AgDaily.com, a fast-rising digital publication that focuses on U.S. agriculture, recently published an excellent feature about Delbert Trew, a longtime advocate and historian of Texas Route 66 and the Panhandle in general.
Brady Wilson, a prominent officer for the Texas Old Route 66 Association, wrote the article.
Many Route 66 advocates are familiar with Trew, now 92 years old, as one of the key drivers behind the founding of the Devil’s Rope Museum and Texas Historic Route 66 Museum in McLean and his authoring of dozens of history-minded columns for the Amarillo Globe-News.
But Wilson’s article drops a lot of tidbits that I — and many others — wouldn’t know:
- He no longer runs a cattle operation at his Trew Ranch, but instead leases the land to other ranchers. But he isn’t retired — he works daily to keep his land in tiptop condition.
- Trew said when Interstate 40 bypassed McLean in 1985, the number of businesses along Route 66 dropped from 48 to 16 in one year.
- Between March and October of this year, the museum welcomed over 5,000 visitors, including those from more than 85 countries.
- He played saxophone and bass in western swing bands for about 30 years.
If you want to learn more about Delbert Trew, here’s an enjoyable interview with him and his wife Ruth by Panhandle PBS a few years ago.
Texas Escapes has also archived many of Trew’s columns.
(Screen-capture image of Delbert Trew from Panhandle PBS video)
Great story. Classic.