Route 66 makes Preservation Oklahoma’s most-endangered list March 9, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Preservation.1 comment so far
Preservation Oklahoma this week placed Route 66 resources on its 2009 list of the state’s most endangered historic places.
The group said:
Mom-and-pop motor courts, tourist cabins, restaurants, neon signs , roadbeds and bridges are all part of the Route 66 structures that sprang up in the 1920s. Today, many have gone out of business and suffer the indignity of abandonment.
Preservation Oklahoma also listed historic downtowns as endangered and cited the Route 66 town of El Reno in particular.
Preservation Oklahoma also listed Route 66 motels as endangered in 2007 and 2008.
(via Tulsa World)
Century-old couple has a Route 66 connection March 9, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, People.3 comments
Tucked into this story from KTUL-TV in Tulsa about Forrest Winston, 101, and his wife Vera Winston, 100, was this little item:
If you recognize Winston, you may know him as the one who built the Winston Motor Court on Route 66. Back then, it was the city’s first air-conditioned motel.
Here’s a postcard image of the Winston Motor Court, which was listed as being on Route 66 and U.S. 75 in Tulsa. Here’s another image, from eBay. Here’s another image and another.
I know very little about the Winton’s Court. It may still be over there under another name. Can anyone chime in?
Midwest Living features Route 66 March 9, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Magazines, Road trips.2 comments
Midwest Living has a five-page feature article in its March/April issue about Route 66 and the Lincoln Highway, according to Illinois historic highways aficionado Lenore Weiss.
The article, she says, concentrates on an eastern third of the Mother Road, from Chicago to Oklahoma.
You can read part of the article here. But it’s probably better if you pick up the magazine itself; Weiss says it contains a lot of photographs, including that of Route 66 Root Beer.
Hello from Nashville March 9, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.1 comment so far
Here is Angela Siracusa, singing a Western swing-influenced version of Bobby Troup’s “Route 66.”
This performance was taped at The Billy Block Show.
More from the Church of Bizarro March 8, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Religion.2 comments
Moses and Aaron get their jollies at the expense of the Pharoah in this latest episode of “Route 66: A Road Trip Through the Bible.”
This Exodus chapter isn’t as bizarre as the previous Genesis chapter. That doesn’t mean it isn’t weird, however.
Stimulus money to help a few Route 66 projects March 7, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Highways.add a comment
Money from President Obama’s economic stimulus package is slated to help at least two portions of Route 66 and probably more.
According to the Bloomington Pantagraph, $3.4 million has been designated to resurface Old Route 66 from just south of Towanda, Ill., to north of Lexington, Ill.
And, according to the Mohave Valley Daily News, about $12 million has been slated to reconstruct 48 miles of Oatman Road from just outside of Kingman, Ariz., to Golden Shores, Ariz. Oatman Road is a prominent old alignment of Route 66.
Also, there will be $12 million allocated to rehab or reconstruct Business Loop 44, aka Route 66, in Rolla, Mo., to the Sugar Tree Road exchange near Interstate 44, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
I’m sure more Route 66-related stimulus projects will be announced in the coming weeks. A few states, such as Illinois, still haven’t submitted a complete list.
Scout, R.I.P. March 6, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Animals, Books, People, Road trips, Web sites.3 comments
Redforkhippie and Scout, circa 1999. Photo by Ken Seeber.
Scout, a beloved female rat terrier that had accompanied Redforkhippie and me on several trips on Route 66 and other highways, died Friday at age 10 after a months-long bout with cancer.
Her tribute to Scout is a slide show here, along with a blog post.
Scout inspired a Web site, Kids on 66, with a companion self-published guidebook, coloring pages for kids, and a photo scrapbook. So it’s safe to say she had friends on the Mother Road.
Maybe the late Juan Delgadillo will greet her and treat her with a cheeseburger or corndog. Or she’ll get a scratch behind the ears from Dot Leavitt.
In the coming days, Scout’s cremains will be scattered off a prominent landmark off Route 66.
UPDATE: Emily is having trouble getting the slide show online for myriad reasons. However, you can download it here from the “Scout” folder. If your player can’t handle the file, you can download the VLC Media Player and view it. VLC is free and can handle just about any media you can name.
Here are some other videos of Scout that I shot a few weeks ago:
White Dog Hill video March 6, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Ghosts and Mysteries, Restaurants.add a comment
This recent video about the White Dog Hill restaurant, located just off Route 66 east of Clinton, Okla., is well-done. It was produced by the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department.
One thing owner Nelson King didn’t tell us about in previous visits is the apparent ghost in the establishment. I guess he didn’t want to scare off potential customers at the time.
It seems the apparition (or poltergeist or whatever it is) is harmless enough. And with the good food and spectacular views, I don’t think an army of spooks could keep people away now.
Meadow Gold sign update March 5, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Preservation, Signs.add a comment
It looks like the main structure for the re-erection of the historic Meadow Gold sign in Tulsa is nearly complete. I e-mailed Dennis Whitaker in the City of Tulsa’s Planning Department and asked about the status of the sign. This is a partial reply I received Wednesday:
Yes, the structure is pretty much done. There is some finish work to do on the podiums; I saw them working on it today. And the bronze plaques have not been installed yet.
But Claude Neon is targeting mid-March to erect the sign. So it should happen soon. I don’t know when the public dedication will be; we want to give National Parks Service enough time to come. Once we get a firm installation date and trouble shoot, we can schedule the dedication.
So it appears there will have a functioning Meadow Gold sign by the end of March or so.
The new home for the sign is at 11th Street and Quaker Avenue, which is about a mile west of its old home at 11th and Lewis. The sign was dismantled and put into storage nearly five years ago when demolition of the building upon which the sign sat was imminent. The sign’s restoration is partly funded by a Vision 2025 sales tax.
Frankoma Pottery marks 75th year March 4, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses.1 comment so far
Frankoma Pottery, which sits on Route 66 near Sapulpa, Okla., is marking its 75th anniversary with a bunch of new products, according to a news release from the company.
Among the new things on Frankoma’s plate:
- It purchased the assets of Paschal Tile Studios of Tulsa and will add decorative tile to its product line.
- Frankoma is producing 17-inch limited-edition vases to mark the 75th anniversary.
- Frankoma is coming out with a Traditions product line based on local nature and variegated colorings.
- Frankoma also is offering a number of springtime, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Passover products.
And if you haven’t been to Frankoma lately, it is displaying the Ray and Sherry Stoll collection of rare Frankoma pieces.
Frankoma is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. It remains one of the few pottery companies in which its products are made in America.