The Tulsa history film "Boomtown: An American Journey" won a regional Emmy Award on Saturday night in the historical documentary group in the Heartland Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. "Boomtown" was the first movie made by Kirkpatrick & Kinslow Productions. Here's a photo of executive producers Andy Kinslow and Russ Kirkpatrick right after … Continue reading “Boomtown” documentary wins an Emmy
Category: History
La Paloma marks 50th anniversary
La Paloma restaurant along Route 66 in La Verne, California, is marking its 50th year this week. But according to the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, the Mexican restaurant's roots go back even further, to the 1920s: That’s when the property was an orange grove. Farmhands would pull up to the grove manager’s home for breakfast … Continue reading La Paloma marks 50th anniversary
A sample of a treasure trove of photos
This new video features a collection of photos taken during the early 1980s by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation along NW 39th Street from Oklahoma City to the suburb of Bethany, before U.S. 66 become decommissioned. According to Rachel Mosman, a photo archivist at the Oklahoma Historical Society, the photos were animated by J.A. Pryse into a video. https://youtu.be/mvcUHhXO9ts In … Continue reading A sample of a treasure trove of photos
Jim Jones honored by Illinois Route 66 Association
Jim Jones, a longtime volunteer at the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum with a longtime personal history with Route 66 in Odell, Illinois, recently was honored with the President's Award by the Illinois Route 66 Association. According to this news release from Ellie Alexander, director of tourism in Pontiac, Illinois: In making the … Continue reading Jim Jones honored by Illinois Route 66 Association
Museum of the American Military Family soon will open in Tijeras
The Museum of the American Military Family, which once existed only online, opens next month along Route 66 in Tijeras, New Mexico, east of Albuquerque. The museum's founder and executive director, Circe Olson Woessner, told the Rio Rancho Observer it plans a grand opening at 3:30 p.m. July 9. After being an online-only entity, it set up a … Continue reading Museum of the American Military Family soon will open in Tijeras
Summit Inn ownership soon will change
The Summit Inn, situated off old Route 66 on the top of Cajon Pass in southern California, will change hands after almost 50 years under ownership by C.A. Stevens. The Victorville Daily Press reports the Otto Recinos family of nearby Wrightwood, California, bought the Route 66 restaurant, motel, office and antique shop for about $1 million. Closing on … Continue reading Summit Inn ownership soon will change
Route 66 exhibit at Missouri History Museum begins today
The Missouri History Museum in St. Louis begins today its "Route 66: Main Street Through St. Louis" exhibit through July 16, 2017. The museum sits at 5700 Lindell Blvd. (map here) in Forest Park. The Route 66 show has free admission. Here's one of the images displayed at the show, of the Chain of Rocks Bridge in 1929, shortly after it opened: The … Continue reading Route 66 exhibit at Missouri History Museum begins today
Monrovia gas station designated as historic landmark
The city council of Monrovia, California, this week designated a former gas station along an early alignment of Route 66 as a historic landmark. The city's Historic Preservation Commission reviewed the property at 805 S. Shamrock Ave. (map here) and recommended the designation. The report about the property is here (PDF file), but here are some takeaways about it: --- It's one … Continue reading Monrovia gas station designated as historic landmark
Mural being painted in Pacific, Missouri
Artist Ray Harvey is painting a detailed mural, titled "The Day the Train Came to Pacific," on the Route 66 corridor in Pacific, Missouri. The Washington Missourian reports Harvey is painting a 12-by-26-foot mural on a Pacific Plaza wall in the 500 block of East Osage Street. It's not the first time Harvey has plied his work along … Continue reading Mural being painted in Pacific, Missouri
“Ship It on the Frisco”
A song off The Bottle Rockets' new album, "Ship It on the Frisco," sent me down a rabbit hole researching a certain Route 66 overpass and the railroad that once traveled on it. The song (download MP3 here) is found on The Bottle Rockets' excellent album, "South Broadway Athletic Club" (the album's title comes from a historic place on South Broadway in … Continue reading “Ship It on the Frisco”