The historic Rock Creek Bridge, which has been closed to traffic since March 2013, may reopen to lighter vehicles sometime next month, according to a city official in nearby Sapulpa, Oklahoma. Suzanne Shirey, president of the Sapulpa Area Chamber of Commerce, revealed the plans for the 1921 bridge during an email a few days ago: We … Continue reading Rock Creek Bridge may reopen in next month
Road warrior and author Brian Butko dropped me a note Friday, telling me that he has received a cover image of Michael Wallis’ upcoming book, “The Lincoln Highway: From Times Square to the Golden Gate.” The cover is shown below: There’s no set release date for the book, except it’ll be out this summer. It’s … Continue reading A preview of Michael Wallis’ Lincoln Highway book
A historical marker that explains the origins of the Rock Creek Bridge that once carried old Route 66 near Sapulpa, Okla., was stolen about a month ago, reports the Sapulpa Daily Herald. Fortunately, the marker that was pilfered is not the original. The original marker is at the Sapulpa Historical Society Museum. The bridge was … Continue reading Marker near Rock Creek Bridge stolen
Larry Harnisch, who writes a history blog, The Daily Mirror, for the Los Angeles Times, has an interesting post about the Madonna of the Trail monument that was erected in 1929 on Foothill Boulevard, aka Route 66, in Upland, Calif. Harnisch writes: These monumental statues were meant to venerate the pioneer spirit, but today, some … Continue reading Madonna of the Trail
Many Route 66 fans loathe to give much thought to interstate highways. However, to understand the history of the Mother Road, one must also understand the history of the superslabs. That’s where Earl Swift’s new book, “The Big Roads” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 376 pages, $27, e-book available), comes in. Subtitled “The Untold Story of the Engineers, … Continue reading Book review: “The Big Roads”
It’s time for the Route 66 community to talk to congressmen about eventually designating the Mother Road as a National Historic Trail, under the auspices of the National Park Service. Of the eight states where the old highway traverses, six have attained Byways or All-American Road status for Route 66. A seventh — California — … Continue reading Let’s make Route 66 a National Historic Trail
There was a time that an Ozark Trail obelisk once graced the Route 66 town of Miami, Okla. It’s been gone for many years. But, according to the Miami News-Record, it will return: On Monday, councilmembers accepted the recommendation that a 21-foot obelisk be placed on the corner of Central Avenue and Main Street – … Continue reading Historical icon returning to Miami
The Desert Dispatch reports that San Bernardino County in California is seeking a federal grant to restore old bridges on the National Old Trails Road — an early alignment of Route 66. The county applied for a $52 million stimulus grant to replace 130 bridges that were built between 1929 and 1931 on the old … Continue reading County seeks grant to restore wooden Route 66 bridges
Tucked away in a story posted today by the Williams-Grand Canyon News about the Williams, Ariz., city council was this little item: Council members also discussed whether to change the name of Mountain Man Trail to Route 66, or “Old Route 66,” during the Jan. 14 meeting, but decided to table the matter for discussion … Continue reading Williams may change street’s name to Route 66
