Only one of two steel dams still exist in the United States, and one is less than a mile off an old alignment of Route 66 east of Ash Fork, Arizona. Known as the Bainbridge Steel Dam or the Ashfork-Bainbridge Steel Dam, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railway built the dam's parts offsite and shipped … Continue reading Ash Fork’s little-known historical gem
Reconstruction of Summit Inn may begin in January
The co-owner of the wildfire-destroyed Summit Inn near Hesperia, California, said the rebuilding of the landmark Route 66 restaurant likely would begin in January. The Victorville Daily Press had some of the details about the coming reconstruction after reporting a fundraiser earlier this month netted $5,700 for the project. Summit Inn co-owner Otto Recinos told the Daily … Continue reading Reconstruction of Summit Inn may begin in January
Savior of Twin Arrows landmark found dead in murder-suicide
Mary Smeal, who reportedly was responsible more than any other person for the restoration a few years ago of the Twin Arrows off Route 66 in Arizona, was found dead Wednesday an apparent murder-suicide. Coconino County sheriff's deputies found the bodies of Smeal, 55, and her companion, Jeffery Jones, 57, at Smeal's residence near Twin Arrows. … Continue reading Savior of Twin Arrows landmark found dead in murder-suicide
Zettlers Route 66 store in Ash Fork put up for sale
The owners of the Zettlers Route 66 store in Ash Fork, Arizona, have put the business up for sale less than a year after opening it. Kirk and Yvette Slack finished about 15 months of cleaning and renovations to the historic building on Route 66 and reopened it as a crafts and collectibles business April 1. The Slacks … Continue reading Zettlers Route 66 store in Ash Fork put up for sale
A little tinkering under the hood
This is the time of year, during the tourism off-season, when Route 66 News needs to do some updates in both its page content and its digital motor. So if you see something a little odd here or there, it's just me ... tinkering under the website's hood. Nothing drastic will happen, but these efforts … Continue reading A little tinkering under the hood
Blue Whale hosts pop-up sale of Snapchat’s Spectacles
The landmark Blue Whale of Catoosa, Oklahoma, hosted a temporary kiosk Tuesday morning for Snapchat's new video-recording Spectacles, drawing dozens of technology buffs from all over the region. Linda Hobbs, an operator of the gift shop at the Route 66 site, told KOTV people began lining up early Tuesday for the sale, before daylight. Snapchat … Continue reading Blue Whale hosts pop-up sale of Snapchat’s Spectacles
Jack Brown, CEO of Stater Bros. Markets, dies at 78
Jack Brown, 78, longtime CEO of Southern California's Stater Bros. Markets chain, died Sunday night surrounded by family members, according to a news release from the company Monday. Stater Bros. was the longtime chief sponsor of the Route 66 Rendezvous in San Bernardino, California, until the city's bankruptcy forced the stoppage of that classic-car event in 2012. … Continue reading Jack Brown, CEO of Stater Bros. Markets, dies at 78
Exploring the ruins of Ella’s Frontier
Crowd-funded filmmaker Dan Bell recently explored the ruins of Ella's Frontier off old Route 66 near Joseph City, Arizona. He interspersed the film with footage from the 1980s shortly after the business closed with the owner's death in 1984. https://youtu.be/LDK24ux8xfE According to the GhostTownAZ website: The business was owned and operated by Ella Blackwell, who … Continue reading Exploring the ruins of Ella’s Frontier
Survey indicates how bicycle tourism may affect Route 66
The Adventure Cycling Association -- which produced a fine map series on how to cycle on the Route 66 -- recently released some findings of a biennial survey. With some light editing, I decided to highlight data that's most relevant to the Mother Road. My comments are in italics. 1. Boom in “adventure” and touring … Continue reading Survey indicates how bicycle tourism may affect Route 66
Memories of Leon Russell
A lot of Tulsa residents are glum today. That's because songwriter and session musician Leon Russell died in his sleep at age 74, it was announced Sunday. Russell was Tulsa's favorite musical son. He certainly became the city's most prominent musician during the rock era. The only Tulsa music artist who rivaled him was western-swing … Continue reading Memories of Leon Russell