San Fidel property named to National Register

The former Acoma Curio Shop on Route 66 in the tiny Route 66 settlement of San Fidel, N.M., was named to the National Register of Historic Places effective Oct. 7, according to an e-mail Thursday from the National Park Service. The shop is now home for Mary Trask's Gallery66.us, an art gallery that sells and … Continue reading San Fidel property named to National Register

A rare and old grain elevator

Bill Kemp, an archivist with the McLean County Museum of History, wrote an interesting article in the Bloomington (Ill.) Pantagraph about the history of grain elevators. In particular, he focuses on the J.W. Hawes Grain Elevator Museum in the Route 66 town of Atlanta, Ill. The Hawes elevator was built in 1903 and is one … Continue reading A rare and old grain elevator

Road Crew’s show in Afton

I wasn't able to attend the Road Crew's show in Afton Station in Afton, Okla., over the weekend, but I'm pleased to see that Tulsa roadie Ron McCoy brought his video camera to capture excerpts of the gig. The video is nicely done. You can read Afton Station co-owner Laurel Kane's musings about the show … Continue reading Road Crew’s show in Afton

Notes from California

Kevin Hansel, a prominent member of the California Historic Route 66 Association, passed along some Route 66 news in an e-mail. First, the former Iron Hog Saloon in Oro Grande has been converted to Sergino's Family Restaurant. It originally was a Case Farm Equipment dealership in the 1930s and '40s. Also, the Goffs General Store … Continue reading Notes from California

UPDATED: County approves biofuels plant

The Mohave County Board of Supervisors is meeting today on whether to approve permits to allow a biofuels plant to be built near the Valle Vista subdivision north of Kingman, Ariz. The zoning commission approved the plan a few weeks ago. The Kingman Daily Miner has a pretty good rundown of the issues involved with … Continue reading UPDATED: County approves biofuels plant

Reimagining the Route

This is a well-done video about Route 66 from the Center for Creative Land Recycling. It explains how the Mother Road -- especially in the desert Southwest -- is being revitalized with brownfields remediation, alternative energy, outdoor recreation and historical tourism.

Worth watching

The St. Louis Business Journal is reporting that U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan of Missouri is planning Tuesday to introduce a bill to Congress that would provide 20 percent federal tax credits to help rehabilitate historic structures. The Journal reports that Carnahan wants to model the program after Missouri's much-praised program that provides rehabilitation tax credits … Continue reading Worth watching

More details on Twin Arrows restoration

In the past few weeks, some encouraging signs were seen regarding the long-deteriorating Twin Arrows complex east of Flagstaff, Ariz. The two giant arrows were fully restored (seen above) after years of decline, and a volunteer work crew helped tidy up the property during the Route 66 Festival a few days later. Now, it appears … Continue reading More details on Twin Arrows restoration

Marking the symbolic end of the road

On my Twitter account, I stumbled onto Dan Rice's 66 to Cali business, which is an apparel shack on the Santa Monica Pier -- the symbolic western end of Route 66. Rice sells American-made T-shirts with a Route 66 theme on them. The 66 to Cali store opened on the pier in July. Stangely enough, … Continue reading Marking the symbolic end of the road

National Park Service launches Route 66 site

The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program is already under the auspices of the National Park Service. But the NPS recently launched a Route 66 "Discover Our Shared Heritage" travel itinerary site that should prove useful to novice travelers and be informative to  researchers. Funded in part by American Express and the World Monuments Fund, the … Continue reading National Park Service launches Route 66 site