The Joplin (Mo.) Globe ran into a group from the National Preservation Conference in Tulsa that was touring Oklahoma's eastern end of Route 66, plus the Mother Road in Kansas. Among the sights taken in were the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Okla.; Afton Station in Afton, Okla.; a stretch of the old 9-foot-wide highway, the … Continue reading Preservation Conference tour heads into Kansas
Category: Highways
More of this, please
CBS4.com in Florida is reporting that a group is pushing for historic designation of U.S. Highway 1. The Florida Keys Scenic Corridor Alliance is a volunteer group that thinks the Key's portion of U.S.1 should be on the list of historic highways. CBS4's news partners at the Miami Herald report the group has spent more … Continue reading More of this, please
Leave the old road alone
Terry Beck sent me this disturbing news from his site. Apparently a historic, several-hundred-foot section of the 9-foot-wide "sidewalk" highway of Route 66 near Afton, Okla., was being paved over with asphalt Monday near the Vo-Tech school. In an entry titled "Sacrilege on Sixty-Six," Beck wrote: Imagine our surprise when the entrance off of the … Continue reading Leave the old road alone
Not just for reminiscing
Today, I found this story by the Southtown Star in Chicago about Route 66 historian David Clark, aka Windy City Road Warrior, and his presentation last week at the Tinley Park Public Library. Clark makes this important observation, the point of which seems overlooked through the rest of the story: "We look at Route 66 … Continue reading Not just for reminiscing
Blazing trails
Mark Muckenfuss of the Press-Enterprise has an interesting story about the history of the wagon and American Indian trails through the Mojave Desert and mountains that led to what became the Los Angeles metro area. When Route 66 was commissioned in 1926, it closely followed the Santa Fe rails through the western cities that pop … Continue reading Blazing trails
More of this, please
With the resurrection of Route 66, more people are researching the history of other historic roads. According to the Times-Picayune in New Orleans, Mike Conlin is researching the original path of the Jefferson Highway. I'm not familiar with that highway, but it sounds intriguing: The highway was an early cross-country connector, built in the years … Continue reading More of this, please
A closer look at the Arroyo Seco
Jay Fisher of the New York Times' Automotive section takes a closer look at the curiosity that is the Pasadena Freeway, also known as the Arroyo Seco Parkway. It is California's first freeway, and it remains a prominent alignment of Route 66. And though it is still a freeway, it certainly does not resemble one … Continue reading A closer look at the Arroyo Seco
Scenes from the Route 66 Festival
Here are a few shots I gathered at the Route 66 Festival on Saturday in Litchfield, Ill. More photographs by other bloggers at the festival can be seen here and here. If you know of more, send me an e-mail and let me know. UPDATE: Here's more from Denny Gibson. Here's the car show, set … Continue reading Scenes from the Route 66 Festival
Very curious
The Frankfort Station, based in Frankfort, Ill., published a story today about how Frankfort Township is constructing a new administration building. Tucked into the story is this: When the new structure is completed and the administration has moved in, the current building will be torn down, to make room for several improvements Stipan can't wait … Continue reading Very curious
McKinley Bridge opens to bicycles and pedestrians
The McKinley Bridge, which is part of an old Route 66 alignment that connects Venice, Ill., to St. Louis, opened to bicycle and pedestrian traffic on Saturday, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. More details: The bikeway is the newest addition to a 600-mile network of recreational paths the Great Rivers Greenway District calls the River … Continue reading McKinley Bridge opens to bicycles and pedestrians