Thanks to the help of donations, the Oklahoma Route 66 Association secured the U-Haul truck painted by the late Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire and is displaying it near the pedestrian underpass in Chelsea, Oklahoma.
Association President Rhys Martin wrote in a blog post that Waldmire initially painted a detailed Route 66 map on one side of the U-Haul in 2008 for Ken and Marian Clark of Tulsa; she was known for her Route 66 cookbooks before her death in 2017.
Waldmire originally used the truck for moving possessions from his native Illinois (where his family runs the Cozy Dog Drive-In in Springfield) to his remote homestead in southern Arizona. Waldmire died of cancer in 2009.
The truck was donated to the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City, Oklahoma, but it lacked the room for it. Finally, it was given to David and Laurel Kane’s Afton Station in Afton, Oklahoma, in 2012, where it was parked near the entrances so visitors could see it.
Laurel Kane, 69, died in 2016 from a short illness after a fall in her Tulsa home. David Kane, 74, died in an accident at his home in Grove, Oklahoma, last year.
Afton Station and its contents were auctioned in June; a nearby resident bought the building and plans to open a Route 66-related business there. The Waldmire U-Haul was bought by a car dealership in Minnesota.
Martin said he tried to buy the U-Haul at the auction but “my pockets were not deep enough” and left disappointed.
Imagine my surprise when I received a message in late August telling me that the item I most wanted to secure for Oklahoma Route 66 was once again available: the Bob Waldmire U-Haul Truck. […]
The Oklahoma Route 66 Association is so proud to announce that this artifact has been secured in Chelsea, Oklahoma: Project Chelsea has stationed it near the restored Pedestrian Underpass. Travelers and roadies can continue to experience this beautiful work by one of Route 66’s most enduring artists.
Many thanks to Sylvie Kane, Samantha Extance, and Route 66 Germany for their donations that made this possible. Thanks also to Pam Stanbro and Project Chelsea for coming together and taking stewardship of this treasure. Through continued donations and support, we hope to restore the truck to working order and potentially restore the faded parts of Bob’s artwork. One step at a time…
The next time you’re in Chelsea, stop by and take a selfie with this one-of-a-kind Route 66 Artifact and tag #ok66!
Pictures of the U-Haul being delivered to the tunnel are posted at the Project Chelsea, Oklahoma page on Facebook.
The 13 postcard images of Chelsea historic landmarks were painted inside the 90-foot-long pedestrian tunnel at Sixth and Walnut streets in 2016.
The tunnel hearkens back to a time when U.S. 66 was so busy, tunnels were built under it so pedestrians could cross it safely. Only a handful of such Route 66 tunnels survive.
(Images of the Waldmire U-Haul at the Route 66 Pedestrian Underpass Mural by Pam Fraley Stanbro via Project Chelsea, Oklahoma)