The Powerhouse Visitors Center on Route 66 in Kingman, Ariz., earned a $220,241 federal grant to renovate and reorganize the facility, reports the Kingman Daily Miner. Another $55,000 will come from the local Economic Tourism and Development Commission and the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona for the project. These changes include moving the visitors' … Continue reading Powerhouse earns federal grant
Category: Museums
More on the Alliance and museum
This new article in Urban Tulsa neatly encapsulates what's been going on recently with the Route 66 Alliance and a related, still-in-progress project, the Route 66 Experience in Tulsa. Perhaps the most noteworthy item in the article is that the Experience building -- a combination of a museum, restaurant and headquarters for the Alliance -- … Continue reading More on the Alliance and museum
Steve McQueen’s Oklahoma connection
I always wondered how Route 66 Vintage Iron in Miami, Okla., managed to acquire one of movie star Steve McQueen's motorcycles. McQueen's bio has him in Missouri, Indiana and California, but not the Sooner State. NWAOnline answers the question: McQueen, who starred in films like "The Magnificent Seven," "Hell is for Heroes" and "Bullitt," had … Continue reading Steve McQueen’s Oklahoma connection
National Park Service launches Route 66 site
The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program is already under the auspices of the National Park Service. But the NPS recently launched a Route 66 "Discover Our Shared Heritage" travel itinerary site that should prove useful to novice travelers and be informative to researchers. Funded in part by American Express and the World Monuments Fund, the … Continue reading National Park Service launches Route 66 site
Kingman Powerhouse to mark its centennial
The Powerhouse in Kingman, Ariz., once called the Desert Power & Water Co., will be celebrating its centennial next month, reported the Kingman Daily Miner. Here's a brief history: One hundred years ago, the Powerhouse (Desert Power & Water Company) first lit up the mines in Goldroad, Oatman and Chloride. By October, most businesses downtown … Continue reading Kingman Powerhouse to mark its centennial
New videos from the Mother Road
DiscoverOklahoma, which is part of the Oklahoma Department of Tourism, today posted two videos about Route 66. One is about Afton Station in Afton; the other is about the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton.
Route 66 display being installed in Carthage
A Route 66 historical display that mimics the original Boots Drive-In restaurant in Carthage, Mo., is being installed now at the iconic Jasper County Courthouse in Carthage, reports the Joplin Globe. At 18 feet wide and 13 feet tall, the display is a representation of the front of the former drive-in that will hold artifacts … Continue reading Route 66 display being installed in Carthage
Attendance rises at Will Rogers sites
Now here's something I didn't expect. Although the public memory of Oklahoma humorist Will Rogers has been fading for decades, attendance at his birthplace ranch near Oologah and at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in the Route 66 town of Claremore has been rising in the past year, reported The Oklahoman. Officials think the increase … Continue reading Attendance rises at Will Rogers sites
It’s My-am-uh
Alexander Basek of the New York Post went to the Route 66 town of Miami, Okla., where he checked out the Route 66 Vintage Iron Motorcycle Museum, ate at Waylan's Ku-Ku restaurant, and learned how to pronounce the town's name (hint: it doesn't sounds like the big city in southern Florida). The whole thing is … Continue reading It’s My-am-uh
A brief history
Here's a video produced by the Arizona Office of Tourism. It uses the Powerhouse Visitors Center in Kingman as a jumping-off point about the history of Route 66.