A final meeting for public comment will be Monday at 5:30 p.m. at Clinton Middle School in west Tulsa about the Route 66 Master Plan: Red Fork Streetscape Improvements, according to Greater Tulsa Reporter Newspapers. The project area includes Southwest Boulevard between 25th West Avenue and 27th West Avenue. [...] Citizens are welcome to comment … Continue reading Notes from the road
Category: History
Footage from the past
A few days ago, the C-SPAN network announced it put all of its video archives online, dating back more than 20 years. The archive, which contains more than 160,000 hours of video, will be a boon for muckrakers. But considering that C-SPAN also gave plenty of air time to historians, I thought maybe some Route … Continue reading Footage from the past
Oklahoma City tower named to National Register
The Citizens Bank Tower, on an old alignment of Route 66 in Oklahoma City and very close to another, was named to the National Register of Historic Places, according to an e-mail from the National Park Service. The tower, now known as The Classen luxury apartments building, is at 2200 N. Classen Blvd., an early … Continue reading Oklahoma City tower named to National Register
Book review: “Ghost Towns of the Southwest”
Route 66 aficionados who like straying off the beaten path will find dozens of ideas for day trips with "Ghost Towns of the Southwest" (soft cover, 256 pages, Voyageur Press, $21.99). Subtitled "Your Guide to the Historic Mining Camps & Ghost Towns of Arizona and New Mexico," the book by Jim Hinckley and photographer Kerrick … Continue reading Book review: “Ghost Towns of the Southwest”
DVD about Arizona’s Route 66 is completed
Kirk Slack and his Out West Family Films have released a 34-minute DVD about the history and attractions of Route 66 in Arizona, according to the Kingman Daily Miner. The documentary begins with the route's Arizona origins along the Beale Wagon Trail in 1928, progressing to its role in the 1930s dustbowl migration, into its … Continue reading DVD about Arizona’s Route 66 is completed
Book review: “Route 66 in New Mexico”
Joe Sonderman is primarily known for two things -- as a radio announcer in the St. Louis area, and as a huge collector of Route 66 postcards. But while reading his latest book, "Route 66 in New Mexico" (soft cover, 128 pages, Arcadia Publishing, $21.99), it occurred to me that Sonderman may have met his … Continue reading Book review: “Route 66 in New Mexico”
Bono’s Orange may reopen
In a lengthy story about Southern California's fast-disappearing orange stands, the Los Angeles Times reports that the long-closed Bono's Historic Orange on Route 66 in Fontana, Calif., may be reopened to sell orange juice again. Joe Bono, who is in his 70s, can remember citrus groves stretching as far as he could see during his … Continue reading Bono’s Orange may reopen
Notes from the road
I've tried to glean a deeper look at the crisis in Needles, Calif., over the possible loss of its only grocery store, Bashas'. The grocer chain filed bankruptcy a few months ago, and it is set to close 10 stores in response, including Needles'. This recent story in the Mohave Daily News provides additional information … Continue reading Notes from the road
All-American pitch
This Webster Weekly Report from Webster University tells about the last of a series of public meetings in an effort to make Route 66 a National Scenic Byway or an All-American Road. The last meeting occurred in St. Louis County. (Hat tip: Tommy and Glenda Pike of the Route 66 Association of Missouri)
Rail Haven Motel nominated to National Register
The Rail Haven Motel along Route 66 in Springfield, Mo., has been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, reports KBIA radio. Randy Nottle is the motel's manager. "We cater to a lot of European travelers coming down Route 66 everything in the hotel is original the furniture recently, though, has been updated and … Continue reading Rail Haven Motel nominated to National Register