Home movies of a 1950 road trip

A reader alerted me about this home-movie footage of a family vacation in 1950 that was preserved by the Prelinger Archive.

The Route 66 material doesn’t start until about the three-minute mark, when the family starts to cross the Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis. You’ll also see footage along the Mother Road in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. You’ll see Meteor Crater, the Grand Canyon, Painted Desert, and one of the Wigwam Motels in Arizona.

I found the footage on the bridge, Wigwam Motel, and the Bailey’s Motel in Amarillo to be especially choice. Did anyone else notice anything noteworthy that I might have missed?

(Hat tip: Carter Liotta)

12 thoughts on “Home movies of a 1950 road trip

  1. Very cool! I noticed the sign at Bailey’s Motel advertised “Franciscan Furniture”, made in Albuquerque, and the same furniture installed at the Blue Swallow around the same time!

  2. Nice and typical family home movie from the fifties I think. Unlike today, the more footage one shot the more it cost, so short segments run together were common in that era.

    I like the vehicle in New Mexico coming at the camera with the desert water bag on the bumper at 7:28.

    Obviously the trip was east-to-west but there was a bit of back-tracking. The Holbrook Wigwam segment actually precedes the Painted Desert footage. The family must have back-tracked after hitting Holbrook to see the Painted Desert.

    The Hotel El Tovar at the Grand Canyon makes an appearance around 13:13. The distinct tower in the middle of the hotel is apparent.

    Feeding deer in the Grand Canyon I guess was permissible then but that is no longer the philosophy of the National Park Service. But we still have Oatman where we can feed and pet the burros!

  3. Great Video. Some additional observations and maybe others can add more.
    44:26 and 57:14 Most likely Pittsburgh, PA with signs for the Pittsburgh Press and Post Gazette both major newspapers there at the time.
    2:15:01 Can Anyone id the sign/logo with “Make It”
    2:40:26 Vehicles stopped waiting for Semi Truck to be pulled back onto roadway. Probably in Ohio as the white truck pulling has outline in shape of the State of Ohio on door.
    2:58:28 Begins Chain of Rocks Bridge filming
    3:17:30 Cone top of 1894 water intake on south side of bridge
    3:31:17 Paying toll on west side of Bridge. Hand one large coin and gets change. Is handed maps/brochures by toll taker, one being the U.S. 66, U.S. 40 By-Pass via Chain of Rocks Bridge brochure. Rack of maps/brochures to left of toll taker.
    3:35:17 Signs after leaving toll booth. 40 to right, 66 either left (city route) or right to bypass St. Louis. No idea what the large 3 is and can’t read other wording.
    4:05:02 Road sign with Jopin straight ahead, Webb City to right and Neosho to right. Probably on Route 166 as shown at
    4:08:27 66/166 signs
    4:14:04 Sign for Distance to Kans State Line, Galena and Tulsa. Probably taken on Route 66 at Schifferdecker Ave in Joplin which would match the mileage.
    More to Follow

  4. 4:23:29 A Route 66 Sheild sign Kansas US 66
    4:29:04 Galena City Limit
    4:29:07 State Line, Enter Cherokee Co. Kansas, Leave Jasper Co. Missouri, in background Hand Made Rug$ 3
    4:36:19 Oklahoma State Line
    4:38:17 Historical Marker Ahead and Speed Limits. Are the truck weights 40,000?
    4:44:27 (The Historical Marker) Oklahoma Entering Indian Territory …..
    5:00:22 Head of Will Rogers statue inside Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore, OK
    5:02:29 Will Rogers Tomb
    5:20:11 Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
    6:35:06 Their Car – Either a 1949 or 1950 Buick, maybe a Roadmaster (many models back then). There was a big change in auto styles from 1948 to 1949. Hood Ornament at 7:51:00 is on 49/50 Buicks.
    6:36:13 Bailey’s Motel which was at 2830 N.E. 8th Ave, Amarillo next to Overhead Door Co. Was probably near Amarillo Airport when it existed
    6:46:19 Wooden sign in front of Bailey’s Motel, Office Open, Air Conditioned, Telephone – Radios, Tub & Shower, Box Inner Spring Mattress and Franciscan Furniture
    More to Follow

  5. 7:12:23 Sign Welcome to New Mexico Tourist Information
    7:25:16 Car with water bag on front probably a 1949 or 1950 Ford
    7:29:05 Part of sign with . Ave. and E N.Mex. visible. Missing part could be Central and Albuquerque.
    7:29:28 Billboard along roadway. This is probably taken the west end on Central Ave looking East
    7:38:15 “Alamo Court” on left, “Court” and another Motel sign on right. Can’t find any listing online. Using Google Earth, this had to be taken on Central Avenue in Albuquerque between 59th and 52nd Streets SW looking East.
    7:51:00 Good view of Buick Hood Ornament out front window.
    8:05:20 Entering Grants, New Mexico. “Grants Beacon” newspaper office on right. Grants Beacon became the Grants Daily Beacon, the Cibola County Beacon and is now the Cibola Beacon.
    8:06:12 Business on right “Camillio”
    8:05:20 to 8:14:27 Flags (7 on each line) are hung over roadway throughout town. Unknown significance.
    8:14:08 “Ma’s Place” restaurant in Grants. “Chicken Fried Steaks – Chops 75 cents, Hamburgers, Cold Drinks, Coffee”
    More to Follow

  6. 8:14:27 Grants NM Buildings on right
    LUX Theater (1018 W. Santa Fe Ave, Grants, NM). Theater was opened in 1937 and probably closed in early 1970s. Building and “LUX” Marquee are still there.
    After LUX is a sign YU (probably YUCCA), a Drugs and a large Jewelers sign, top might be Graham’s.
    8:18:10 Taken out back window looking back at Grant, Phillips 66 Gas Station, YUCCA sign, Speed Limit 25 and a great billboard which I unfortunately can’t read or identify. Can’t identify what the logo is. Looks like Ronald Reagan on the billboard and he was doing advertising then but can’t find ones he was in that look like this one.
    8:24:03 Gallup, New Mexico but can’t identify exact location. Signs for “Pontiac”, “Mobilgas” and looks like “Standard Finance Inc” on building on left. “Hotel” sign on right but can’t be sure of name. From shape and number of letters is could be the Grand Hotel which was located at 306 W. Coal Ave, Gallup, now Ricca’s Merc. Can’t find photo of old Grand Hotel sign to check against one in film.
    More to Follow

  7. 8:24:28 Filming in Gallup overlooking factories and freight trains
    8:33:08 Looking North toward businesses, water tower and train tracks. Partial business name “…NT Company”. Comparing with Google Earth, this is taken looking North on South Woodrow Ave and Coal Avenue (probabably standing between Aztec and Coal). The same buildings are still there.
    8:43:13 Trailways Bus Depot in Gallup with Trailways Bus pullling out. Can’t find where this was located in Gallup.
    9:04:09 Wigwam Village in Holbrook (great film). Signs read: Sleep in a Wigwam, Texaco, Vacancy, Open, Tourist Camp. It Costs No More, Wigwam Village No 6, Holbrook, Ariz. Interesting single wheel trailer of the period towed by car.
    9:07:19 Mobil Station in background with large red Flying Horse on top of tall tower.
    9:18:02 “Painted Desert” sign with parking just off roadway.
    9:27:24 Hikers in Painted Desert and cars on roadway with telephone poles. Is this the original Route 66 that went right through the park and is closed off now? Interesting not to see a visitor’s center or the Painted Desert Inn. Would need to research what was there when it was still designated a monument until designated a National Park in 1962.
    More to Follow

  8. 10_09_04 Woman holding Booklet “Meteor Crater Arizona by Clyde Fisher. This booklet was published by the American Museum of Natural History first in 1934, then 1941 and 1946, 16 pages with B&W photos.
    NOTE: During this film, I only see one adult woman with two children (boy and girl). Mother and two children making cross country trip? Those children would be in their 70s today.
    10:43:29 Meteor Crater, Arizona. The Building with the Large Fireplace was the original Meteor Crater Museum which is on the West Rim of the Crater. The remains are still there and can be seen on Google Earth and a university field trip site from 2007. The large rock on the path to this building is quite identifiable.
    11:07:19 Billboards. “Motel Weatherford” and can’t read other. This is probably on the east side coming into Flagstaff, AZ. The Weatherford in Flagstaff has always been a Hotel and don’t know why it appears to read Motel on the sign. The mountain on the right is probably Mount Elden.
    11:14:21 Sign: Entering Grand Canyon National Park, U.S. Dept. of Interior, National Park Service.
    More to Follow

  9. The remainder of the film from 11:14:21 until the end at 14:48:13 is all taken inside the Grand Canyon National Park
    11:58:06 Boy and Girl in front of a Bright Angel Cabin, the ones away from the rim.
    12:10:09 Taken from the lookout area on the rim behind the Bright Angel Lodge
    12:20:09 Taken from Bright Angel Lodge lookout first towards the “Lookout Studio” to the west and panning to the El Tovar Lodge on the right.
    12:49:28 Panning left to right of Bright Angel Lodge, restaurant, gift shop and the lodge. Don’t see the Arizona Room on the east end which might have been built later.
    13:09:03 El Tovar l Lodge from the west
    13:13:06 Stone Building. Can’t find this and it may have been destroyed for newer buildings
    13:48:06 Water tower, buildings and tall smokestack spewing smoke. Needs more investigation but might be the one former privately owned property inside the park which became the later site for the buildings associated with the later uranium mine in the canyon.
    14:29:02 Sign with only right side letters visible. By line
    1 – Rogers 2 -ace 3 – Lodging 4 – avajo Silver (Navajo Silver) 5 – Jr. Prop. 6 – pen (Open). Unable to identify this place but later film until end continues inside park.

    This is a great film and wish we had more like it. A great look back into the past on Route 66.

  10. Was thinking about the film at the Painted Desert at 09:18:02, the lack of visitors center or Painted Desert Inn and parking right off the roadway. And it would have involved backtracking from Holbrook. Then remembered the “Little Painted Desert” on Highway 87 just North of Winslow and from comparing with Google Earth, I believe that it was the “Little Painted Desert” in the film, not the National Park.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.