The City of Tulsa has awarded a contract to build decorative streetscaping and a wayfinding sign on 11th Street between 89th East Avenue and Garnett Road area. Construction should begin by March 1, according to city planner Dennis Whitaker. Whitaker says the project should take about 120 days, which means a completion time of late … Continue reading Tulsa soon will beef up section of East 11th Street
Category: History
How Michael Wallis ended up in Oklahoma
Michael Wallis, author of the best-selling and Pulitzer-nominated "Route 66: The Mother Road," gave a presentation Friday during Tulsa Town Hall. His speech covered a lot of ground on Oklahoma history, including mentions of Woody Guthrie and the infamous Tulsa Race Riot. But this part of the exemplary Tulsa World article is worth excerpting: His first real … Continue reading How Michael Wallis ended up in Oklahoma
The musical fruit of The Troubadour
This recent PBS "American Masters" documentary about Doug Weston's The Troubadour nightclub in West Hollywood, Calif., is one of the best things I've seen in a while. The Troubadour helped launch the careers of Carole King, James Taylor, and a horde of other singer-songwriters during the 1970s. And, yes, the Troubadour is right on the … Continue reading The musical fruit of The Troubadour
“My father taught me how to drive and dream”
This 13-minute film by Karla Berry from 2004 is well worth watching all the way through. But in particular it contains footage of the Coral Court Motel in St. Louis shortly before the bulldozers came. https://vimeo.com/34475388 The Coral Court footage begins around the 7 1/2-minute mark.
A tour of John’s Modern Cabins
This well-produced video gives you a tour and a history of the abandoned and fast-decaying John's Modern Cabins, located near Arlington, Mo., off old Route 66. https://youtu.be/wQBIbvEOdrM The video was produced by Texas-based Synergy Media. Most of the historical information about John's Modern Cabins was gathered by Emily and me a decade ago. The story … Continue reading A tour of John’s Modern Cabins
Woody Guthrie Archives will move to Tulsa
The Woody Guthrie Archives, based in New York, will move to his home state of Oklahoma and the Route 66 city of Tulsa by 2013, according a story late Tuesday by the New York Times. The Tulsa-based George Kaiser Family Foundation bought the musician's archives from the Guthrie family for about $3 million and will … Continue reading Woody Guthrie Archives will move to Tulsa
Clinton Route 66 museum will close for renovations
The Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton is set to close from January to at least mid-April for renovations, according to the museum's website. Pat Smith, the museum's director, said in a message on the website's home page that the museum will close its exhibits for renovations beginning Jan. 1, with the hope to reopen … Continue reading Clinton Route 66 museum will close for renovations
Former Midway restaurant will be demolished
The building that once housed the Midway restaurant at old Route 66 and Missouri Highway 19 in Cuba, Mo., soon will be demolished, reported the Cuba Free Press. The Midway started as a small cafe in the 1930s and kept expanding. The newspaper article makes it clear that the restaurant was a focal point of … Continue reading Former Midway restaurant will be demolished
Dec. 30 will be declared Bill Shea Day in Springfield
Bill Shea, longtime proprietor of a gas station museum along Route 66 in Springfield, Ill., turns 90 years old on Dec. 30, and is also marking his 66th year as a business owner on the Mother Road. To mark the occasion, the City of Springfield is declaring Dec. 30 as Bill Shea Day, according to … Continue reading Dec. 30 will be declared Bill Shea Day in Springfield
Milk Bottle Building
Here's a short video of the Milk Bottle Building along Route 66 in Oklahoma City (map here). The clip shows the building's triangle shape and how small it is. According to the National Park Service, the 1930 building measures 350 square feet. https://youtu.be/TNEJoJIz7Mw The building once housed a grocery, an ice-cream shop and other things. … Continue reading Milk Bottle Building