Dale Bakke, a co-owner of the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico, during a crucial time for the Route 66 landmark’s preservation, died Jan. 4, a month short of his 61st birthday.
Dale Bakke and his wife, Hilda, bought the motel in 1999, not long after owner Gene Shelton bought it from its longtime matriarch, Lillian Redman. The Bakkes sold it in 2006 to Bill Kinder and Terri Johnson, whose savvy marketing made it more popular. Kevin and Nancy Mueller bought it in 2011, and it continues to thrive today.
The Bakkes settled in Willard, New Mexico, after the sale.
The Muellers explained the Bakkes’ critical role well in a post on the Blue Swallow Motel’s Facebook page:
Specifically, Dale’s excellent work as an electrician and handyman helped make the property commercially viable, doing a complete room-by-room restoration, and his work on the neon (both the sign and around the rest of the motel) made maintenance much easier for us today. The Bakkes have shared history and remembrances of their time as owners, and most importantly, Dale’s research into early history of the motel. We were honored to have Dale and Hilda as our guests back in September of 2011. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that the Blue Swallow might not be here today if it wasn’t for the hard work done by Dale and Hilda Bakke from 1999 to 2006.
The Blue Swallow’s web page also tells some of the work by the Bakkes during their tenure:
Extensive restoration work was performed by owners Dale and Hilda Bakke, modernizing electrical systems and repairing neon, installing 1939 Bell rotary-dial phones in each room, while retaining all of the historic character and charm of the Blue Swallow.
According to the Michael Wallis co-written book “Hogs on 66,” Hilda and Dale Bakke, who lived in Colorado, spotted a newspaper advertisement in 1998 about “The Deal of the Century” when the motel was for sale:
“We thought it had great potential,” Dale told me. “We liked the style of architecture, the neon, and the good feeling about the place. We also saw a great deal of restoration work that had to be done.”
Hilda and Dale rolled up their sleeves and went to work. They scrubbed and painted, stripped the wooden floors, updated the plumbing and electricity, and always “tried to repair rather than replace.” Dale, a skilled electrician by trade, lovingly rebuilt the neon blue birds outside the rooms and restored the Blue Swallow’s blinking signature sign that had acted as the old road’s night light and attracted weary voyagers for decades. The Bakkes’ cat, Frances, naps curled up on a lobby chair she is often mistaken for Smoky. Two photo portraits of a smiling Miss Lillian have places of honor on the lobby wall.
“We have great respect for Lillian Redman and what she did day in and day out for so many years,” Dale tells me.
The Bakkes at the Blue Swallow Motel were quiet, almost shy. Yet their ability to fix up the 1939 property was exactly what it needed, and they are a key reason the motel is one of Route 66’s most enduring icons. Many veteran roadies to this today remain grateful to the Bakkes.
According to the obituary, a funeral was Jan. 14 at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.
(Image of the Blue Swallow Motel in 2008 by Pete Zarria via Flickr)
The first time we stayed at the Blue Swallow was in December of 2000. We are so grateful to the Bakke’s for preserving this icon, and to the Muellers for their continuing work and preservation.
Blue Swallow and The Teepee (Mike and Betty Callens) were the two main reasons we stopped in Tumcumcari. Loved them both.
Hilda baked the most delicious muffins which she lovingly served us when we stayed there. RIP Dale, you will be missed. Tom and Suzanne Morgan, Toledo, Ohio
I stopped by Blue Swallow a few times talked with Dale and his wife. They were hardy people, full of energy and not chicken to work hard. Day after day. That seemed to be the dividing line between people who get to live their dreams and the rest of us. The old place really needed to be restored and upgraded, which they did. They were concerned, when I saw them in 1999 and again a couple years later, that the place would make a go. But they managed for several years and sold out, which is what they said they wanted to do. They made it work. I’m sure some people had their doubts about anyone making it there and then.
I envied them, I really did. And I know many others did as well. It’s too bad that after all of that work, and his career as an electrician, that he didn’t get more time to enjoy retirement. I’m sure he’ll be remembered by many. Hilda, I know you don’t remember me, I’m just one of the thousands of Route fans who stopped in and bugged you guys, but I want to let you know I’m sorry your husband passed away. He had legions of friends and many who respected him.
Finally, I’m glad that Dale managed to locate those antique telephone instruments they used at the hotel. That wasn’t an easy task.