Northern Arizona University announced Friday it accepted the archives of longtime Route 66 champion Angel Delgadillo to its collection. The announcement came in Delgadillo's hometown of Seligman, Arizona, on the 90th birthday of Route 66. Delgadillo, 89, known as the Guardian Angel of Route 66, founded the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona and lobbied … Continue reading Angel Delgadillo archives given to university
Category: History
Lawmaker seeks Illinois Route 66 Centennial Commission
It's still 10 years away, but an Illinois lawmaker wants to set up a commission to help celebrate Route 66's 100th anniversary in 2026. State Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) introduced House Bill 6624 that would form an Illinois Route 66 Centennial Commission. Butler revealed his proposal Thursday -- the day before the highway marked its 90th birthday. More from … Continue reading Lawmaker seeks Illinois Route 66 Centennial Commission
Happy 90th birthday, Route 66!
Today -- which also happens to be Veterans Day -- marks the 90th birthday of the official existence of U.S. Highway 66, better known as Route 66. Nov. 11, 1926, was the day the American Association of State Highway Officials formally adopted the 2,448-mile path from Chicago to Los Angeles and number for U.S. Highway … Continue reading Happy 90th birthday, Route 66!
Bones of Route 66 motel being used for mining monument in Kingman
A history buff is using stones from a demolished Route 66 motel in Kingman, Arizona, to re-create a mining monument that stood more than 100 years ago in the city. C. Russell collected stones from the recently razed Bells Motel, aka Desert Lodge Apartments and Bel Air Motel, to help build a Miners Mineral Monument near … Continue reading Bones of Route 66 motel being used for mining monument in Kingman
Book review: “Route 66: A Trail of Tears”
This isn't a Route 66 nostalgia book. "Route 66: A Trail of Tears" (514 pages, soft cover, self-published) offers vivid evidence why some people regarded the highway with anguish and dread during its heyday. Historian Barry Duncan compiled hundreds of black-and-white photographs of accidents along a stretch of the Mother Road in southwest Missouri from the 1950s to the 1970s. The … Continue reading Book review: “Route 66: A Trail of Tears”
More vintage Route 66 videos from Anthony Reichardt
Anthony Reichardt recently uploaded more videos from Route 66 trips he undertook in a 1959 Cadillac during the early to mid-1990s. The videos contain plenty of historic value because it documents landmarks that have disappeared or changed. Reichardt's dedicated YouTube channel now contains more than 30 videos, and they're still coming. Watching them are worth your time, … Continue reading More vintage Route 66 videos from Anthony Reichardt
“Show Me 66” documentary to premiere Nov. 10
The Missouri History Museum has been working on a documentary, "Show Me 66: Main Street Through Missouri," for about a year. The 90-minute film will premiere at 7 p.m. Nov. 10 in Lee Auditorium at the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis. Admission is free. The directors will host a question-and-answer session after the screening. … Continue reading “Show Me 66” documentary to premiere Nov. 10
El Fidel Hotel to be auctioned next week
The historic El Fidel Hotel in Las Vegas, New Mexico, will be auctioned online for six-day period starting Oct. 27. The 1923 hotel, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is going on the block because its owner is retiring. The auction will begin 10 a.m. Oct. 27 and end 6 p.m. Nov. 1. The … Continue reading El Fidel Hotel to be auctioned next week
Cyrus Avery Court apartments inspired by 1950s
The newly refurbished and rechristened Cyrus Avery Court apartment complex in Tulsa takes its inspiration from nearby Route 66 and the 1950s. The property at 5223 E. 12th St. (map here) sits a block south of Route 66's 11th Street and is named after the so-called Father of Route 66, Cyrus Avery, who lived in Tulsa all his … Continue reading Cyrus Avery Court apartments inspired by 1950s
Why was Route 66 also known as “Bloody 66”?
For decades, Route 66 was known as "Bloody 66" because of the many car crashes that occurred on that busy and often-narrow highway. When I first talked to old-timers about Route 66 during the late 1990s, many of them recalled those "Bloody 66" memories. The few books about the Mother Road published at the time also recounted … Continue reading Why was Route 66 also known as “Bloody 66”?