Tucumcari Mountain, near Tucumcari, N.M., has long been one of the Mother Road's most-recognized natural landmarks. It was first mentioned in journals in the 1700s, and can be seen for miles from Route 66 and Interstate 40. For the weary traveler looking forward to a night's sleep in Tucumcari, the sight of the mountain has … Continue reading A hike up Tucumcari Mountain
Category: History
History of the Yellowhorse empire
New American Media has an exceptional story about the history of the Yellowhorse Indian trading posts along the Arizona-New Mexico border on Route 66. It's a story of bootlegging, bamboozlement and good old-fashioned gimmickry to make a buck. And those stores are still going strong.
Notes from the road
The Gallup (N.M.) Independent has an article about Route 66 sights in town before members of the Society for Commercial Archeology come check them out today. The article laments about how little is left of Route 66 sites in Gallup. But you can say that about a lot of towns -- many Route 66 businesses … Continue reading Notes from the road
T for tenacious
The Western Horseman has an interesting article about the century-old T4 Cattle Co., based in the Route 66 town of Motoya, N.M. It's a fascinating story about how the ranch, now a whopping 180,000 acres, survived family tragedies, tough economic times, prairie fires and calamatous weather over the decades. It also provides a look into … Continue reading T for tenacious
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
Taking the Big Texan challenge
Kevin Connolly of BBC News Magazine decides to take the 72-ounce challenge at the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. As I prepared for my own attempt to consume 72oz (that's 4.5lb or just over two kilos) of beef in less than an hour - together with a prawn cocktail, a roll, salad and … Continue reading Taking the Big Texan challenge
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 juicy tale
The Route 66 town of Lincoln, Ill., at 1 p.m. Aug. 27 will hold a re-creation of Abraham Lincoln's christening of the town in 1853, reports the Bloomington Pantagraph. The approximately 20-minute ceremony will occur at 101 N. Chicago St. in Lincoln. As for what actually happened nearly 155 years ago ... It was on … Continue reading A juicy tale
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