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
Category: History
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
A desert oasis
Do read this wonderful article in the Los Angeles Times' business section about the historic Desert Market in the tiny Route 66 town of Daggett, Calif. It's owned by Yousuf "Joe" Khawaldeh, yet another non-native who's helping keep a slice of the old Mother Road alive. We've actually been to this store, and this excerpt in … Continue reading A desert oasis
New film will be shown at Chandler museum
Starting tomorrow, the Route 66 Interpretive Center in Chandler, Okla., will show a new 20-minute documentary about one man's journey on Route 66 in 1959 and his revisiting the Mother Road decades later. Howard Dickman, a longtime trustee with the museum's historic Old Armory building and a Chandler resident, spent about 18 months working on … Continue reading New film will be shown at Chandler museum
“Our Town”
This is a collection of photos from the Route 66 town of Galena, Kan. Music is by Iris DeMent. If you haven't seen it, keep tissues handy. https://vimeo.com/22234719 This affecting video was played at 4 Women on the Route in Galena, but disappeared from Vimeo for a time. I'm glad it's back.
Report: Actor Russell Crowe buys Two Guns, Ariz.
Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe has purchased the Route 66 ghost town of Two Guns, Ariz., and intends to use it as a set for a western-sci fi movie titled "Two Guns," according to a report in Zimbio.com. No other media outlets have reported this. So it appears Zimbio either landed a big scoop, or such … Continue reading Report: Actor Russell Crowe buys Two Guns, Ariz.
Ozark Trail cruise
Here's a video I made about the old Ozark Trail alignment of Route 66, west of Sapulpa, Okla. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQfAYLI9BWY This 3.3-mile section of highway (map here) predates Route 66, and it served as the Mother Road from 1926 to 1952. Highlights include the 1921 Rock Creek Bridge, ruins of the Tee Pee Drive-In theater, a … Continue reading Ozark Trail cruise
Tank Farm Loop cruise
Here's a video I shot of the historic Tank Farm Loop of Route 66, east of Bristow, Okla. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RcGFkxAJrw It served as Route 66 from 1926 to 1938, when it was bypassed. It now serves as a quiet country road for farms and residences. Tank Farm Loop is so named because of the oil tanks … Continue reading Tank Farm Loop cruise