Blair and Blanca Schaffer, the de facto owners of the Route 66 ghost town of Jericho, Texas, recently launched an online fundraiser to erect a historic marker at the start of the notorious Jericho Gap.
The Schaffers want to raise $3,000 through GoFundMe.com to place a Texas Historical Marker at the site.
The appeal contains this concise but informative history of Jericho Gap, courtesy of Route 66 enthusiast and researcher Nick Gerlich:
The Jericho Gap, 17 miles of dirt road between Alanreed and Groom, was the most notorious segment of Route 66. Vehicles became hopelessly bogged down in the gooey mud, and it was rumored that locals watered down the road to make money pulling cars from the muck.
A gravel road opened on January 13, 1934, and an asphalt surface was ready on September 15, 1936. On October 9, over 3,000 people gathered in McLean, Texas to celebrate.
A marker makes a lot of sense. The dirt road that is Jericho Gap is virtually indistinguishable from other dirt roads in the area. A marker would assure travelers they’re on the right path, though driving Jericho Gap still is inadvisable after a rain.
The Schaffers in 2020 purchased the Jericho site, along with its long-abandoned motel there. Blair had descendants who once lived in Jericho.
They since have organized volunteer cleanup days to help stabilize and beautify the motel site. They also opened a farm and Harvest Host RV park nearby.
—
How in the name of Heaven can Jericho and/or Jericho Gap, Texas, be called as part of Route 66?? It is, latitudinally, SOUTH of Shreveport, Louisiana. Route 66 went across the panhandle of Texas, about 170 miles, if I recall correctly, through Amarillo. According to my map, it is nearly 600 miles ESE of Amarillo, almost on the Louisiana state line, FAR south of Route 66.
You are looking at the wrong Jericho. The ghost town of Jericho is indeed on old Route 66, near the towns of Alanreed and McLean in the Panhandle.
@Nancy Laird,… pardon me for asking,…
What map are you looking at, ma’am?
Jericho, Texas (along an older unpaved alignment of Route 66) is only a few miles south of the newer more current alignment of Route 66. Jericho, Texas is most definitely is not SOUTH of Shreveport, Louisiana.