Route 66 author Michael Wallis preaches the gospel to the Tulsa World about some of the Mother Road's mom-and-pop motels. "You can still find motels on Route 66 where people care if you have enough blankets and covers and pillows," said Wallis, who has written several books that have documented the famous highway, including "Route … Continue reading Talking about motels
Category: Preservation
Notes from the road
There seems to be some activity at the long-abandoned old Route 66 town of Spencer, Mo. We heard from Gary Turner up the road at Gay Parita that someone has bought the town's handful of buildings and plans to revive it with a gift shop and maybe other things. When we drove by on Sunday … Continue reading Notes from the road
UPDATED: City will try to buy Red Cedar Inn
The Red Cedar Inn restaurant in Pacific, Mo., which closed a few years ago after more than 70 years on Route 66, eventually will reopen as a visitors center and area history museum, reports KTVI-TV in St. Louis. As expected, the City of Pacific voted unanimously Tuesday night to acquire the property. The city had … Continue reading UPDATED: City will try to buy Red Cedar Inn
A visit to Gay Parita
We travel the old alignment of Route 66 in west of Springfield, Mo., at least once a year. That stretch of the Mother Road is a joy to drive, but many of the old gas stations have fallen into ruin. But just a mile or so west of the spot where Missouri Highway 96 forks … Continue reading A visit to Gay Parita
Swa Frantzen wins top Route 66 award
Swa Frantzen (shown above), an Internet pioneer in publicizing Route 66 with his Historic66.com site, won the top honor during the Will Rogers Awards Event on Saturday night during the Route 66 Festival in Litchfield, Ill. The New Business of the Year was 4 Women on the Route in Galena, Kan. Chicago Route 66 researcher … Continue reading Swa Frantzen wins top Route 66 award
Coleman Theatre tries to finish what it started
Here's a story from KSN/KODE in nearby Joplin, Mo., about residents of Miami, Okla., trying to finish the restoration of the historic Coleman Theatre, which sits on Route 66. The interesting angle is that they are trying to finish the job that George Coleman Sr. started in 1929: "[Coleman] loved theater; [he] built this whole … Continue reading Coleman Theatre tries to finish what it started
News nuggets from the Route 66 Summit
I was unable to attend the Route 66 Summit before the Route 66 Festival set for this weekend in Litchfield, Ill. However, Peter Stork, an Illinois Route 66er was there and filed a detailed report for the Route 66 yahoogroup. Go there if you want to see the report in full. However, I gleaned a … Continue reading News nuggets from the Route 66 Summit
Treasure unearthed at the Rock Cafe
Dawn Welch, owner of the historic Rock Cafe on Route 66 in Stroud, gives a little TLC to a treasure she found buried under the rubble at the restaurant, which burned May 20. Sound quality on the video isn't great, but Cars fans will be excited to see what survived the fire: Friends of the … Continue reading Treasure unearthed at the Rock Cafe
Senator urges renewal of Route 66 Corridor program
Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., asked for a renewal of the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program during a Senate subcommittee hearing on Tuesday. The program, which provides cost-share grants and other assistance to historic Route 66 businesses, is scheduled to end in 2009. Domenici's bill would extend the program another 10 years. The legislation number is … Continue reading Senator urges renewal of Route 66 Corridor program
Eagle Hotel owner pays off city debt
The owner of the historic Eagle Hotel along Route 66 in Wilmington, Ill., has paid the $45,000 he owed the city plus a very small amount of interest since his contact expired in May, reports the Joliet Herald News. Owner Bill Scales failed in to live up to an agreement to rehab the 19th-century building … Continue reading Eagle Hotel owner pays off city debt