Gearhead Curios of Galena, Kansas, and its owner Aaron Perry recently received the inaugural Outstanding Attraction award from the Jefferson Highway Association during its 11th annual conference in Alexandria, Louisiana. Gearhead Curios is best known for being on Route 66. The Jefferson Highway, which ran from New Orleans to Winnipeg, Manitoba, also went through Galena … Continue reading Gearhead Curios wins first Outstanding Attraction honor from Jefferson Highway Association
Category: Gas stations
Restoration of West Winds Motel sign in Erick among Oklahoma Route 66 Commission grants
The restoration of the neon sign for the closed West Winds Motel in Erick, Oklahoma, is among the $6 million in grants recently awarded by the Oklahoma Route 66 Commission. A list of the funds given from the state's Route 66 Revitalization Grant Program was posted in a document on the commission's website. Several grant … Continue reading Restoration of West Winds Motel sign in Erick among Oklahoma Route 66 Commission grants
Former Lebanon gas station owner who recalls briefly meeting Pretty Boy Floyd dies at 98
Tommy Speaker, likely the oldest surviving businessman from the peak Route 66 era of Lebanon, Missouri, who as a child encountered outlaw Pretty Boy Floyd, died last Tuesday. He was 98. Speaker ran the now-vacant Speaker's Mobil station, an operation that had been owned by his family since Route 66 was built in the 1920s. … Continue reading Former Lebanon gas station owner who recalls briefly meeting Pretty Boy Floyd dies at 98
City of El Reno receives $1.2 million state grant to revitalize historic gas station
The City of El Reno, Oklahoma, recently announced it had landed a $1.2 million grant from the state's Route 66 Commission to restore a historic gas station. "This Route 66 project aims to enhance the appeal of Route 66 for both locals and visitors and will prepare Downtown El Reno for the Route 66 Centennial … Continue reading City of El Reno receives $1.2 million state grant to revitalize historic gas station
Clines Corners marking its 90th anniversary
The venerable Clines Corners convenience store, restaurant and trading post about halfway between Santa Rosa and Albuquerque is marking its 90th year in operation this year. The anniversary was duly noted by a photo essay in the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper over the weekend. TheRoute_66.com website contains this history of the place: Roy E. … Continue reading Clines Corners marking its 90th anniversary
Dream Maker Station opens in Adrian on April 1
The Dream Maker Station, formerly the Sunflower Station next to the Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas, will open to the public on April 1. Hours will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Grilling times for visitors will be from 4 to 8 p.m. starting May 1. Those times were chosen so … Continue reading Dream Maker Station opens in Adrian on April 1
Obscure 1961 movie offers glimpses of Cedar Hill Grocery east of Tucumcari
An obscure drama from 1961 offers a rare glimpse of the Cedar Hill Grocery and gas station that operated along Route 66 east of Tucumcari, New Mexico. That includes the long-gone neon sign that was on the canopy (seen above). The movie also shows the interior of the business. According to a Wikipedia summary of … Continue reading Obscure 1961 movie offers glimpses of Cedar Hill Grocery east of Tucumcari
O’Brien Tire & Auto Care in Granite City is celebrating its 118th year this Friday
O'Brien Tire & Auto Care in Granite City, Illinois, will be serving complimentary food and drinks from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 15 to mark its 118th year in business. That's not a typo. Yes, the shop at O'Brien Tire at 3924 Nameoki Road (aka Route 66) has been around for nearly 120 years. … Continue reading O’Brien Tire & Auto Care in Granite City is celebrating its 118th year this Friday
Quest to revive 4 Tucumcari businesses earns award from New Mexico Route 66 Association
Robert Moore Jr. and his brother William Cooke have been busy acquiring and cleaning up four long-abandoned businesses along Route 66 in Tucumcari, New Mexico. Though reopening at least three of those businesses is a long way off, those efforts earned the annual Route 66 Heritage Award from the New Mexico Route 66 Association. The … Continue reading Quest to revive 4 Tucumcari businesses earns award from New Mexico Route 66 Association
City of El Reno to purchase former Route 66 gas station, will make improvements at plaza
The City of El Reno, Oklahoma, is under contract to buy a former gas station at Sunset Drive (aka Route 66) and Choctaw Avenue for $150,000 and is seeking a state Route 66 grant to improve that corner in time for the highway's centennial in 2026. The city also plans to upgrade its Mother Road … Continue reading City of El Reno to purchase former Route 66 gas station, will make improvements at plaza