Wayside exhibit installed in Virden November 8, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in History.add a comment
A new wayside exhibit about Route 66 and a violent labor battle in 1898 was installed Sunday in Virden, Ill., reported the Springfield State Journal-Register.
Virden sits on the 1926-30 alignment of Route 66 south of Springfield. The wayside exhibit stands at Downtown Virden Park.
The Battle of Virden, as it’s called, occurred on Oct. 12, 1898. The Chicago Virden-Coal Co. locked out local miners during a contract dispute and imported black workers from the South in an effort to break the union. As the train of strikebreakers arrived in Virden, a shootout commenced between striking miners and armed guards on the train. Thirteen people were killed, and 35 were wounded. A detailed overview of the Battle of Virden can be found here.
The Journal-Register’s report does a good job in tying together Route 66 and the deadly dispute:
Though tragic, Mayor Wayne Joplin said he’s pleased this piece of Virden’s history is being commemorated in such a manner.
“It takes some courage to let someone put something up that’s not about poodle skirts, not about ’57 Chevys … but about a real, historic event that took place in our town,” Joplin said.
Bill Kelly, executive director of the Route 66 Heritage Project, said the national scenic byway is designated by the Federal Highway Administration, which chooses very specific and important American roads that have historic, cultural, recreational or scenic dimensions.
“Route 66 more than qualifies for that,” Kelly said. “In the case of Virden, it has a historic dimension which is unique. The battle has changed the face of the American labor movement, was all part of the corridor which evolved into Route 66.”
Alas, the Battle of Virden wasn’t unique. Other deadly labor disputes occurred in Illinois, including Pana, Herrin and East St. Louis. In the cases listed, these strikebreakers — many of whom were racial or ethnic minorities — had no idea what was going on before they arrived. So not only did these companies have blood on their hands because of their actions, but they also stroked hatred and bigotry. Many small cities in central and southern Illinois became “sundown towns” — where black people weren’t allowed to stay after sundown — for many decades during the 20th century. I’m certain these labor disputes played a big role in that.
The Battle of Virden also led to another prominent landmark on Route 66 — the Union Miners Cemetery and Mother Jones Monument in Mount Olive, Ill. The cemetery was created for the miners killed in the Virden shootout, and famous labor advocate Mother Jones was buried with them when she died in 1930.
Keep it up, and you’ll walk home November 8, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Religion.add a comment
It seems like John and Peter have an un-healthy competition going.
This is the latest video entry for “Route 66: A Road Trip through the Bible.”
Munger Moss Motel sign refurbished November 7, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Preservation, Signs.2 comments
Here’s what the newly reconditioned neon sign for the Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, Mo., looks like now, after a relighting ceremony on Saturday night.
The elaborate sign never actually went dark. But it was showing its age, as this photo from last year displays. Some of the neon tubes or bulbs had broken, shorted, or burned out.
The Route 66 Association of Missouri and its Neon Heritage Preservation Committee lead the efforts for the restoration of the sign. The historic Route 66 motel received an $11,300 cost-share grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program to replace broken or missing neon tubing. The grant also refurbished the motel’s “Office” sign.
Many of those who attended the ceremony got a nice souvenir of the occasion. Motel co-owner Ramona Lehman autographed the burned-out yellow bulbs from the sign and gave one to attendees who requested them.
UPDATE: KY3-TV in Springfield, Mo., has a video of the relighting, plus you get to see the chasing lights in all their glory.
UPDATE2: Here’s KY3-TV’s video:
UPDATE3: Here are a couple of new photos from Jim Thole of the Route 66 Association of Missouri’s Neon Heritage Preservation Committee. One is of Munger Moss owners Bob and Ramona Lehman being given a plaque from John Murphey of the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program shortly after the relighting ceremony.
The next photo is of the Munger Moss’ refurbished sign at daytime:
(Top photos courtesy of John Murphey)
Good tribute, sloppy publicity November 7, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Highways, History, Movies.8 comments
Today, I found this news release about a parade and tribute to the late actor Steve McQueen today in Los Angeles:
The Jules Verne Festival and the City of Los Angeles are proud to announce the Kick-Off to the Steve McQueen 30th Anniversary Celebration. On Sunday November 7th, four days before the Official Tribute event, the Steve McQueen Motor Parade will be led by Chad McQueen, son of Steve McQueen, on the commemorative anniversary of his father’s passing. The Parade, co-organized by the Jules Verne Festival with the City of Los Angeles will benefit the Jules Verne Educational Program, which serves the children of Los Angeles. It will start at 11am, with an impressive procession of Mustangs, Jaguars, Porsches (some of McQueen’s favorite cars), run through Hollywood Blvd, stop at the Steve McQueen’s Star on the Walk of Fame and will end at the intersection of Highland and Santa Monica Blvd., where Route 66 ends and where the Steve McQueen Square will be inaugurated by Steve McQueen’s family, Councilmember Tom Labonge, District 4, and the founder of the Jules Verne Founder Jean-Christophe Jeauffre and Frédéric Dieudonné.
The part of the Steve McQueen Square being dedicated at the intersection of Highland and Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles caught my eye. The Jules Verne Festival organizers proclaim it to be “where Route 66 ends.”
This is incorrect. Consulting California Route 66 expert Scott Piotrowski‘s book, there are two historic western endpoints of Route 66. One is in downtown Los Angeles, from which boasted the end of Route 66 from 1926 to 1935. The second is at Lincoln and Olympic in Santa Monica, where U.S. 66 ended until 1964.
An unofficial third endpoint can be found at Ocean Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, or at the nearby Santa Monica Pier. The pier, or the nearby Will Rogers Highway monument at Palisades Park, has essentially become the traditional end of a Route 66 journey for thousands of travelers, namely because the official endpoint less than a mile away is so uninspiring.
Regardless of which endpoint you prefer, the Highland and Santa Monica Boulevard intersection isn’t remotely close. The endpoint at downtown L.A. lies more than seven miles away, and either Santa Monica endpoint sits more than 10 miles away. We’re talking 20 minutes of drive time, minimum.
I called attention to this discrepancy to the Jules Verne Festival and noted the intersection is more than 10 miles from the Route 66 endpoint in Santa Monica. This is the e-mailed reply I received from Dieudonné:
10 miles is very few compared to 2,448 miles, isn’t it? We never said it was the endpoint. But it’s definitely the end of Route 66 …
This sort of glib and ignorant response infuriates.
I’m not a purist by a long shot. I see no harm with Santa Monica Pier boosters proclaiming their turf as the traditional, mythical, or spiritual end of Route 66. At least it’s less than a mile from the actual endpoint. And it is a great place to cap a long trip.
But when you proclaim a spot “where Route 66 ends” that never did, miles from whatever actual terminus you choose, that’s where I have to draw the line. And I don’t think I’m alone in that opinion.
Rockabilly rides November 6, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Vehicles.add a comment
Here’s a slideshow from today’s Victorville Route 66 Museum’s car show. The rockabilly soundtrack provides the cherry on top.
Another thriller is filmed at Roy’s November 6, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Movies.add a comment
Roy’s, the venerable old motel and cafe in the middle of the Mojave Desert in Amboy, Calif., has been used as a setting for many horror and thriller movies.
The latest is “Beneath the Dark,” directed by Chad Freehan and starring Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Josh Stewart. The film is receiving limited release this weekend.
Here’s the trailer; you’ll see Roy’s featured quite prominently:
Here’s the plot summary:
Paul and Adrienne, a young couple burning up the desolate miles on the road between Texas and LA, check into the equally desolate but eternally stylish Roy’s Motel and Cafe. As if preserved in time, the motel proves to be a strange and surreal place where the guests are forced to confront the secrets that they keep – from the world and from each other.
Here’s an interview with Sigler about the making of the film.
A word from our sponsor … November 5, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Animals, Television, Vehicles.add a comment
This is about the only television advertisement in recent weeks that’s caused me to smile.
Of course, Hank Williams and old trucks will do that.
Walking the Sidewalk Highway November 4, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Highways, History.1 comment so far
Daniel Johnson is embarking on a coast-to-coast walk to spread the Gospel of Christ. He’s covered more than 2,700 miles so far, and that included a stroll on the fabled “Sidewalk Highway” of old Route 66 near Miami, Okla.
This video segment proves to be informative and whimsical, without the preaching that you might expect.
Springfield, Mo., will renovate town square November 4, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Preservation, Theaters, Towns.1 comment so far
The city of Springfield, Mo., will begin renovations on its Park Central Square in downtown after a 4 p.m. Friday ceremony to restore it to the original 1970s design by acclaimed urban architect Lawrence Halprin, according to a news release from the city.
The square is where various Route 66 alignments on East St. Louis Street, College Street, and Boonville Avenue come together.
More from the release:
The renovated design will be more open and inviting to pedestrians and will mesh with the pedestrian-friendly design of the improved streetscape surrounding the Square, which was completed last fall. The project includes the removal of non-historical additions that weren’t intended by Halprin & Associates, plus the replacement of elements that have been lost during the last four decades. Select new infrastructure additions will bring the space into the modern age, including improved lighting and greater accessibility for all. The new additions will be incorporated in a historically sensitive way, and have been approved by the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office. The project will restore what was, in Halprin’s words, “an active space for pubic assembly, devoted to pedestrians and their needs and comforts.” [...]
Aged and worn pavers in the center of the Square will be replaced, as will seating blocks that were removed many years ago. The fountain, a centerpiece of the Halprin design, will be fully refurbished and equipped with modern, energy-efficient components. Several trees planted in the years since the original design will be removed. However, many more trees that were intended in the original design will be planted. When the project is complete, there will be twice as many trees in Park Central Square as there are today.
The project will cost $1.78 million, covered by a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development Economic Development Initiative and a city sales tax on capital improvements.
In recent years, when we’ve driven through Park Central Square, it’s apparent that block and the area around it have seen quite a resurgence. That includes the historic Gillioz Theatre, which reopened in 2006 after an extensive face-lift.
You may not have heard of Halprin, but you’ve probably seen a few of his works. He designed the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington; D.C., and the approach to Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park, among others.
(Via KYTV)
Group asks for nominations of endangered roadside places November 3, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Preservation.add a comment
The Society for Commercial Archaeology is seeking nominations for its Falling by the Wayside: Ten Endangered Roadside Places list for 2011, according to an e-mail from the group today.
Some information from the press release:
Roadside places eligible for inclusion will be those that fall within the scope of SCA’s stated interests and mission:architectural elements and cultural landscapes related to roadways, highway sand road culture, including diners, drive-ins, coffee houses, gas stations,motels, hotels, tourist cabins, motor courts, retail centers, theaters, signage,roadside curiosities and folk environments. It must be demonstrated that the roadside place is threatened or in a trend of deterioration that impacts its future. [...]
We welcome nominations from SCA membership and the general public. We request, however, that nominators limit their nominations to no more than three candidates. [...]
E-mail submissions and questions regarding the nomination process can be directed to the SCA’s Falling by the Wayside committee: sca.endangered(at)gmail.com. By postal mail, please send submissions to: Society for Commercial Archeology, Attn: Falling by the Wayside, PO Box 45828, Madison, WI 53744-5828.
I’m sure some Route 66 fans or advocates of other historic roads can think of a few places to nominate.
The deadline to submit nominations is Dec. 31. The society plans to announce the list in March. You can download the nomination form here (Word document).