Here's another reason to go on a road trip: The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program has released a list of all the properties listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book from 1936 to 1964 during the Jim Crow era of rampant racial segregation. A full list of the properties and their statuses is here. Kaisa … Continue reading Full inventory of Negro Motorist Green Book sites released
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The folks at MeUndies posted this video over the weekend publicizing its Route 66 underwear line. Give the company props for actually showing its undies at real-life Route 66 landmarks in Arizona and California. https://youtu.be/uDH5xSQi0Lo (Screen capture of the MeUndies ad at Bottletree Ranch in Oro Grande, California)
Milk Bottle Building reopens with new tenant
Prairie Gothic, a boutique based in nearby Guthrie, Oklahoma, opened a second store in the historic Milk Bottle Building along Route 66 in Oklahoma City last week after months of renovations, according to an article in The Oklahoman newspaper. It's not a carbon copy of the other Prairie Gothic store, either. The Milk Bottle Building … Continue reading Milk Bottle Building reopens with new tenant
Grants mayor wants to end Fire and Ice Bike Rally
Grants, New Mexico, Mayor Martin Hicks and several city councilors want to end the city's annual Historic Route 66 Fire and Ice Bike Rally because of a spike in crime at the event last month and fears of a "major incident" breaking out at future events. According to the Cibola County Beacon newspaper: According to … Continue reading Grants mayor wants to end Fire and Ice Bike Rally
The Nat may have a new owner soon
Tucked deep into a KFDA-TV story about The Nat in Amarillo, Texas, is the news the historic venue's current tenant intends to buy it as soon as her lease expires. Here's the relevant excerpt about Kasey Tam, who runs The Nat as an antique store: Tam is leasing the building currently. Her lease agreement expires … Continue reading The Nat may have a new owner soon
Trip to lobby for Mojave Trails National Park finishes tonight
Jim Conkle's 26-day van trip to lobby for the designation of the Mother Road-Mojave Trails National Monument finishes tonight with a show at the Santa Monica Pier, according to an article in the Victorville Daily Press. The designation was proposed by a U.S. senator, but the legislation has been stuck in Congress for years. Conkle … Continue reading Trip to lobby for Mojave Trails National Park finishes tonight
Barbecue stand opens at Pioneer Camp site in Wellston
An award-winning barbecue pitmaster recently opened a restaurant inside a converted railroad car at the old Pioneer Camp site along Route 66 in Wellston, Oklahoma, according to an article by KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City. Levi Bouska runs the Butcher BBQ Stand near the intersection of Route 66 and Route 66B -- an alternative alignment that … Continue reading Barbecue stand opens at Pioneer Camp site in Wellston
More 1993 footage from a Route 66 trip
Anthony Reichardt has uploaded more videos from a Route 66 trip he took with a friend in August 1993 in a 1959 Cadillac. The first is a visit to Our Lady of the Highways Shrine near Raymond, Illinois. The shrine has changed little, but the footage contains a chat with longtime caretaker Francis Marten, who … Continue reading More 1993 footage from a Route 66 trip
Bowling alley in Bloomington closes after 55 years
The AMF Circle Lanes bowling center near Route 66 in Bloomington, Illinois, closed Sunday after more than 55 years in business, according the Bloomington Pantagraph. Management didn't explain the closure, but told the newspaper a decision was made to shutter it after "a comprehensive analysis." Translation: The AMF Circle Lanes was another in a long line of … Continue reading Bowling alley in Bloomington closes after 55 years
One way to repurpose an old sign
Steve Paulken, city manager for Winslow, Arizona, sent these photos of the old Moore's Pawn & Trading sign along Route 66 in town being refurbished, thanks in part to a city program. Paulken wrote in an email: This sign has been here for over 30 years, but in recent years has been unused and totally faded out. … Continue reading One way to repurpose an old sign