Mark Muckenfuss of the Inland Press-Enterprise writes a feature about Cajon Pass expert John Hockaday, who has researched the Southern California trail for decades and recently wrote a book, "Trails and Tales of the Cajon Pass," about it. Cajon Pass was a predecessor of Route 66 and, later, Interstate 15. He and his late wife, … Continue reading The expert of Cajon Pass
Category: History
A glimpse of Route 66, pre-revival
Lonestar101 has posted on YouTube a report from 1984 by KPRC-TV in Houston about Route 66 in the Texas Panhandle. (Embedding isn't allowed, but you can watch the video by clicking here.) The video, which is two segments totaling about eight minutes, gives us a fascinating look of Route 66 before Michael Wallis' seminal book, … Continue reading A glimpse of Route 66, pre-revival
Living link to Route 66’s early history
The Portales News-Tribune in New Mexico scored an interview with a man who actually helped build Route 66. The man is Elmer Jones. He is 95 years old. He is the only member left from Portales' Class of 1931. As a young man in Childress, Texas, Jones, with his brother Allen, drove a team and … Continue reading Living link to Route 66’s early history
Book review: “The Lincoln Highway”
Michael Wallis and Michael S. Williamson's new book, "The Lincoln Highway" (320 pages, $39.95), earns the highest praise I can think of: It made me want to jump in the car and see that 3,400-mile historic road for myself. The book, subtitled "Coast to Coast from Times Square to the Golden Gate," likely will spur … Continue reading Book review: “The Lincoln Highway”
Book about Cajon Pass published
John Hockaday says he's no writer. He says he's just a rancher who became fascinated by Cajon Pass, which passes through his property in Southern California. "I'm just an old construction worker who likes history," he told the San Bernardino County Sun. He must like history a lot. He and his wife began compiling old … Continue reading Book about Cajon Pass published
Old station keeps holding on
The Edmond (Okla.) Sun has a story about the history of a long-defunct Conoco gas station on Route 66 between Luther and Arcadia, Okla. The station dates to 1926 -- the very beginnings of Route 66. It also has a less-than-sedate past: Unsolved mystery looms there where the body of a murdered man was found … Continue reading Old station keeps holding on
Cozy Dog featured on Rand McNally guide
The Cozy Dog Drive-In restaurant, a landmark on Route 66 in Springfield, Ill., is listed as a "can't miss" stop in the Rand McNally Midwest Getaway Guide, published this month. According to the news release: Cozy Dog Drive In, locally owned and operated since 1946, has been a Route 66 attraction drawing travelers from around … Continue reading Cozy Dog featured on Rand McNally guide
Memorial commemorates ordnance disaster
The Pontiac (Ill.) Daily Leader reports that a statue was dedicated earlier this month commemorating the 52 people who died in an explosion in 1942 at an ordnance plant just off Route 66 in Elwood. The statue, of a man in work clothes, wearing a hard hat and carrying a lunchbox, is next to the … Continue reading Memorial commemorates ordnance disaster
Book review: “Hip to the Trip”
Just when you think there are no more new avenues to books about Route 66's history, Peter Dedek finds unexplored backroads and obscure alignments in his "Hip to the Trip: A Cultural History of Route 66" (169 pages, University of New Mexico Press, $19.95). Dedek, a professor at Texas State University, diligently researches the history … Continue reading Book review: “Hip to the Trip”
History to a T
This is an interesting idea: an apparel company in Portland, Ore., scours the country for cool graphics from now-defunct 1930s to '60s roadside businesses and puts them on T-shirts. Vintage Roadside not only helps preserves the memory of a long-gone motel or restaurant on a T-shirt, but its site also provides a brief history of … Continue reading History to a T