Rose Davis, the widow of Red Oak II creator Lowell Davis, told a local television station she would do her best to preserve a portion of her late husband’s complex near Carthage, Missouri.
KY3 of nearby Springfield, Missouri, recently interviewed her after Lowell died at age 83 earlier this month. Here are the key elements of the story:
Davis died a couple weeks ago. and his widow Rose told us she’ll do her best to keep the Red Oak Cafe, School and Train Depot in good shape for future visitors.
”The Route 66 people are all so supportive of Red Oak II and without them I don’t know how Red Oak II would survive. I cannot do it alone. It’s a big responsibility. I’m really overwhelmed by the Carthage community and Joplin and all around the world with their …. uh … very supportive. It’s very overwhelming for me,” reflected Rose Davis. […]
His widow plans to set up a foundation to keep Red Oak II going well into the future.
It’s important to note Davis had not been the sole owner of Red Oak II for years. As noted on this website, Larry Frickenschmidt and his wife began purchasing and renovating much of the complex in 2007 and built an events center across the road from it. Larry Sernyk also is a part-owner of the complex.
Red Oak II had encountered financial difficulties during Davis’ divorce of a previous wife. In fact, Davis gave his blessing for someone else taking over ownership of the property years before his death.
Red Oak II was Lowell Davis‘ tribute to his hometown, Red Oak, located about 30 miles east.
Red Oak II contains a Phillips 66 station, schoolhouse, blacksmith shop, feed store, general store and several houses. It’s like a town frozen in time just before World War II.
Though it sits about a mile north of the Mother Road, Red Oak II remains a popular side trip for Route 66 travelers.
(Image of the schoolhouse at Red Oak II near Carthage, Missouri, by Pom’ via Flickr)
Carthage is one of my favorite spots along 66. I had been on the road for days and I asked a gentleman at a laundromat in Carthate where a guy could get a shower. The nice man told me to follow him. He had me follow him to the local YMCA (a very nice, clean, facility) on the south side. They didn’t want any donation but I left one anyway. I stopped on the way back from Chicago for another clean up. A very nice bunch of people. Lots of nice people on Route 66.
Ron – would you know the reason behind the name “Kafir Road” for a nondescript road in Missouri? I expect you know “kafir” is an Arabic word, to mean an “infidel”, a “heathen” or “non-believer”. To Muslims, all non-Muslims are “kafirs”. Curiously, Wikipedia gives the etymology of “kafir” thus: “The word kāfir is the active participle of the root K-F-R. As a pre-Islamic term it described farmers burying seeds in the ground. One of its applications in the Quran has also the same meaning as farmer”. So, is Kafir Road so called because it was/is a ‘farm road’? Or was it named after a person who had the surname “Kafir”? Perhaps someone with no Arab connections whatsoever – just a coincidence? After all, my surname is “Hayman”, yet I have never been a “hay man”. I have fed hay to horses.
Kafir also is a type of sorghum that once was grown in the region.