A new, huge and vintage-style Coca-Cola mural, complete with a Route 66 shield, recently was painted onto a prominent building in downtown Galena, Kansas, where two Route 66 alignments meet. The century-old building sits at Kansas Route 66 (the newer alignment) and Main Street (aka old Route 66). A local television station recently reported about … Continue reading New Coca-Cola mural added to prominent building in Galena
Category: History
Markley Shovel, a predecessor to Big Brutus, is dedicated
A century-old coal-mining shovel that served as a much-smaller predecessor of the Big Brutus shovel was dedicated Saturday at the Big Brutus Visitors Center in West Mineral, Kansas. According to an Associated Press article, Perry Markley designed and built by hand the smaller shovel in the early 1900s using junkyard parts. The machine was one … Continue reading Markley Shovel, a predecessor to Big Brutus, is dedicated
Grandchildren of Dixie Truckers Home founders pay a visit
Two grandchildren of the couple that founded the Dixie Truckers Home in McLean, Illinois, recently paid a visit to the site for the first time in years. Steve Jordan and Cathy Greeneberg, descendants of the Route 66 truck stop's original owners John and Viola Geske, sat down with a crew from WMBD-TV at what now … Continue reading Grandchildren of Dixie Truckers Home founders pay a visit
A new video about Amboy Crater
A couple that runs the Oddity Odysseys channel on YouTube recently explored Amboy Crater, the dormant volcano just off Route 66 near Amboy, California. They lucked out in one way: They climbed into the cinder cone during a semi-cloudy day, which blunted the Mojave Desert's brutal sun considerably. It helps they also carried with plenty … Continue reading A new video about Amboy Crater
Admiral Flea Market in Tulsa to close after nearly 40 years
Admiral Flea Market, a fixture along the Admiral Place alignment of Route 66 in east Tulsa for 39 years, will close at the end of the year because of the owner's retirement. The business at 9401 E. Admiral Place posted this announcement Thursday on Facebook: This comes with a heavy heart to announce. With the … Continue reading Admiral Flea Market in Tulsa to close after nearly 40 years
Radio station gets preview of History Museum on the Square renovations
A local radio station recently received a sneak preview of renovations at the History Museum on the Square in downtown Springfield, Missouri, that will give visitors a more interactive and immersive experience later this summer, including of Route 66. KSMU radio reported on the elaborate $12 million project that was paid for with grants, donations … Continue reading Radio station gets preview of History Museum on the Square renovations
Office of La Fonda Hotel architect added to National Register
The office of John Gaw Meem, architect of the expansion and remodeling of the famed La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and a key figure in the popularization of the Pueblo Revival style, was designated on the National Register of Historic Places. The John Gaw Meem Architects Office at 1101 Camino De Cruz … Continue reading Office of La Fonda Hotel architect added to National Register
Sorrento’s Pizzeria in Lincoln to mark 50th year this weekend
Sam Sorrento's Pizzeria in downtown Lincoln, Illinois, is marking its 50th year this weekend with a ribbon-cutting at its new location just three doors down from the old site. The ribbon-cutting at 614 Broadway (aka Route 66) will take place at 4 p.m. Friday, June 7. It's part of Route 66 Weekend activities in conjunction … Continue reading Sorrento’s Pizzeria in Lincoln to mark 50th year this weekend
A chat with White Fence Farm’s owner and manager
A reader recently tipped me off to this interview by the Village of Romeoville, Illinois, of Laura Hastert, owner and manager of the original White Fence Farm for nearly 20 years. The six-minute video provides background on the famous fried-chicken restaurant along Joliet Road (aka Route 66) near Chicago, including about Hastert herself. https://youtu.be/GAski2biV7A The … Continue reading A chat with White Fence Farm’s owner and manager
Report: $10M needed to stabilize portions of old Joliet prison
The historic Joliet Correctional Center in Joliet, Illinois, will need at least $10 million worth of repairs in the next five years to stabilize six key structures within the long-closed complex. The Klein & Hoffman architectural and structural engineering firm gave the estimates to shore up the prison's administration building, east and west cell blocks, … Continue reading Report: $10M needed to stabilize portions of old Joliet prison