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Another dressed-up station in Tucumcari November 11, 2010

Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Gas stations, Preservation.
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Here’s another closed gas station in Tucumcari, N.M., that’s been repainted to help dress up the town a bit. This station, which is nearly finished, is made up to look like a petrol stop from the long-defunct Whiting Bros. chain.

Richard Talley, owner of the Motel Safari and one of the volunteers in this townwide effort, said the artwork and lettering were done by local artist Doug Quarles, who plans to paint a mural on one of the walls as well.

The group repainted another station to look like a Texaco.

Next up for the Tucumcari group is another closed gas station that will be repainted to resemble a Continental Oil Co. business.

As I’ve said before, this is one of the best ideas that’s come up on the Route 66 corridor in a long time. Dozens of towns along the Mother Road suffer with closed gas stations that have become or are deteriorating into eyesores. A few gallons of paint can rectify that and give such towns a new twist for tourists.

(Photo courtesy of Richard Talley)

Veterans Day tribute 2010 November 11, 2010

Posted by Ron Warnick in People.
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This is Veterans Day, and we rightfully spend time remembering the people we know who served in the military.

But this serves as a tribute to the veterans who couldn’t make it home from Afghanistan and Iraq. Let’s not forget them, too.

UPDATE: Here’s an editorial in today’s Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff that says everything better than I would.

Here is a list of military personnel from Route 66 towns who have died in these wars. I’ve also added informative links to each of the fallen, wherever possible.

ILLINOIS
Chicago

Countryside

Cicero

Romeoville

Dwight

Lincoln

Normal

Bloomington

Springfield

Virden

Carlinville

Edwardsville

Granite City

MISSOURI
Florissant

St. Louis

Wildwood

Ballwin

Pacific

St. Clair

Bourbon

Lebanon

Marshfield

Springfield

Carthage

Joplin

KANSAS
Riverton

OKLAHOMA
Miami

Vinita

Claremore

Tulsa

Bristow

Luther

Edmond

Bethany

Oklahoma City

TEXAS
Amarillo

NEW MEXICO
Las Vegas

Santa Fe

Albuquerque

Los Lunas

ARIZONA
Holbrook

Winslow

Flagstaff

Kingman

CALIFORNIA
Barstow

Victorville

Hesperia

San Bernardino

Rialto

Azusa

Arcadia

Fontana

Glendora

Monrovia

Rancho Cucamonga

Pomona

Pasadena

Hollywood

Los Angeles

(Sources: CNN.com, icasualties.org, WashingonPost.com)

“Lucky Sevens” November 10, 2010

Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Music.
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Ricko Donovan‘s song about “living way too fast” features mentions of Route 66. A few days ago, he decided to perform this song at the Route 66 exhibit at the Petrified Forest National Park in eastern Arizona.

Train may be moved to Route 66 Station this month November 9, 2010

Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, History, Railroad.
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Volunteers may move a historic steam locomotive to Route 66 Station park in the 3700 block of Southwest Boulevard in Tulsa later this month, according to the Tulsa World.

The operative word is “may,” because the group of railroad buffs has blown a number of self-imposed deadlines before.

Later this month, a steam locomotive, a passenger car and a caboose – all restored by Massey and a crew of volunteers – will be moved from the Holly Corp. refineries, where they are being stored, to the Route 66 Station.

To get there, the train will be pulled 2 1/2 miles west along railroad tracks before coming to a rest on the south side of Southwest Boulevard.

Getting the train to the north side of the boulevard, where the station is, will require shutting down the street and placing 300 feet of temporary track.

“We still have things to finish on all three,” Massey said. “Primarily, the interior of the passenger car and the caboose and the cab of the locomotive.”

The three units of the train include the Frisco 4500, a vintage steam locomotive built in 1942; the Murray Hill, a solarium lounge car built in 1929; and a vintage caboose that was built in the 1930s or 1940s as a boxcar.

The Route 66 Station is home to the commemorative 154-foot-tall Red Fork Centennial Oil Derrick. Other items planned for the park include oil-field pump jacks, a replica of the old Frisco Railroad Red Fork depot, a replica of an airport hangar, and stadium seating near the locomotive.

Riding into Devil’s Elbow November 9, 2010

Posted by Ron Warnick in Motorcycles, Road trips, Towns.
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Not too many first-person motorcycle videos are very good, but this one proves to be an exception. Take a ride on old Route 66 into the hamlet of Devil’s Elbow, Mo.

Wayside exhibit installed in Virden November 8, 2010

Posted by Ron Warnick in History.
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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.
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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.”