The neon sign of the historic Tower Theater in Oklahoma City will be relighted during a ceremony Friday evening. The theater, at 425 NW 23rd St. in Oklahoma City, will see its restored neon blazing away again at 6:30 p.m. that day after decades in the dark. Here's more about the theater, according to records … Continue reading Notes from the road
Category: History
Route 66 sites again make Preservation Oklahoma’s endangered list
For the second consecutive year, Preservation Oklahoma has placed Route 66 sites on its 2010 list of the most-endangered historic sites. From the group's Web site: Across the state, and even the country, buildings, bridges and other structures, and even paving materials are linked to the well-known history of Route 66. These resources share in … Continue reading Route 66 sites again make Preservation Oklahoma’s endangered list
Fire destroys St. Louis riverboat
The Lt. Robert E. Lee riverboat, a fixture as a floating restaurant on the St. Louis riverfront for decades, was destroyed by fire Sunday afternoon, reported the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. First-arriving fire crews found the vessel engulfed in flames. They were delayed by two inoperable hydrants nearby. The blaze sent up a plume of gray-black … Continue reading Fire destroys St. Louis riverboat
Notes from the road
A final meeting for public comment will be Monday at 5:30 p.m. at Clinton Middle School in west Tulsa about the Route 66 Master Plan: Red Fork Streetscape Improvements, according to Greater Tulsa Reporter Newspapers. The project area includes Southwest Boulevard between 25th West Avenue and 27th West Avenue. [...] Citizens are welcome to comment … Continue reading Notes from the road
Footage from the past
A few days ago, the C-SPAN network announced it put all of its video archives online, dating back more than 20 years. The archive, which contains more than 160,000 hours of video, will be a boon for muckrakers. But considering that C-SPAN also gave plenty of air time to historians, I thought maybe some Route … Continue reading Footage from the past
Oklahoma City tower named to National Register
The Citizens Bank Tower, on an old alignment of Route 66 in Oklahoma City and very close to another, was named to the National Register of Historic Places, according to an e-mail from the National Park Service. The tower, now known as The Classen luxury apartments building, is at 2200 N. Classen Blvd., an early … Continue reading Oklahoma City tower named to National Register
Book review: “Ghost Towns of the Southwest”
Route 66 aficionados who like straying off the beaten path will find dozens of ideas for day trips with "Ghost Towns of the Southwest" (soft cover, 256 pages, Voyageur Press, $21.99). Subtitled "Your Guide to the Historic Mining Camps & Ghost Towns of Arizona and New Mexico," the book by Jim Hinckley and photographer Kerrick … Continue reading Book review: “Ghost Towns of the Southwest”
DVD about Arizona’s Route 66 is completed
Kirk Slack and his Out West Family Films have released a 34-minute DVD about the history and attractions of Route 66 in Arizona, according to the Kingman Daily Miner. The documentary begins with the route's Arizona origins along the Beale Wagon Trail in 1928, progressing to its role in the 1930s dustbowl migration, into its … Continue reading DVD about Arizona’s Route 66 is completed
Book review: “Route 66 in New Mexico”
Joe Sonderman is primarily known for two things -- as a radio announcer in the St. Louis area, and as a huge collector of Route 66 postcards. But while reading his latest book, "Route 66 in New Mexico" (soft cover, 128 pages, Arcadia Publishing, $21.99), it occurred to me that Sonderman may have met his … Continue reading Book review: “Route 66 in New Mexico”
Bono’s Orange may reopen
In a lengthy story about Southern California's fast-disappearing orange stands, the Los Angeles Times reports that the long-closed Bono's Historic Orange on Route 66 in Fontana, Calif., may be reopened to sell orange juice again. Joe Bono, who is in his 70s, can remember citrus groves stretching as far as he could see during his … Continue reading Bono’s Orange may reopen