A few days ago, a listing in the Bloomington Pantagraph announced that the McLean Depot Train Shop had opened at 200 E. Dixie Road (aka Route 66) in the old railroad depot building in McLean, Ill. If another old railroad depot on Route 66 had been converted to a business of selling model trains, I'm not … Continue reading Old McLean depot features model train shop
Category: Businesses
Coal conveyor will run next to Route 66
A 5.5-mile coal conveyor belt is nearly finished and soon will be operating next to Route 66 between Williamsville and Elkhart, Ill., reported the Springfield State Journal-Register. The newspaper reported: Arch Coal Co. of St. Louis is completing a $20 million project, begun two years ago, that includes a new portal for the Viper Mine near Williamsville … Continue reading Coal conveyor will run next to Route 66
A look inside a historic gas station in Depew
For years, we'd seen a long-closed gas station along the 1926 alignment of Route 66 in downtown Depew, Okla. Drive belts and other automotive parts could be seen through the windows, like it'd been frozen in time from another era. Last weekend, while cruising past the station, we saw a man unlock the gas station's … Continue reading A look inside a historic gas station in Depew
“What is Route 66?”
Dan Rice, owner of 66-to-Cali on the Santa Monica Pier, tries to answer that question in a brief manner. https://youtu.be/idl9hN5teXA Because Route 66 boasts such a rich and multifaceted history, it's very difficult to answer that question succinctly. But he's trying, and I suspect the Mother Road gains more tourists because of his tireless efforts.
Old gas station converted into art gallery
A former Sinclair gas station that was built in 1923 in Cuba, Mo., has been converted into the Spirals Gallery & Studio, according to a story in the Cuba Free Press. Merry Brewer Cloer and her husband Adam renovated the "ramshackle" Don's Sinclair Station at 502 E. Washington Blvd. (aka Route 66). Spirals opened in … Continue reading Old gas station converted into art gallery
A tour of the Campbell Hotel
Recently, the owners of the Campbell Hotel along Route 66 in Tulsa offered me and Emily (aka Redforkhippie) a tour of the historic building. Last week, we took them up on their offer. We had toured the hotel in May during the Tulsa's annual Designer Showcase. However, that was when the hotel was dolled up … Continue reading A tour of the Campbell Hotel
Tucumcari’s newest repainting effort … and more
This past weekend, volunteers in Tucumcari, N.M., started their latest repainting effort on an abandoned gas station in town. The station, shown above, will be the seventh gas station in Tucumcari that's been repainted in a nostalgic color scheme on the Route 66 corridor. This station will be repainted to resemble a Magnolia station; area … Continue reading Tucumcari’s newest repainting effort … and more
The poop on Bill Freiday
Jim Hinckley pointed me to this recent obituary in the Kingman (Ariz.) Daily Miner of Burnell "Bill" Freiday, who died on Oct. 12 at age 95. The obit convincingly shows that Freiday lived a colorful life, with vocations that included these: [P]ig farmer, squab farmer, wood cutter, movie theater operator, tractor parts inspector, tractor test … Continue reading The poop on Bill Freiday
Lights on at the Luna Cafe
A vintage neon sign -- plus architectural neon -- of the historic Luna Cafe on Route 66 in Mitchell, Ill., were relighted Saturday night during a ceremony attended by about 200 people. Jim Thole of the Route 66 Association of Missouri's Neon Preservation Committee reported that the neon was turned on at 6:44 p.m. Saturday, with … Continue reading Lights on at the Luna Cafe
Roller rink reopens in Sapulpa
When we last checked with the closed Starlite Skate Rink on old Route 66 near Sapulpa, Okla., about 18 months ago, it was being converted into a church. Now the Sapulpa Daily Herald says the roller-skating facility is going back to its old ways. It's been rechristened as the Route 66 Roller Dome, and its … Continue reading Roller rink reopens in Sapulpa