Kingman may convert rail depot into museum October 19, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in History, Museums, Preservation, Railroad.add a comment
The under-renovation railroad depot in Kingman, Ariz., may be converted into a local railroad museum, according to the Kingman Daily Miner today.
The Kingman City Council today will consider authorizing the city to enter into a formal agreement with the Mohave County Historical Society to fund the development and operation of a railroad museum at the train depot. If approved it would be the third such agreement the city has entered into with the historical society – the city already pays $10,000 a year out of its Tourism Development Commission budget for the upkeep and operation of the historic Bonelli House, and another $50,000 from the Powerhouse fund to maintain the Route 66 Museum there.
The depot was built in 1907, and renovations are scheduled to be complete in November. And, as you may have surmised, it was a Harvey House.
The depot is at Fourth Street and Andy Devine Avenue (aka Route 66). Map is here.
A word from our sponsor October 18, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Restaurants, Television.add a comment
The Schlotzsky’s Route 66 promotion ended a few weeks ago, but it looks like the restaurant chain has a new one.
This is the first time I’ve seen this commercial. And it’s pretty cool. The big prize is a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro.
I spotted the Desert Hills Motel in Tulsa, featured rather prominently in the background.
Fire damages closed motel near Oro Grande October 18, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Motels.add a comment
A fire on Monday damaged the former King’s Court motel along old Route 66 in Oro Grande, Calif., reported the Victorville Daily Press.
The especially tragic part of the blaze was the its owner was in the midst of renovating the long-closed 1940s motel. The owner, Nancy Brooklier, also owns the nearby Antique Station.
One woman was treated for a medical condition while firefighters were battling the blaze. She refused hospitalization.
Two of the motel’s units were destroyed. Brooklier surmised that squatters may have set the fire.
Along with owning the antique shop and the motel property, Brooklier owns several of the older buildings along National Trails Highway.
“Our hopes are to refurbish the entire town,” she said. “Now I don’t know if I’ll be able to save the units that weren’t damaged. I have to wait to see what the county says. They may want to me to bulldoze the entire property down.” [...]
But Monday’s set back has not deterred her from going forward with her plans to renovate the town.
“It’s not going to stop me but this is very sad,” she stated.
Shoe Tree near Stroud falls down October 18, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Businesses.add a comment
The Shoe Tree, a landmark on old Route 66 near Stroud, Okla., toppled over a few weeks ago.
The Shoe Tree was a tree where Route 66 travelers tossed their old footwear into its branches. I’m not certain how long it had been there, but my copy of “Oklahoma Route 66″ by Jim Ross includes a 1997 photo of the tree with shoes in it even then.
It wasn’t apparent what caused the tree’s trunk to snap about three feet from the ground, but I’m sure the extra weight of the shoes didn’t help. The tree had looked sickly in recent years.
According to reader posts in Roadside America, the tree fell between Sept. 24 and Sept. 29.
This is the second shoe tree on Route 66 to bite the dust this year. In April, a shoe tree near Amboy, Calif., toppled over, although a Lingerie Tree nearby seems to have taken its place.
The most famous shoe tree likely is the one on U.S. 50 near Middlegate, Nev. It’s a huge cottonwood tree that’s been there for decades. Roadside America keeps track of several other shoe trees across the country.
What stinks about the Stroud Shoe Tree’s demise is the nearby Shoe Tree Trading Post, which sits on a semi-abandoned 1926-84 alignment of Route 66 off the “new” Oklahoma 66, has lost its namesake. And it seems no other tree has taken its place … not yet, anyway.
The Shoe Tree Trading Post was closed Sunday, so I couldn’t get more information about the deceased tree from the owners.
Lining up on the bridge October 17, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Bridges, Vehicles.2 comments
This is what a driver on old Route 66 in Kansas found Saturday near the historic Rainbow Bridge, near Baxter Springs. It’s like a time warp back in the 1930s.
Latest on the Admiral Twin October 17, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Preservation, Theaters.add a comment
Here’s the gist of the latest on the effort to rebuild the Admiral Twin Drive-In in Tulsa after its double-screen structure was destroyed by a fire on Sept. 3:
- A big concert fundraiser at the Admiral Twin’s grounds was held Saturday. I’ve seen no figures as of yet on how much money the event generated.
- Before Saturday, about $30,000 total has been raised. The Admiral Twin’s owners estimate about $250,000 will be needed, although that number may drop depending on how much materials and/or labor is donated.
- The Admiral Twin’s owners used the event to show a design for the new double screen. It looks like the architect has designed a concession stand to be under the screens.
Improvements made at Amboy Crater October 17, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions.add a comment
The visitor facilities of Amboy Crater, an extinct volcano near the Route 66 hamlet of Amboy, Calif., has been improved, according to The Press-Enterprise.
Using $326,000 in federal stimulus dollars, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has paved the access road from historic Route 66, a parking lot at the crater viewing area and the trailhead. The improvements complement an elevated viewing structure and shaded picnic areas that were put in within the past two years. [...]
The crater is within the proposed Mojave Trails National Monument area sought in pending legislation by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
David Lamfrom, California desert field representative for the National Park Conservation Association, said the crater would be a crown jewel in the monument. Beyond the geological features, the area is a hotspot for wild flowers and other wildlife, including several species of lizards that adapted over the eons to area’s black rocks by developing darker skin pigmentation.
We went hiking into the crater last year. I recommend doing it, but only when it’s overcast or during cooler weather.
The best video I could find about exploring the crater is here: