Longtime correspondent Mark Potter reported on the Route 66 yahoogroup a few days ago that a portion of the historic Pow Wow Inn at 801 W. Route 66 in Tucumcari, N.M., was damaged by fire.
Potter said the fire “destroyed five rooms” in the complex and that the motel was closed temporarily. The fire started in a part of the motel that housed a laundry room and telephone circuits. The motel’s restaurant and lounge were not affected by the blaze.
I called the Pow Wow on Saturday morning to see whether it had reopened. Nobody answered, but an answering machine picked up.
The Pow Wow Inn originally was Lin’s Motor Lodge, but grew in prominence under the leadership of Bettie Ditto, who greatly expanded the complex shortly after arriving in Tucumcari in the mid-1950s. Ditto died at age 91 a few weeks ago.
UPDATE: Potter e-mailed me a photo he shot of the fire damage to one of the Pow Wow’s wings:
Potter also passed along this information:
The blaze, which is currently under investigation, originated in one of the rooms. Due to the fact that the fire occurred on a wing of rooms that include the complex’s main gas, electric and phone connections, the motor hotel was closed immediately following the fire but is tentatively scheduled to resume business Tuesday, Feb. 5. The Pow Wow Restaurant and Lizard Lounge were not affected by the fire and continued to operate as usual.
(Photo courtesy of Mark Potter.)
hope it opens soon
sorry to hear about ditto