El Pueblo Motel, which sits on Route 66 in Flagstaff, Ariz., played a critical role in the creation of Navajo Code Talkers for use of military communication during World War II, according to an article today in the Arizona Daily Sun. Philip Johnson built what was then called El Pueblo Motor Inn in 1937, and … Continue reading Route 66 motel in Flagstaff played role in creation of Code Talkers
Category: History
Video from Arizona’s Historic Route 66 dedication
On a weekend when Angel Delgadillo's story is being featured by the Associated Press comes this video from 1987 that was just posted on YouTube. It's a report by KTSP-TV in Phoenix on the official dedication of Historic Route 66 in Arizona from Seligman to Topock. You'll see a glimpse of Angel's now-deceased brother Juan, … Continue reading Video from Arizona’s Historic Route 66 dedication
Book review: “Ghost Towns of Route 66”
Ghost town -- a once-flourishing town wholly or nearly deserted usually as a result of the exhaustion of some natural resource. -- Merriam-Webster dictionary The term "ghost town" conjures images of abandoned, dusty, and tumbleweed-strewn buildings in a once-bustling Wild West town founded in the 1800s. However, in the case of historic U.S. 66, ghost towns are … Continue reading Book review: “Ghost Towns of Route 66”
Dairy Queen officials visit original store
About 20 company officials from Minneapolis-based Dairy Queen on Friday visited the restaurant where it all started -- at 501 N. Chicago St. (aka Route 66) in Joliet, Ill., reported the Chicago Tribune. The nearby Joliet Area Historical Museum passed out free DQ Dilly Bars to visitors. Then, Curly, DQ's soft-serve cone mascot, led the … Continue reading Dairy Queen officials visit original store
Students help design Mickey Mantle projects
Students from Oklahoma State University helped design what will be called Mickey Mantle Monument Park and other related projects in the Route 66 town of Commerce, Okla., where Mantle grew up, according to a story in the Tulsa World. A 9-foot-tall Mickey Mantle statue dedicated last summer stands at Mickey Mantle Field, next to a … Continue reading Students help design Mickey Mantle projects
Pearls of news items
Today, I was asked to attend the Route 66 Archives and Research Collaboration at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa. The event was organized by the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. I made my pitch for the ample online news archives of Route 66 News. But, as is typical of such gatherings, I heard a few pearls of … Continue reading Pearls of news items
Lifelong resident of Route 66 dies
Gene Hodkin, who was born and married in the Route 66 town of Carthage, Mo., and also resided in the Mother Road town of Barstow, Calif., died at age 95 on April 25, according to the Desert Dispatch in Barstow. An excerpt in a 2009 story about Gene and Clara Hodkin's 70th wedding anniversary details his … Continue reading Lifelong resident of Route 66 dies
Festival will pay homage to first Dairy Queen
As if the Illinois Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor Festival wasn't busy enough this coming weekend, Joliet is celebrating the creation of the first-ever Dairy Queen restaurant, according to the Joliet Herald-News. The public is encouraged to come to the Joliet Area Historical Museum, 204 N. Ottawa St., and experience: free admission to the Route … Continue reading Festival will pay homage to first Dairy Queen
Schifferdecker Park in 1959
Ace Jackalope, one of our favorite bloggers, posted this neat little find on YouTube -- footage of Schifferdecker Park's amusement park in 1959. Schifferdecker Park is on the west side of Joplin, Mo., and has always been next to Route 66. https://youtu.be/QUdfIVicH9U Ace explains the video: Tinker Town was a children's amusement park in the … Continue reading Schifferdecker Park in 1959
A note from the past
Greene HD Productions has posted another episode of "Route 66: The Marathon Tour." This one, which starts in Chicago, is going to be bittersweet for a many longtime roadies. First, it contains an interview with Zora Vidas, longtime owner of the historic Wishing Well Motel in Countryside, Ill. Vidas died a few years ago, and … Continue reading A note from the past