Joel Rayburn, owner of the Route 66-related GlassBoy Studios and Tourist Trap Tees, soon will move into the historic Brooks Building just a stone's throw from the Round Barn in Arcadia, Oklahoma. Rayburn told me in a text he should be ready to open the doors to those businesses there by early October. According to … Continue reading Brooks Building in Arcadia soon will have a Route 66-friendly tenant
Category: History
Full inventory of Negro Motorist Green Book sites released
Here's another reason to go on a road trip: The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program has released a list of all the properties listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book from 1936 to 1964 during the Jim Crow era of rampant racial segregation. A full list of the properties and their statuses is here. Kaisa … Continue reading Full inventory of Negro Motorist Green Book sites released
More 1993 footage from a Route 66 trip
Anthony Reichardt has uploaded more videos from a Route 66 trip he took with a friend in August 1993 in a 1959 Cadillac. The first is a visit to Our Lady of the Highways Shrine near Raymond, Illinois. The shrine has changed little, but the footage contains a chat with longtime caretaker Francis Marten, who … Continue reading More 1993 footage from a Route 66 trip
New T-shirt features Whoopee Coaster
Tourist Trap Tees, based in Oklahoma, is releasing a new T-shirt featuring a Mother Road legend from Illinois. This one is the Whoopee Coaster of Lyons (also known as the Whoopie Coaster) -- a long wooden structure basically designed as a roller coaster for cars. Living History of Illinois has a nice summary of this short-lived … Continue reading New T-shirt features Whoopee Coaster
2015 cost-share grants for Route 66 announced
The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program announced four cost-share grants totaling more than $97,000 for 2015. Boots Court architectural neon restoration, Carthage, Missouri, $20,000 grant, $20,565 match: Built in 1939, the Boots Court Motel is an outstanding example of a mom-and-pop motor court built in the Streamline Moderne style. Once threatened with demolition, the owners … Continue reading 2015 cost-share grants for Route 66 announced
A look at Route 66 in 1993
Anthony Reichardt of Santa Ana, California, drove his 1959 Cadillac down old Route 66 in the fall of 1993 has uploaded several videos from that journey. In them, you're likely to see things you never may see again. Such as this look inside -- and out -- of the West Winds Motel in Erick, Oklahoma, … Continue reading A look at Route 66 in 1993
The Tropics, Steve’s Cafe inducted into Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame
The Tropics Restaurant and Lounge of Lincoln, Illinois, and Steve's Cafe of Chenoa, Illinois, recently were inducted into the Route 66 Hall of Fame of Illinois. Both businesses now are defunct. Nominees must have made "significant contributions to the character or history of the Illinois portion of Route 66 from 1926 to 1977 while it … Continue reading The Tropics, Steve’s Cafe inducted into Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame
Circle Inn Malt Shop marks 60th year
The Circle Inn Malt Shop on old Route 66 in Bourbon, Missouri, is in the midst of its 60th year in business, according to Sullivan Independent News. Originally built in 1955 by Bud and Marie Ware, the malt shop was passed on to son Bob Ware and now is currently owned and operated by 3rd … Continue reading Circle Inn Malt Shop marks 60th year
Haunted House restaurant in Oklahoma City soon will reopen
The Haunted House restaurant near Route 66 in Oklahoma City reopened during the July 4 weekend with a slightly different name but the same unique decor, according to the new owner's website, its Facebook page and a recent article by Dave Cathey, food editor at The Oklahoman newspaper. In April, the restaurant was sold by … Continue reading Haunted House restaurant in Oklahoma City soon will reopen
Former owner of Grand Canyon Cafe dies
Bill Yee, 93, an owner and operator of the historic Grand Canyon Cafe along Route 66 in downtown Flagstaff, Arizona, for more than 30 years, died June 28, according to an obituary in the Arizona Daily Sun. Diving into the obituary, Yee was not a native American, but his is the classic American success story: … Continue reading Former owner of Grand Canyon Cafe dies