Thanks to nearly a million dollars' worth of donated steel, the Milburn-Price Culture Museum in Vega, Texas, is planning a big expansion. KFDA-TV in nearby Amarillo reports: The steel will be used to build a 7,000 square foot expansion, exceeding and replacing one that was built in the 1950s. Some of the museum’s larger artifacts … Continue reading Milburn-Price Museum in Vega plans big expansion
Category: History
What’s left of the Holiday Drive-In theater in Springfield, Missouri
While surfing through YouTube, I found this short video of the remnants of the long-closed Holiday Drive-In theater in Springfield, Missouri. The video is notable because it contains drone footage of what's on the theater grounds at 2829 E. Kearney St. Even almost 15 years after it was closed, aerial footage still clearly shows it was … Continue reading What’s left of the Holiday Drive-In theater in Springfield, Missouri
Longtime operator of Monterey Motel in Albuquerque dies
Norman Bugg, who operated the Monterey Motel along Route 66 in Albuquerque for 25 years, died Sunday of heart failure. He was 89. The Albuquerque Journal, which reported Bugg's death Monday, said he refurbished and remodeled an aging motel into Triple Diamond-rated lodging. Miroslaw and Boguslawa Elencwajg later acquired the motel and renamed it Monterey Non-Smokers … Continue reading Longtime operator of Monterey Motel in Albuquerque dies
Standin’ on a Corner statue in Winslow to mark 20th anniversary
The often-photographed statue on a corner of Winslow, Arizona, inspired by The Eagles' song "Take It Easy" is marking its 20th year, and the artist who created it will be in town this weekend for the annual Standin' on a Corner Festival. The artist is Ronald Adamson of Libby, Montana. Here's a report by KTVQ … Continue reading Standin’ on a Corner statue in Winslow to mark 20th anniversary
Route 66 theme helps boost attendance at L.A. County Fair
The Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona, California, reported an extra 60,000 attended over the previous year and is giving partial credit to a Route 66 theme for the attendance boost. The Los Angeles Times reported the fair drew 1.13 million people over 19 days -- a 5 percent increase from 2017. Organizers attributed the … Continue reading Route 66 theme helps boost attendance at L.A. County Fair
New marker tells of Bloomington park’s segregation era
Local and city officials in Bloomington, Illinois, this week dedicated a new marker that described the racial segregation that once took place in Miller Park's beaches. WJBC reports: At Miller Park, the historical marker acknowledges there were segregated beaches there during the first half of the 20th Century and beyond. The beach for people of … Continue reading New marker tells of Bloomington park’s segregation era
Interstate 40 repairs affecting Seligman businesses
Old-timers in Seligman, Arizona, must be getting a sense of deja vu, and not in a good way. Forty years after Seligman businesses were devastated by the opening of Interstate 40, the interstate is hampering businesses again -- this time because of repairs to three bridges leading into the town. The Arizona Department of Transportation … Continue reading Interstate 40 repairs affecting Seligman businesses
An update on the Texaco gas station in Foyil
When we'd last heard almost three years ago, a local man bought a 1920s Texaco station along old Route 66 in Foyil, Oklahoma, and shortly had it added to the National Register of Historic Places. The station's owner, Kean Isaacs, pledged to restore it to as close as its original look as possible. Last week, … Continue reading An update on the Texaco gas station in Foyil
Rebuilt Parkview Inn in Bloomington may reopen by November
The historic Parkview Inn restaurant in Bloomington, Illinois, destroyed by fire two years ago, may be rebuilt and reopened by early November. The Bloomington Pantagraph reported last week: The restaurant was a mainstay along old Route 66 since 1928, but a fire in October 2016 burned the original structure beyond repair. [...] "We're hoping to open by … Continue reading Rebuilt Parkview Inn in Bloomington may reopen by November
Was there a ban of black customers at Route 66 motels in eastern New Mexico?
Roland Penttila, a reader of this website based in Albuquerque, emailed this 1955 newspaper clipping a few days ago: Penttila wrote: While many white families have fond memories of their auto adventures along Route 66 during its heyday, too little is remembered of how difficult it was for African Americans to travel U.S. highways including … Continue reading Was there a ban of black customers at Route 66 motels in eastern New Mexico?