RSU Public TV, based at Rogers State University in Claremore, Oklahoma, recently completed this 25-minute profile in its "Perspective" series about author, actor and speaker Michael Wallis. Wallis remains best-known for two things -- writing the best-selling "Route 66: The Mother Road" that sparked the renaissance of the historic highway and providing the voice of … Continue reading Public TV station profiles writer Michael Wallis
Category: History
Amarillo’s tallest building named to National Register of Historic Places
The tallest skyscraper in the Texas Panhandle, located in Amarillo, this week was named to the National Register of Historic Places. The FirstBank Southwest Tower at 600 S. Tyler St. in Amarillo, next to the Sixth Avenue alignment of Route 66 in downtown Amarillo, earned the designation Wednesday, according to an email Friday from the … Continue reading Amarillo’s tallest building named to National Register of Historic Places
Public floats ideas for Red Cedar Inn building
The city of Pacific, Missouri, has hired an architect to renovate the former Red Cedar Inn restaurant along old Route 66. What exactly the architect will do with it remains an open question. Patterhn Ives will be paid $33,690, plus reimbursable expenses up to $4,500, to draft a renovation design and provide a cost estimate. … Continue reading Public floats ideas for Red Cedar Inn building
Bob Lehman, co-owner of the Munger Moss Motel, dies
Bob Lehman, the longtime co-owner of the Route 66 landmark Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, Missouri, died Thursday after a bout with cancer. He was 81. Bob and Ramona Lehman, who are Iowa natives, took possession of the Munger Moss Motel on June 1, 1971, after a fact-finding trip to Springfield, Missouri, to look for … Continue reading Bob Lehman, co-owner of the Munger Moss Motel, dies
See Michael Wallis, Desert California and Two Guns from early 1990s
A new batch of Anthony Reichardt films from the 1990s shows Two Guns, Arizona; a long stretch of Route 66 in the California desert to Oatman, Arizona; and Michael Wallis, author of the best-selling "Route 66: The Mother Road." Below is Wallis in 1993 during a meeting of the California Historic Route 66 Association at … Continue reading See Michael Wallis, Desert California and Two Guns from early 1990s
Route History store combines Route 66 souvenirs, local African-American history
The Route History store in Springfield, Illinois, held a soft opening Friday. It's a combination Route 66 souvenir store and a tribute to African-American history in the area. It sits at 737 E. Cook St. (map here) in the former Just Off Route 66 Sandwiches & Souvenirs building, about two blocks west of the Ninth … Continue reading Route History store combines Route 66 souvenirs, local African-American history
Smithsonian Channel’s “Green Book” documentary airs Monday
An hour-long documentary on the Smithsonian Channel, "The Green Book -- Guide to Freedom," will premiere at 8 p.m. Eastern on Monday. The film about the Negro Motorist Green Book, which was published during the Jim Crow segregation era from 1936 to 1966, also will air other times on the channel. Check your local listings. … Continue reading Smithsonian Channel’s “Green Book” documentary airs Monday
Longtime Tucumcari motel co-owner, author Debra Whittington dies
Debra Whittington, the longtime co-owner of the Pony Soldier Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico, and author of historical books about Tucumcari, died Monday after a lengthy illness. She was 61. Whittington also co-owned the Dollhouse Bed & Breakfast in Tucumcari, a 1908 two-story Victorian home near downtown Tucumcari she and her husband, Mark, restored and … Continue reading Longtime Tucumcari motel co-owner, author Debra Whittington dies
Los Angeles group buys gay-friendly Habana Inn in Oklahoma City
The Habana Inn, the "largest gay resort in the Southwest" that recently marked its 50th anniversary in Oklahoma City, recently was sold to a Los Angeles ownership group. According to a story filed by the Associated Press, Alternatives Resorts bought the 170-room Habana Inn for $2.4 million. More from the AP story: Alternatives Resorts spokesman … Continue reading Los Angeles group buys gay-friendly Habana Inn in Oklahoma City
Skip Maisel’s Indian Jewelry and Crafts store in Albuquerque closing this year
With the owner wanting to retire, Skip Maisel's Indian Jewelry and Crafts store will close later this year after 42 years in downtown Albuquerque. Maisel told the Albuquerque Journal he already has sold the store at 510 Central Ave. (aka Route 66) and has marked down his merchandise 50 percent. However, he said he was … Continue reading Skip Maisel’s Indian Jewelry and Crafts store in Albuquerque closing this year