Albuquerque city officials on Wednesday morning celebrated the purchase of land on Route 66 west of the city for a Route 66 visitors center. The Albuquerque Journal reported the $3.4 million facility will funded by the city, state and county, and a series of community meetings will help decide the visitors center's design. City Councilor … Continue reading Albuquerque buys land for a Route 66 visitors center
Category: Attractions
Appeals court clears ART project; city still hasn’t received grant
An appeals court this week affirmed a lower court's ruling the massive Albuquerque Rapid Transit project along Central Avenue (aka Route 66) can proceed. However, the city still hasn't received a crucial $69 million grant to fund the mass-transit bus project, more than 10 months after it was recommended by the Federal Transportation Administration. The fact the 10th … Continue reading Appeals court clears ART project; city still hasn’t received grant
Tulsa’s Route 66 Experience more than halfway to funding goal
A key official behind the proposed Route 66 Experience in Tulsa said fundraising for the multi-use museum complex is more than halfway to its $23 million goal. Ken Busby, CEO and executive director of the nonprofit Route 66 Alliance, told KJRH-TV in Tulsa about $13 million has been raised so far. Because of the site's … Continue reading Tulsa’s Route 66 Experience more than halfway to funding goal
Should Albuquerque set up a Route 66 state park?
Jon Knudsen, a longtime resident of Albuquerque and a University of New Mexico instructor, posited an intriguing idea during an op-ed piece in the New Mexico Market Place: Placing a Route 66 state park in the middle of the city to help draw visitors with RVs or large trailers. He writes: What about a place … Continue reading Should Albuquerque set up a Route 66 state park?
Route 66 Gateways in Tulsa win architectural design award
The Route 66 Gateways that grace the Mother Road at the eastern and western edges of Tulsa recently won an architectural design award. The gateways, designed Dewberry Architects, received a People's Choice Award at the American Institute of Architects Eastern Oklahoma 2016 Design Excellence Awards Banquet. Steve Vogt described Dewberry's design in this way: … Continue reading Route 66 Gateways in Tulsa win architectural design award
Route 66 sculptures nearly done for Tulsa’s Howard Park
Utah sculptor Patrick Sullivan probably will finish his three Route 66 sculptures for Howard Park in Tulsa sometime next week. Tulsa World columnist John Klein recently talked to Sullivan, who patiently has wielded a hammer and chisel to create the images in Indiana limestone. Sullivan drove every inch of Route 66 in Tulsa County before beginning … Continue reading Route 66 sculptures nearly done for Tulsa’s Howard Park
Woman wants to reopen Larry Baggett’s Trail of Tears by 2018
After he died in 2003, Larry Baggett's Trail of Tears property fell into disrepair, and Route 66 travelers who drove by the unique site near Jerome, Missouri, wondered whether it ever would be restored. Now it appears military veteran Marie Ryberg, who recently retired, bought the property and aims to restore the landmark and reopen … Continue reading Woman wants to reopen Larry Baggett’s Trail of Tears by 2018
Fuel 66 food-truck court’s grand opening set for this weekend
The Fuel 66 food-truck court in Tulsa recently held a soft opening, but a grand opening is this weekend. Fuel 66, on 11th Street (aka Route 66) and Atlanta Avenue, features a heated patio, a beer garden, large-screen TVs, lawn games and a rotating array of food trucks from the region. The actual grand-opening celebration … Continue reading Fuel 66 food-truck court’s grand opening set for this weekend
Ash Fork’s little-known historical gem
Only one of two steel dams still exist in the United States, and one is less than a mile off an old alignment of Route 66 east of Ash Fork, Arizona. Known as the Bainbridge Steel Dam or the Ashfork-Bainbridge Steel Dam, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railway built the dam's parts offsite and shipped … Continue reading Ash Fork’s little-known historical gem
Savior of Twin Arrows landmark found dead in murder-suicide
Mary Smeal, who reportedly was responsible more than any other person for the restoration a few years ago of the Twin Arrows off Route 66 in Arizona, was found dead Wednesday an apparent murder-suicide. Coconino County sheriff's deputies found the bodies of Smeal, 55, and her companion, Jeffery Jones, 57, at Smeal's residence near Twin Arrows. … Continue reading Savior of Twin Arrows landmark found dead in murder-suicide