Most of you already know about Dan Rice, owner of the 66-to-Cali souvenir shack at the Santa Monica Pier who was the guiding force behind getting an "End of the Trail" Route 66 marker erected at the pier. However, a book coming out in the winter is going to tell another side of Rice's story: … Continue reading 66-to-Cali owner has a story to tell
Category: Books
Notes from the road
The documentary "Route 66: Ten Years Later" will have its debut at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Portage Theater in Chicago. Writer Tim Steil and photographer Jim Luning collaborated on their "Route 66" book during a Mother Road trip in 1999. A decade later, they decided to revisit the places they saw and see … Continue reading Notes from the road
Sooners football owes a debt to John Steinbeck
A report by J. Robert Byrom at Bleacher Report makes a fairly compelling case of why John Steinbeck's famous Depression-era novel "The Grapes of Wrath" paved the way to the University of Oklahoma becoming a college football powerhouse, even to this day. The story is too long and multifaceted to summarize briefly here. Just go … Continue reading Sooners football owes a debt to John Steinbeck
The creation of Mater
Jim Hill at Jim Hill Media got himself a copy of a new book, "Two Guys Named Joe: Master Animation Storytellers Joe Grant & Joe Ranft." Ranft could do killer impersonations of hillbillies (a toothless one in particular he called "Chucky Eisner"). But he also ultimately was reluctant to demean them in any way. An … Continue reading The creation of Mater
Arizona historian wins prestigious award
Arizona historian Marshall Trimble recently won the 2010 Wild West History Association Award for lifetime contributions to the public interest, according to the Arizona Republic. Trimble, 71, was honored for for his "research, writings, speaking and multiple contributions to the history of the characters and events of Wild West History." Trimble has written more than … Continue reading Arizona historian wins prestigious award
Author begins work on Route 66 encyclopedia
Jim Hinckley, a Kingman, Ariz.-based author of several automotive and Route 66-related books, announced this week he is beginning work on a Route 66 encyclopedia and atlas. And he is soliciting help from the Route 66 community to help make the volume more complete. In a news release, Hinckley said: To ensure this work is … Continue reading Author begins work on Route 66 encyclopedia
Notes from the road
A few weeks ago, while geocaching near Route 66 in Riverton, Kan., we found out about the strange story of May D. Knotts. According to a geocaching site, May D. Knotts was said to have been hanged from an old oak tree in 1904 after it was discovered that she was a witch. Knotts, who … Continue reading Notes from the road
Book about ghosts along Missouri Route 66 will be published
Janice Tremeear of Springfield, Mo., is writing a book titled "Route 66 Hauntings in Missouri: The Show-Me State Ghosts of the Mother Road," which concentrates on ghost sightings and other mysteries along or near Route 66, according to a story in the Springfield News-Leader. Tremeear's book will list Springfield as the birthplace of Route 66 … Continue reading Book about ghosts along Missouri Route 66 will be published
Man seeks donations for Route 66 Mojave project
Kevin Wong, a photographer based in Joshua Tree, Calif., seeks to create a book about Route 66 in California's Mojave Desert, and is asking for donations to help get the project off the ground. Wong also runs a guided tour company called Mojave Desert Excursions. According to the project website: I am creating a book … Continue reading Man seeks donations for Route 66 Mojave project
Notes from the road
I received word Monday that Betty Courtney, 79, one member of the team that helped form the much-praised 4 Women on the Route in Galena, Kan., died Sunday. She, along with Melba Rigg, Judy Courtney and Renee Charles, helped lead the charge to take an abandoned gas station on Route 66 in Galena and transform … Continue reading Notes from the road