Musician and scholar Nolan Stolz, who has been doing a lot of good fieldwork on Route 66 history lately, recently posted a video about the nearly unknown Route 66 ghost town of Benonine, Texas. Benonine was just a mile or so west of the border town of Texola, Oklahoma, and appears to have been defunct … Continue reading Information unearthed on the obscure Route 66 ghost town of Benonine, Texas
Category: Towns
Forthcoming parklet in downtown Bloomington will pay tribute to Route 66
Downtown Bloomington, Illinois, by sometime next year will have an interactive parklet that commemorates the city's ties to Route 66. City leaders dedicated and previewed the parklet that's scheduled to be finished by early summer 2022, according to a report by WMBD/WYZZ. Here's the station's video report: A parklet is a sidewalk extension, usually in parking lanes, … Continue reading Forthcoming parklet in downtown Bloomington will pay tribute to Route 66
David Clark provides overview of Great Chicago Fire during its 150th anniversary
David G. Clark, known to Route 66 enthusiasts as the Windy City Road Warrior, recently produced a one-hour video about the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, right about the time of its 150th anniversary. The fire predates Route 66 by more than 50 years, but the fire was one of the most consequential events of … Continue reading David Clark provides overview of Great Chicago Fire during its 150th anniversary
Few in Doolittle remember once-famous namesake who visited 75 years ago
Seventy-five years ago this month, Army Lt. Gen. Jimmy Doolittle visited the little Route 66 town in central Missouri that was named after him just two years before. Thousands attended the event. Today, a St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter went to Doolittle (population 648) but found few people who knew about the origin of the town's … Continue reading Few in Doolittle remember once-famous namesake who visited 75 years ago
Location of Kingman 66 Fest causes consternation with downtown businesses
The location of the Kingman 66 Fest in Kingman, Arizona, and the apparent lack of communication about the event sparked an uproar with the city's downtown businesses, according to a local media outlet. The Bee reports the Kingman 66 Fest on Nov. 5-6 at Lewis Kingman Park two miles from downtown was "quietly" planned, even … Continue reading Location of Kingman 66 Fest causes consternation with downtown businesses
9/11 memorial garden in Winslow features beams from the fallen Twin Towers
On the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorism attacks on the United States, it's good to remember a 9/11 memorial garden in Winslow, Arizona, that includes two large beams from the destroyed Twin Towers of New York City. According to a feature by KPNX-TV in Phoenix, retired Winslow Councilwoman Dee Rodriguez was tasked … Continue reading 9/11 memorial garden in Winslow features beams from the fallen Twin Towers
More details emerge about this weekend’s Red Oak II Festival
Saturday's long-planned festival at Red Oak II complex near Carthage, Missouri, not only will pay tribute to its recently deceased creator, Lowell Davis, and also to those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. Davis' widow, Rose, told the Joplin Globe a tribute or memorial didn't happen immediately after his … Continue reading More details emerge about this weekend’s Red Oak II Festival
Chelsea Historical Society wants to turn historic bank building into a museum
The Chelsea Area Historical Society wants to restore and convert the historic Bank of Chelsea building in downtown Chelsea, Oklahoma, into a museum. The society held a community meeting at the Chelsea Civic Center on Thursday to discuss funding options and the building's importance. According to a historical society official contacted through Facebook Messenger, a … Continue reading Chelsea Historical Society wants to turn historic bank building into a museum
New Roger Miller mural goes up in Erick
An artist recently completed a large mural paying tribute to late musician Roger Miller on a building along Route 66 in Erick, Oklahoma, that used to house his museum. Brian Lewis of Greensboro, North Carolina, painted the mural on the building on the southeast corner of the intersection of Roger Miller Boulevard (aka Route 66) … Continue reading New Roger Miller mural goes up in Erick
Tulsa Route 66 Commission requests $1.5M in federal funds for new signs, more parking
The chief of the Tulsa Route 66 Commission is requesting $1.5 million in funds from the coronavirus-related American Rescue Plan for new directional signs and more parking spaces along Route 66 in the city. Ken Busby, CEO of the commission, explained his reasoning to KTUL-TV in Tulsa: "One of the things that we still hear … Continue reading Tulsa Route 66 Commission requests $1.5M in federal funds for new signs, more parking