Laurel Kane of Afton Station and other roadies are trying to raise money to buy and erect a monument at the south end of the fabled Sidewalk Highway of Route 66 north of Afton, Okla. Kane provides the details on her Thoughts from a Route 66 Business Owner blog: The $3920 cost of the installation … Continue reading Marker at Sidewalk Highway proposed
Category: Highways
Flooding closes Route 66 in northeastern Oklahoma
Northeastern Oklahoma has been deluged by rain, including seven inches in one day in Mayes and Rogers counties. KJRH-TV in Tulsa reported Friday that parts of Route 66 in Claremore were closed because of high water. I've heard there was flooding on 66 around Chelsea, too. The Tulsa World reported that Route 66 had reopened … Continue reading Flooding closes Route 66 in northeastern Oklahoma
Quite a find
Longtime roadie Kip Welborn was near the Route 66 town of Devil's Elbow, Mo., when he found something interesting. I'll let him tell the story: When we got to Devils Elbow, a bizarre find ... we stopped at the scenic overlook. ... I climbed down the hill in search of old beer cans ... did not … Continue reading Quite a find
Mystery of the Missing Monument
Delbert Trew, who owns a ranch on old Route 66 near Alanreed, Texas, and has been a longtime Route 66 supporter, writes in the Amarillo Globe-News about a long-missing Texas highway monument that once greeted Route 66 westbound travelers at the border town of Texola, Okla., during the mid-1930s. It was an art-deco, granite monument … Continue reading Mystery of the Missing Monument
Slow down, folks
The Mojave Daily News, based in Bullhead City, Ariz., reports that four motorcycle accidents with injuries were reported on the road to the Route 66 town of Oatman, Ariz., on Friday during the Laughlin River Run. The roads to Oatman are a twisting and turning bunch, and it's guaranteed that excessive speed or inattentiveness were … Continue reading Slow down, folks
Why’d they name it that?
The Daily Oklahoman has a list of bridges, roads, buildings and other things that were named after prominent Sooners. Here's the ones that are relevant to Route 66: Interstate-40 Business — "Roger Miller Memorial Highway” — 1994: Between State Highway 30 in Erick and I-40 (Exit 11). Miller was a singer and songwriter. [Editor's note: … Continue reading Why’d they name it that?
Bridge work closes part of Illinois Route 66
Peter Stork, a representative with the Illinois Route 66 Association, passes along word that part of old Route 66 will be affected by road construction: ... Route 66 will be closed just south of Art's at Farmersville for, according to IDOT, the next seven months. Work began Monday to repair the Macoupin Creek bridge on … Continue reading Bridge work closes part of Illinois Route 66
Stretch of old 66 may be placed on National Register
A 1.3-mile stretch of old Route 66 southeast of Springfield, Ill., may be placed on the National Register of Historic Places next month, reports the Springfield Journal-Register. Preservationists believe the road is the longest drivable section of the original Route 66 remaining in Illinois. [...] The road, 16 feet wide compared to 24 feet for … Continue reading Stretch of old 66 may be placed on National Register
New murals at the Blue Swallow
Bill Kinder, co-owner of the Blue Swallow Motel on Route 66 in Tucumcari, N.M., showed us new murals that recently were painted by a traveling artist. These murals are painted inside the garages that are next to the rooms. The murals really bring vibrant color in an unexpected place.
Book review: “Roadside USA: Route 66 and Beyond”
"Roadside USA: Route 66 and Beyond" by Shellee Graham and Jim Ross (64 pages, Ghost Town Press, $10.95) isn't strictly a book as much as a bound collection of their vibrant travel photographs in postcard form. The 30 postcards are detachable from the binding so you can mail them to friends and family. However, "Roadside … Continue reading Book review: “Roadside USA: Route 66 and Beyond”