Using the recent release of Marshall Trimble's "Images of America: Ash Fork" by Arcadia Publishing as a jumping-off point, the Prescott (Ariz.) Daily Courier also does a pretty good job of laying out the Route 66 town's history. You'd be hard-pressed to find a burg with as much bad luck as Ash Fork: But within … Continue reading Book details Ash Fork’s history
Month: February 2008
Webb City revitalization ideas unveiled
On Friday, architecture students from Drury University provided their ideas on how to revamp the downtown area of Webb City, Mo. The Joplin Globe reported: The Drury students have envisioned turning the Main Street and Highway 171 junction into a key welcoming entrance to draw cars into downtown. Further on, the group is toying with … Continue reading Webb City revitalization ideas unveiled
Czech this out
Some folks in the Czech Republic held its first Czech Route 66 Association Convention last weekend. Yes, you read that right -- the Czech Republic. And tickets to the event were sold out weeks in advance. Here's a news release about the event (lightly edited for clarity). More than 150 Route 66 fans from the … Continue reading Czech this out
Never knew lonely until Vega
This is a video by Oklahoma native Vince Gill of his 1990 hit song, "Never Knew Lonely." Much of it was shot in a room at the Vega Motel on Route 66 in Vega, Texas. If you ever get the notion to stay there, ask Harry or Tresa for the "Vince Gill Room." (Apologies for … Continue reading Never knew lonely until Vega
Progress report on De Anza Motel
Five years ago, the City of Albuquerque purchased the historic De Anza Motel on Route 66 after proposal surfaced to replace it with a drug and liquor store. The city hoped to have it reopened as a boutique motel by now. But progress has been slow, reports the Albuquerque Tribune. It took the city until … Continue reading Progress report on De Anza Motel
Photo exhibit finds permanent home in Illinois museum
Michael Campanelli's traveling exhibit of photographs from Route 66 will be making a stop at the Illinois Route 66 Association Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac starting March 7. However, that's not the big news. On to the press release: “There was a call put out to all the Route 66 states that photographer … Continue reading Photo exhibit finds permanent home in Illinois museum
The kids are alright
According to the Joplin (Mo.) Globe, a bunch of Drury University architecture students hired by the nearby Route 66 town of Webb City is about to provide conceptual drawings of what Main Street should look like. Chuck Surface, Webb City director of economic development, said anyone who is interested in Webb City, its downtown or … Continue reading The kids are alright
Book review: “Time of Triumph”
"Time of Triumph" helps answer one question -- what happened to Ron Chavez when his famed Club Cafe in Santa Rosa, N.M., closed? Club Cafe was best-known for its smiling "Fat Man" logo on Route 66 billboards in New Mexico. Chavez's storytelling was nearly as praised as his down-home New Mexican cooking, and his restaurant … Continue reading Book review: “Time of Triumph”
“San Bernadino”
I'm a fairly big music nut, but confess to never hearing about the British pop band Christie and its 1970 single, "San Bernadino," which was a worldwide hit but barely scraped the bottom of the U.S. Billboard 100. Incidentally, the spelling of the song's title is correct, if not accurate. And after much lobbying to … Continue reading “San Bernadino”
When Two Guns was Canyon Diablo
The Route 66 ghost town of Two Guns, Ariz., has a rather ominous name. But its former moniker was Canyon Diablo, essentially meaning Devil's Canyon in Spanish. Clay Thompson, who answers history questions to the Arizona Republic, recounts the town's rather colorful history.