Bob Lehman, the longtime co-owner of the Route 66 landmark Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, Missouri, died Thursday after a bout with cancer. He was 81. Bob and Ramona Lehman, who are Iowa natives, took possession of the Munger Moss Motel on June 1, 1971, after a fact-finding trip to Springfield, Missouri, to look for … Continue reading Bob Lehman, co-owner of the Munger Moss Motel, dies
Category: People
See Michael Wallis, Desert California and Two Guns from early 1990s
A new batch of Anthony Reichardt films from the 1990s shows Two Guns, Arizona; a long stretch of Route 66 in the California desert to Oatman, Arizona; and Michael Wallis, author of the best-selling "Route 66: The Mother Road." Below is Wallis in 1993 during a meeting of the California Historic Route 66 Association at … Continue reading See Michael Wallis, Desert California and Two Guns from early 1990s
Launching Pad Drive-In likely will be fully open by April
The wait for the once-closed Launching Pad Drive-In in Wilmington, Illinois, to become a full-service restaurant again won't be much longer. When I asked the new owners, Tully Garrett and Holly Barker, by text when the Route 66 restaurant next to the famed Gemini Giant statue would be fully open, they replied: "Sometime in March no later … Continue reading Launching Pad Drive-In likely will be fully open by April
Longtime Tucumcari motel co-owner, author Debra Whittington dies
Debra Whittington, the longtime co-owner of the Pony Soldier Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico, and author of historical books about Tucumcari, died Monday after a lengthy illness. She was 61. Whittington also co-owned the Dollhouse Bed & Breakfast in Tucumcari, a 1908 two-story Victorian home near downtown Tucumcari she and her husband, Mark, restored and … Continue reading Longtime Tucumcari motel co-owner, author Debra Whittington dies
“I Am Route 66” project focuses on its people
Those who've been on Facebook in recent weeks may have noticed photographs of people along the Mother Road and their handwritten thoughts for the "I Am Route 66" project. Surfing through the website, I've counted about 20 people from Route 66 with their images and writings -- mostly from the Texas Panhandle and eastern New … Continue reading “I Am Route 66” project focuses on its people
The key player in Tulsa’s 11th Street revitalization
A few days ago, the Tulsa World newspaper ran a column about local developer Aaron Meek and the recent opening of Meadow Gold lofts near the historic Meadow Gold sign along Route 66 in Tulsa. Meek's father and two uncles once owned Meek's Furniture along 11th Street (aka Route 66) until the neighborhood declined and … Continue reading The key player in Tulsa’s 11th Street revitalization
“Roamin’ Rich” Dinkela ousts longtime Missouri Route 66 Association president
"Roamin' Rich" Dinkela, a popular social-media promoter of Route 66 based in the St. Louis area, defeated longtime Route 66 Association of Missouri president Tommy Pike of Springfield during the group's election Saturday. Judy Wallmark, former secretary of the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society and also of the St. Louis area, defeated incumbent association secretary … Continue reading “Roamin’ Rich” Dinkela ousts longtime Missouri Route 66 Association president
Beto O’Rourke’s day on Route 66 in Tucumcari
A few days ago, former congressman and possible presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke spent a day in Tucumcari, New Mexico, to meet with local folks and research a bit of his family history there. O'Rourke, a Democrat, rose to national prominence last year after he lost an unexpectedly close 3-point U.S. Senate race in deeply Republican … Continue reading Beto O’Rourke’s day on Route 66 in Tucumcari
Missouri State uploads “Trucking on Route 66” interviews
Missouri State University Libraries over the years has interviewed a number of Route 66 figures (including yours truly) as part of an oral-history project. It received a Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program cost-share grant to amass a "Trucking on Route 66" oral-history collection. MSU Libraries, in a collaboration with Ozarks Alive, has been uploading interviews … Continue reading Missouri State uploads “Trucking on Route 66” interviews
Man vows to restore 1939 Texaco station in Galena
A veteran recently purchased the 1939 Texaco gas station in downtown Galena, Kansas, and plans to restore it in the coming years. Aaron Perry, a veteran from Wakarusa, Kansas, closed on the deal in the fall for the property at Sixth and Main streets (aka Route 66) in Galena. Wakarusa is about three hours' drive … Continue reading Man vows to restore 1939 Texaco station in Galena