of LivingSnoqualmie.com

Before Mo’s Motor appeared in Twin Peaks, the location was home to The Brook Theater. According to LivingSnoqualmie.com, the theatre opened in 1923 in the former town of Meadowbrook (latter annexed to the town of Snoqualmie in 1952):

“Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Cochrane and their Cochrane Moving Picture Company invested $20,000 and opened The Brook Theater on Saturday, September 15, 1923, with seating 440, including 38 loges (small, separated seating area) with cushioned seats and backs in the rear of the theater.

Downtown Meadowbrook
Photo by Clark Kinsey, 1924

The first movie ever shown at The Brook was “The Spoilers,” depicting life in Alaska after gold was discovered in the early 1890s. General admission was 15 cents and 30 cents, with loges running 20 cents and 40 cents.

In 1929, the Cochranes upgraded the theater and brought state of the art talkies to the Valley, but the depression hit the Snoqualmie Valley hard.

Park Street and Meadowbrook Way
January 24, 2020

According to the Snoqualmie Valley History Magazine, the Cochranes sold The Brook in the 1940s and the new owner kept the doors open until the mid 1960s.”

Mo's Motor
August 10, 1996

I first visited this location on August 10, 1996 as part of the film location bus tour during the 1996 Twin Peaks Fan Festival.

Google Maps
Google Maps

Here is a look at the location in August 2008 courtesy of Google Street View.

MO’S MOTOR SEEN IN TWIN PEAKS EPISODE 2.010 FROM SEASON TWO

Eagle-eyed viewers will spot the shuttered movie theater in Episode 2.010 in Twin Peaks season two.

2010
2010
Meadowbrook Way
September 14, 2019

This short establishing shot is found just before Agent Cooper is seen packing is suitcase at The Great Northern Hotel. I recall identifying this spot in a letter to John Thorne and Craig Miller published in Wrapped in Plastic, Issue 27.

PALMER FAMILY APPROACHING MO’S MOTOR

Fire Walk With Me - Approaching Mo's Motor
Fire Walk With Me

The first glimpse of Mo’s Motor can be seen through Leland Palmer’s windshield.

Meadowbrook Way
September 14, 2019

The scene was shot along Meadowbrook Way approaching Park Street.

Fire Walk With Me
Fire Walk With Me

In this aerial shot, Mo’s Motor can be seen in the upper right corner. Read more about the Intersection scene where Mike yells at Leland in this film location article.

PULLING INTO MO’S MOTOR

Twin Peaks Film Location - Mo's Motor
Fire Walk With Me
Meadowbrook Way and Park Street
September 15, 2019

Leland speeds away toward Mo’s Motor after Mike, The One Armed departs the intersection. The August 8, 1991 script describes the action:

The light turns green.  Gerard takes off away from them.  As soon as the logging truck moves Leland lets go of the brake and the car flies into a service station on their right.  Everyone around there has been watching a commotion on a Sunday afternoon.

Twin Peaks Film Location - Mo's Motor
Fire Walk With Me
Twin Peaks Film Location - Mo's Motor
September 15, 2019

Look carefully and you’ll see a street sign for Meadowbrook Way, which has since been removed.

BURN YOUR ENGINE OUT

Fire Walk With Me
Fire Walk With Me
Location of Mo's Motor in Snoqualmie, WA
September 15, 2019

As Leland and Laura pull into the service station, a “Young Mechanic” (played by James Parks) shares a warning about burning out the engine. In the film credits, he’s listed as Service Station Mechanic.

A YOUNG MECHANIC runs up to their car.

MECHANIC
Mr., Mr., you shouldn’t do that to your engine.  You ought to take it easy, Mr., you’re going to burn your engine out.

Jean Renault
2004

James Parks is the son of Michael Parks who played Jean Renault in Season 2. You can really see the resemblance.

TREAT HIM RIGHT AT MO’S MOTOR

Fire Walk With Me
Fire Walk With Me

I love the “Treat Him Right” sign in the upper right corner. I also wonder if the gas pumps are the same props from Big Ed’s Gas Farm used in the Pilot Episode and Episode 1005. It’s doubtful they are working pumps since property records don’t indicate it was ever a gas station.

Location of Mo's Motor in Snoqualmie, WA
September 15, 2019

The service station attendants watch as Leland tries comforting Laura. There is another hand written sign on the right side of the screen but I’m unsure what it says. I also never noticed the calendar on the wall until writing this article.

Fire Walk With Me - Leland Palmer
Fire Walk With Me
Fire Walk With Me - Mo's Motor Location
September 15, 2019

LELAND
What the hell was all that?  Why doesn’t someone do something about all of this. My god, that guy came out of nowhere. He was harassing my daughter.

LELAND PALMER’S FLASHBACK

There is a lengthy exchange between Laura and Leland while they sit in front of Mo’s Motor. It includes a flashback to Leland who spots his daughter at the Red Diamond City Motel.

Fire Walk With Me - Leland Palmer
Fire Walk With Me
Park Street in Snoqualmie, WA
September 15, 2019

The red building in the distance was constructed in 1939 and once housed Best Putt Forward and Bucky’s Baseball Academy,

Fire Walk With Me - Laura Palmer
Fire Walk With Me
North Bros. Motor in Snoqualmie, WA
September 19, 2019

The beige building behind Laura is now home to North Bros. Motors.

GET BACK TO YOUR WORK!

In the script, Leland eventually starts the car and drives a little further with Laura.

BACK IN THE CAR WITH LAURA
Leland and Laura are in the car.  Leland starts the car.

 LAURA
Are you sure you’re okay?

LELAND
Yes.

Leland pulls out onto the road.  After they drive for a bit.

Laura asks her father if he came home last week as she thought she saw him.

Fire Walk With Me
Fire Walk With Me

It’s at that point Leland yells at the workers, which doesn’t appear in the script. Ray Wise does a spectacular job portraying such emotional range throughout the entire scene.

Ray Wise in Twin Peaks - Fire Walk With Me

According to Ray, this was one of his favorite scenes to play in the film. Read my Love Letter to his performance.

Fire Walk With Me
Fire Walk With Me

Back to the location … The scene concludes with Laura telling Leland that she was just down the street when she saw him.

In the script, they end up at the Double R Diner to pick up Sarah Palmer. I wonder if this scene was actually shot (I’m assuming it was).

EXT.  DOUBLE R DINER
Leland pulls the car into the Double R.  Sarah stands out front waving.

SARAH
(calling)

Where were you two?

LAURA’S GOLDEN ORB EARRINGS

Fire Walk With Me - Laura Palmer
Fire Walk With Me

Another random observation is Laura Palmer’s earrings in this scene – GOLDEN ORBS!

Senorita Dido in Part 8
From Z to A – Red Room Gallery

This has to be a coincidence … or is it?

MO’S MOTOR BUILDING IS DEMOLISHED

LivingSnoqualmie.com shared an article in July 2015 about the building’s demolition.

Living Snoqualmie
LivingSnoqualmie.com from July 2, 2015

According to City of Snoqualmie Building Official John Cooper, the property owners obtained a Demolition Permit to remove the old structure’s front facade and roof system in order to access to the interior and remove items from inside the building.

Former location of Mo's Motor
September 15, 2019

Cooper also stated via email that demolition crews will be removing debris from around the property as they prepare the parcel for sale, but he had no information regarding future ownership or proposed businesses for the site.”

Former Location of Mo's Motor
September 15, 2019
Former Location of Mo's Motor
September 15, 2019

Nooooooooooooooo!!! When I visited in September 2019, large chunks of the building were covered by plants. Some parts of the building remained standing, but not much was left. I’m kicking myself that I didn’t take more photos in 1996.

MO’S MOTOR BUILDING LOCATION IN TWIN PEAKS SEASON 3

By the time filming began for Twin Peaks Season 3 on Showtime in September 2015, only one wall was remaining. If you look carefully in Part 6, you’ll catch a glimpse of it.

Part 6 - Stop Sign
Part 6

The top of the wall is seen behind the utility pole.

Part 6 - Intersection
Part 6

The wall can be seen on the far right side of this image.

MEADOWBROOK BRIDGE

Meadowbrook Way and Park Street
September 19, 2019

If you continue through the Meadowbrook Way intersection, you’ll cross a bridge seen both in the Pilot Episode, feature film and Part 18.

Pilot - Crossing the Bridge
Pilot
Fire Walk With Me - Agents Desmond and Stanley
Fire Walk With Me
Part 18 - Arrival into Twin Peaks
Part 18

Author

  • Steven Miller at Twede's Cafe enjoying cherry pie and coffee

    A "Twin Peaks" fan since October 1993, Steven Miller launched Twin Peaks Blog in February 2018 to document his decades-long fascination with David Lynch and Mark Frost's wonderful and strange show. With his Canon camera in hand, he's visited numerous film locations, attended Twin Peaks events and conducted extensive historical research about this groundbreaking series. Along with fellow Bookhouse Boys, he dreams of creating a complete Twin Peaks Archive of the series and feature film. Steven currently resides in Central Florida.

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