The Tulsa Industrial Authority agreed to a pact Wednesday that will likely tear down the long-closed Camelot Hotel, just off Interstate 44 and Peoria Avenue, reports the Associated Press. This landmark is more familiar to interstate drivers than Route 66 fans, although I-44 through that area also is Oklahoma 66. The hotel, which is known … Continue reading Tulsa’s Camelot Hotel to be razed
Category: Motels
Roy’s should be back in business soon
Trevor Summons of the San Bernardino County Sun drove Route 66 deep into California's Mojave Desert to see whether he could find the hamlet of Bagdad. He didn't find much. "Blink, and you'll miss it" is the common description of what now is a ghost town. However, he motored on to the nearby Route 66 … Continue reading Roy’s should be back in business soon
Ruling leaves El Vado’s future in doubt
According to the first paragraph of the Albuquerque Tribune: Two rulings this week on the future of the Route 66-era El Vado motel either deal a huge setback to the city's efforts to preserve the historic structure or represent a minor bump in the road, depending on whom you talk to. First off, State District … Continue reading Ruling leaves El Vado’s future in doubt
Kellyville cabins torn down
A set of long-abandoned, rock-faced tourist cabins just off old Route 66 east of Kellyville, Okla., was torn down Monday afternoon. I received word from Route 66 fan Frank Gierhart of Sapulpa that the bulldozers were out Monday. Arriving there, I saw that the cabins were still standing, but a backhoe was digging a big … Continue reading Kellyville cabins torn down
Arson damages Winslow railroad bridge
At least one local teen has 'fessed up to starting a fire that damaged a BNSF railroad bridge just east of La Posada in Winslow, Ariz., reports the Winslow Daily Mail. Repair workers had the bridge shored up enough that train traffic resumed within a day.
Restoration of Needles hotel begins
The long-closed El Garces Hotel in Needles, Calif., built in 1908 and one of the last surviving railroad Harvey Houses, recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for its rehabilitation, reported the Mohave Daily News. According to the article: Plans call for El Garces to include a state of California Needles Visitor Center, an inter-modal transit center, … Continue reading Restoration of Needles hotel begins
Sunset at John’s Modern Cabins
Redforkhippie has composed a thoughtful photo essay about the deteriorating ruins of John's Modern Cabins along old Route 66 west of Rolla, Mo.
A lodging option for Old Town tourists
Here's a place very close to historic Route 66 and the Old Town neighborhood of Albuquerque that I was previously unaware -- Bottger Mansion of Old Town. According to this travel article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Bottger, built in 1910, is the only survivor of four mansions built in Old Town. The B&B's … Continue reading A lodging option for Old Town tourists
Goodies from the Roadside America newsletter
In the regular e-mail newsletter from the excellent Roadside America site, there are two new Route 66-related field reports: Wigwam Village Motel #6 in Holbrook, Ariz. The Route 66 Monument in Tucumcari, N.M.
Wigwam Motel makes “Quirky sleeps” list
Gary A. Warner, travel editor of the Orange County Register, gives out his personal list of "the funniest, funkiest and most wonderfully strangest places I've visited." Not surprisingly, the Wigwam Motels made the list, with kudos to the one on Route 66 in Rialto, Calif.: Wampum required: Wigwam Motels.There are three surviving Wigwam motels. The … Continue reading Wigwam Motel makes “Quirky sleeps” list