An illustrated book about the history of the Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Mo., has just been published.
Riva Echols, sister of the motel’s owner Connie Echols, wrote “The History of a Route 66 Icon: The Wagon Wheel Motel on Route 66” (102 pages, $15.99, paperback).
According to the news release about the book:
Riva became intrigued with the motel’s history and began interviewing, checking old records, and compiling the history of the motel that will soon reach its 75th birthday. With 102 pages of text and photos, both historical and current, Echols, follows the history of Route 66 development and the evolution of the motel through the decades. […]
Conversations with waitresses and others associated with the motel provide some flavor and humor in the chronicle of the Wagon Wheel, as do the characters and personalities of the Wagon Wheel owners. […]
Riva Echols chronicles the changes that her sister Connie has undertaken as the Wagon Wheel Motel steps into another decade with restoration and a new generation of travelers. Many before-and-after photos fill the pages of the last part of the book.
The release indicates the book was exhaustively researched. For instance, the motel’s first owners were Robert and Margaret Martin, and stonemason Leo Friesenhan designed its distinctive architecture. The book also delves into the motel’s long-running Wagon Wheel Cafe and nearby gas station building.
The book also is being sold at Connie’s Shoppe at the Wagon Wheel Motel.