Rock collecting in the Mojave Trails National Monument that includes Route 66 in southern California may become banned under a proposed rule by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The Los Angeles Times reports the BLM is nearing completion of a management plan that could declare rock collecting a form of mining. If that happens, … Continue reading Proposed rule may ban rock-hunting in Mojave Trails National Monument
Category: Preservation
Totem Pole Park in Foyil will be the source of lecture series, workshops next month
Ed Galloway's fabled Totem Pole Park in Foyil, Oklahoma, will be the center of a lecture series and workshops in August. Artist Erin Turner is designing the "Totem as Monument and Archive" programming to offer a historical and contemporary context for the park, which is three miles off Route 66 on Highway 28A. Totem Pole … Continue reading Totem Pole Park in Foyil will be the source of lecture series, workshops next month
A closer look at the repurposed West End Service Station in Edwardsville
A few weeks ago, the West End Service Station along Route 66 in Edwardsville, Illinois, reopened as a museum and interpretive center. The Adventures in TV-Land channel on YouTube paid a visit to the landmark, plus a few other Route 66-related sites in Edwardsville. https://youtu.be/QV4NlD6ySJU The former gas station at 620 West St. (aka Route … Continue reading A closer look at the repurposed West End Service Station in Edwardsville
918 Coffee in Tulsa closes due to owners’ retirement
918 Coffee, known for repurposing a vintage gas station along Route 66 in Tulsa, closed in late June after a decade because the owners were retiring. Morad El-Raheb and his wife Annie, who opened the coffeehouse at 2446 E. 11th St. (aka Route 66) in 2013, made the announcement on Facebook its last day would … Continue reading 918 Coffee in Tulsa closes due to owners’ retirement
Kickoff party and lighting ceremony set for July 26 for Route 66 Experience in Springfield
A lighting ceremony on July 26 for the Route 66 Experience neon park at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield will include a pre-party at Route 66 Motorheads Bar & Grill on the city's south side. The Route 66 Experience at the fairgrounds will feature re-creations or restorations of the neon signs for the Bel-Air … Continue reading Kickoff party and lighting ceremony set for July 26 for Route 66 Experience in Springfield
Owner of Motel Safari in Tucumcari is putting it up for sale
The owner of the historic Motel Safari in Tucumcari, New Mexico, announced on social media this week he soon would put the Route 66 establishment on the market. Larry Smith, who has owned the motel at 722 E. Route 66 Blvd. for six years, stated he was "feeling that my time here at the Safari … Continue reading Owner of Motel Safari in Tucumcari is putting it up for sale
Fire destroys SK8 Liborius church skate park in St. Louis
A fire late Wednesday gutted the SK8 Liborius Social Club, formerly the historic St. Liborious Catholic Church, in north St. Louis. Drone footage on Thursday morning from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch showed the blaze destroyed everything inside, leaving only the walls standing. No injuries were reported, but the burning embers ignited fires on several other … Continue reading Fire destroys SK8 Liborius church skate park in St. Louis
Multi-use concept unveiled for Joplin Union Depot in hopes of enticing developers
Two consultants presented a multi-use concept, including railcars as hotel rooms, a microbrewery and a Route 66 room, for the long-abandoned Union Depot in Joplin, Missouri, in the hope of drawing developers that can resurrect the declining historical site. The consultants from Kansas State University and South Dakota State University gave the concept in front … Continue reading Multi-use concept unveiled for Joplin Union Depot in hopes of enticing developers
Donnay Building in OKC soon will begin reconstruction, be renamed Classen Circle
The historic Donnay Building in Oklahoma City soon will undergo extensive renovations and will be renamed Classen Circle as a nod to its historic, Route 66-aligned history. NIck Preftakes and partner Caleb Hill bought the building for $1.5 million last year. The Donnay, originally built in 1949, was added on to over the years in … Continue reading Donnay Building in OKC soon will begin reconstruction, be renamed Classen Circle
One wall of Tulsa’s Rose Bowl collapses due to high winds several days before
The western wall of the Rose Bowl Events Center in Tulsa collapsed Tuesday, weakened by 100 mph winds from severe storms just days before. It had appeared that Tulsa's iconic Route 66 buildings had emerged unscathed from storms that have left thousands without power, but that apparently was not the case. An earlier report by … Continue reading One wall of Tulsa’s Rose Bowl collapses due to high winds several days before