ROUTE THE MAGAZINE THAT CELEBRATES ROAD TRAVEL, VINTAGE AMERICANA AND ROUTE 66
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April/May 2022 $5.99
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AN UNEXPECTED GEM IN TEXAS DOING IT DIFFERENT IN OKC
JIM BELUSHI TALKS COMEDY, ROAD TRAVEL, AND SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
We’ll Show You Around Springfield! Whether it’s classic cars, old-fashioned burgers or a museum that brings history to life, you can relive the glory days of Route 66 in its birthplace. We love our city and know the best places to eat, drink and play. See you in Springfield, Missouri!
Point your smartphone camera at this QR code to find out more about things to do in Springfield. ii ROUTE Magazine
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Stafford Air & Space Museum Weatherford
PLAY
STAY
EAT
Simon’s Catch Elk City
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E
LO XP R
Foss State Park Foss
Water-Zoo Indoor Water Park Clinton
Let your imagination soar. Get inspired at TravelOK.com.
In Oklahoma, dreams blast off like 103-foot Titans. A hometown hero becomes an astronaut, immortalized in his own world-renowned museum. Golden-fried catfish fuels your next adventure. A miniature cabin transports you to a relaxing new headspace. And an indoor oasis defies the seasons, offering a splash of summertime at every turn.
Imagine that.
Order or download your free Route 66 Guide & Passport at TravelOK.com.
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TM TM
Official Sponsors of the 2022 AAA Route 66 Road Fest
Coming this June, AAA is proud to present the first annual AAA Route 66 Road Fest, a weeklong celebration beginning in Oklahoma City and ending in Tulsa. If you are a Route 66 enthusiast and are interested in mapping out the perfect road trip, marveling at vintage cars, discovering new local and regional music, and exploring America’s rich history at an event that is fun for the whole family, then plan your summer vacation around the AAA Route 66 Road Fest! Included along the way are opportunities to experience all the towns, attractions, and activities that The Mother Road has to offer. Download the Route66GO! App for local attractions, events, games, and more to complete your Route 66 adventure!
Visit Route66RoadFest.com for details
OKC June 18th -19th
TULSA June 25 - 26th
Chicago
Willowbrook
Romeoville
Joilet
Joilet
Wilmington
Braidwood
Dwight
Pontiac
Pontiac
www.TheFirstHundredMiles.com
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Real kicks on Route 66.
Gallup Lions Club Youth Rodeo June 15-17, 2022 Red Rock Park
Best of the Best Rodeo June 21-24, 2022 Red Rock Park
Wildthing Championship Bullriding July 7-8, 2022 Red Rock Park
Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial Rodeo August 4-14, 2022 Red Rock Park
Turquoise NTR Team Roping Event August 26, 2022 Red Rock Park
VisitGallup.com ROUTE Magazine 7
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GET AWAY TO
e r o l Expin Claremore P R O U D LY PARTICIPATING IN
ROUTE 66 ROAD FEST OKC , J U N E 1 8-1 9 & TULSA, JUNE 25 - 26 Experience the unexpected on Route 66 in Claremore. Learn more at VisitClaremore.org/Route66
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CONTENTS
Route 66 Gallery & Gift Shop, Grand Canyon, Williams, Arizona. Photograph by Efren Lopez/Route66Images.
22 A Place with a Story
Arizona is a land filled with large, bold themes, and even larger, bolder people. Freddy Slatton is one of these characters. Discover the Painted Desert Indian Center, a destination that has been pulling travelers off the highway for over 50 years now. In a land of trading posts and gift shops, here is one that really stands out.
28 A Night at the Museum
By Cheryl Eichar Jett Oklahoma City is home to its fair share of amazing boutique hotels, but none are as unique and quirky as 21c Museum Hotel. Opened in 2016 and housed in an old Ford plant that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, this hotel is one that not only offers a pleasant stay, but a few good stories and a heck of a memorable experience.
52 Bob’s Gasoline Alley
Down in the quaint town of Cuba, Missouri, there once lived a man named Bob Mullen. Under his care was a special creation appropriately named Bob’s Gasoline Alley. It was a land of wonder and diversity, a dreamland for history buffs and Route 66 enthusiasts. Sadly, Bob passed away in 2020 and his brilliant attraction is closed now, but his story lives on.
58 Picture Perfect
By Nick Gerlich Every Route 66 motel has a story, and this one, the Sunset Motel, has a good one. Located in tiny Moriarty, New Mexico, Mike and Debbie Pogue have been welcoming visitors to their town and motel for decades, but their entrance into the hospitality business was not as straightforward as you’d think.
34 Destination Alanreed
By Olivia Miller When Dixie Jo Crockett and her husband David first eyed an old, abandoned building in the almost ghost town of Alanreed, Texas, and decided to reopen it as a travel center, they could never have imagined what an impact the decision would make on their lives.
ON THE COVER
44 A Conversation with Jim Belushi
Route 66 Motel, Seligman, Arizona.
By Brennen Matthews In this funny, emotive, fascinating interview, get to know one of comedy’s most cherished actors. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Belushi would go on to star in Second City, Saturday Night Live, and over a hundred films and television shows. However, the famed thespian has a new venture that is perhaps his most personal yet. 10 ROUTE Magazine
Photograph by Efren Lopez/ Route66Images.
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EDITORIAL Now that spring is here, I have a good sense of what the Joad family felt when they finished the long and difficult journey through the dry, barren Mojave Desert on their way west. ‘And, oh, my God, it’s over.’ I can appreciate their sentiment now that winter is behind us. I am so grateful for warmth and sunshine and am more than ready to get back out on the road this season. I am anxious to meet up with friends along the way and to discover all of the wonderful new additions to Route 66 that have come about over the last year. Over in Pulaski County, Missouri, the quirky destination of Uranus has a new muffler man giant. This new addition may look oddly familiar to anyone who has visited the fun spot in years past. It was molded to resemble the owner of the establishment, Louie Keen. Now, how Route 66 is that! In Shamrock, Texas, the U-Drop Inn Cafe has been reopened and new life is being breathed into the historic venue again. And every one of the eight great states that make up the Mother Road has loads of new stores, restaurants, museums, and attractions to welcome visitors. However, I am a little trepidatious to venture down several sections of the highway that have not fared as well. Over the past year, a number of my favorite Texan ghost towns have been purchased and there are big plans to try and make the locations alive and profitable again. Don’t get me wrong, I respect the vision and mettle of the new owners who are willing to invest their effort and resources into uncertain, long abandoned destinations, but the dreamer in me — the wanderer, the road traveler — can wish that these extra special places could be preserved but also left lonely and vacant. Also on my list are the twin arrows, just west of Winslow, Arizona, of which one has now completely fallen and been left to rot on the ground. We almost lost Two Guns earlier when a potential development that would have opened an enormous theme park was up for consideration by local decision-makers. Thankfully, the new use for the land was rejected and for now at least, one slightly haunted spot on the road is safe. Another change is that numerous amazing iconic signs for long-gone venues and destinations have been purchased by private collectors. The road will definitely look a little different this season, but that is also the beauty of the Mother Road—it is a living, ever-changing conduit of the American dream. In this issue, we spend some great time with the hilarious Jim Belushi. I’ve always loved his work but getting to know the man a little has given me a whole new appreciation for his story. In this interview he gets open and honest about some of the men who have impacted his life: his brother John Belushi, comedic actors John Candy, Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, and others. He also takes us on a cross-country trip that brought God front and center in his younger life, walks us down memory lane and his foray into live comedy and feature films, and his unexpected journey into the cannabis industry. We also bring you the story of one of the hippest hotels on the road in Oklahoma: 21c Museum Hotel. The fun, colorful venue is housed in one of the most historic buildings in Oklahoma City and has a story worthy of the Mother Road. Next time that you are in OKC, you’ll be tempted to pay 21c a visit. Trust me. I am a big fan of Texas. I adore the wide-open space, big skies, fascinating history, and gregarious welcoming people. So, when I first discovered the Alanreed Travel Center a few years ago, with its off-the-wall murals, wacky advertisements, and wonderfully Route 66 vibe, I was delighted. Yet, when speaking with friends connected to the highway over the years, few of them were aware of the travel center. I decided that it was time to change that. Alanreed is a terrific little ghost town (almost) just west of McLean (another awesome almost ghost town), that should be on your itinerary this season as you motor through the great state of Texas. These stories and so, so much more make up this issue of ROUTE. If you have not yet subscribed or followed us on social media, please remember to do so. We always enjoy ourselves better when we travel together and celebrate America. And this season, as you travel, please pay a visit to the towns, cities, hotels, and others who you see advertised and featured in the magazine. They represent some of the very best and are all excited and ready to welcome you. Blessings, Brennen Matthews Editor
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ROUTE PUBLISHER Thin Tread Media EDITOR Brennen Matthews DEPUTY EDITOR Kate Wambui ASSOCIATE EDITOR Cheryl Eichar Jett EDITOR-AT-LARGE Nick Gerlich LEAD EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHER David J. Schwartz LAYOUT AND DESIGN Tom Heffron EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Lillie Richards Olivia Miller DIGITAL Matheus Alves ILLUSTRATOR Jennifer Mallon CONTRIBUTORS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS Chandler O’Leary Efren Lopez/Route66Images Louise Marsden Mark Spencer Nick Fox Oklahoma City National & Memorial Museum René Besson Tyler Maddox
Editorial submissions should be sent to brennen@routemagazine.us To subscribe visit www.routemagazine.us. Advertising inquiries should be sent to advertising@routemagazine.us or call 905 399 9912. ROUTE is published six times per year by Thin Tread Media. No part of this publication may be copied or reprinted without the written consent of the publisher. The views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher, editor or staff. ROUTE does not take any responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photography.
DESTINATION: CARLSBAD, NEW MEXICO From 750 feet underground at the Carlsbad Caverns to floating down the gorgeous Pecos River, Carlsbad, has everything you need for your New Mexico Adventure. VISIT CARLSBAD, NEW MEXICO, WHERE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS! Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce 302 S Canal • Carlsbad, NM 88220 • 575-887-6516 tourism@carlsbadchamber.com Paid in part by Carlsbad lodgers tax. ROUTE Magazine 13
LOCKED UP IN JOLIET merican cities are known for their unique iconic features. For New York City, it’s Broadway; for Los Angeles, it’s Hollywood. And then there’s Joliet, Illinois, home to the Old Joliet Prison. As one of the oldest and most notorious penitentiaries in the United States, it’s no wonder that the prison’s image is indelibly stamped on the American psyche via TV, news headlines, and even comedy films. The Old Joliet Prison opened in 1858, just six years after the incorporation of the city. It was the second penitentiary in Illinois, the first being 250 miles south in Alton. The Alton Penitentiary had fallen into horrendous conditions after the state leased out its management. After reformer Dorothea Dix’s inspection in 1847, she petitioned the Illinois General Assembly to construct a new prison. A decade later, 53 inmates arrived at the initial construction in Joliet and began building the prison around themselves. Although built with convict labor, the grand, Gothic, castle-like structure was designed by Chicago’s prolific Pre-Fire architect, W.W. Boyington. Twenty intimidating buildings were constructed inside the four walls, all made of Joliet limestone. Those walls would go on to hold some of the 20th Century’s most notorious criminals, including Baby Face Nelson, James Earl Ray, and serial killer John Wayne Gacy. But merely 20 years after the opening of the prison, it was filled over capacity with almost 2,000 inmates. Horrific conditions had already emerged in the state’s second penitentiary. “There were calls for its closure as early as around 1905… it was too old, antiquated, and dangerous. It was almost closed completely during WWII, but it underwent a massive retrofit remodel between 1947-1951 that extended its lifespan, so to speak,” said Greg Peerbolte, Executive Director of the Joliet Area Historical Museum. However, it finally closed in 2002. Yet, the prison was not done attracting attention; over the years it had gained a Hollywood connection. The prison was one of the backdrops for the now-cult classic 1980 John Landis film The Blues Brothers, starring the late John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, in which was found the namesake for Belushi’s character “Joliet” Jake Blues. After its closing, the correctional facility gained new life starting in 2005 as a 14 ROUTE Magazine
filming location for the FOX series Prison Break, and other projects. Yet, despite its Hollywood fame, a local task force attempted to find a more permanent use for the historic site. Unsuspectingly, the rise in social media garnered public interest in the prison, as internet explorers began to adventure into abandoned “haunted” buildings. Plans to turn it into a museum grew from the rise in interest but were quickly halted, mostly due to the Great Recession of 2008. During this time, the prison became the target of vandalism and arson, with the loss of four of the prison’s buildings due to fire damage from 2013 to 2017. The destruction caused Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk to take matters into his own hands. After petitioning the state government to allow the City of Joliet to take control of the property, the keys were handed over. The City had a plan. It took the work of more than a few people to preserve the prison. The Joliet Area Historical Museum leads tours at the site, while community partners have formed a public/ private partnership entity, the Old Joliet Prison Preservation Coalition, to volunteer and raise funds to benefit the historical site. The prison officially opened for tours in 2018, and is still going strong in its fifth year, offering a variety of tours to crime and history junkies alike. “In 2008, Paul McCartney visited us (Joliet) as he was traversing Route 66 and it was [at] that moment, that we knew, this isn’t just something a couple people are doing, this is going to get big, and it has certainly grown exponentially. You [can] stand in our visitor center and meet probably five or six different countries of origin in a couple hours on an August day. Everyone consistently says that this is the real America, the authentic America, and that’s why we’re doing this,” said Peerbolte. Cities capitalizing on their distinctive, special offerings is part of the “American Dream.” Anything anywhere can become a tourist site for its own reasons. Joliet has found an unexpected gem in their already bountiful town. Really, how many cities host a prison dating back to the 1800s? Joliet is wise enough to know that this is one more thing that makes them extraordinary.
Image by David J. Schwartz – Pics On Route 66.
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WHERE T HE MO T HER ROAD BEGINS
Route 66 defined a remarkable era in our nation’s history – and it lives on today in Illinois’ Route 66’s many roadside attractions, museums, and restaurants – it’s the shining ribbon of blacktop we call ‘The Mother Road’.
SPE N D SOME T IME ON T HE I L L I N O I S R O U T E 6 6 S C E N I C B Y WA Y A N D DI S C OV E R ROU T E 6 6 Start planning your trip now at www.illinoisroute66.org. Request a visitor’s guide by emailing info@illinoisroute66.org and make sure to check out our mobile app by searching for ‘Explore Illinois Route 66’ in the App Store and Google Play, to help with all of your Route 66 Illinois planning.
Tel: (217)-414-9331 • www.illinoisroute66.org ROUTE Magazine 15
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o stranger to giant landmarks, Route 66 passes by Muffler Men, the St. Louis Gateway Arch, water towers painted to resemble something else, and huge crosses, rocking chairs, and totem poles. But a different sort of behemoth rises toward the sky from the plains of Oklahoma. Never intended as tourist attractions, tall grain elevators that once carried sustenance for prairie settlers, have nevertheless become way markers, reminding visitors of the state’s rich agricultural past. One of these stands out perhaps more than the others: Yukon Mill & Grain Company. Adorned with a huge visual sign and lights outlining its classic silhouette, the landmark stands sentinel at the northern edge of Yukon, just west of Oklahoma City, and remains an important cornerstone of the town today. In 1891, cattleman-turned-railroad builder Augustus ‘A.N.’ Spencer founded the town of Yukon when he secured land to lay tracks for the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway. Two years later, a small mill was built to provide grain for the area’s burgeoning population. Yukon became an attractive location for immigrants from Bohemia (soon to become part of Czechoslovakia) during the late 1890s, including two important families: the Kroutils and the Dobrys. The marriage of Mary Ann Kroutil to Anton Dobry united these families as Dobry and two of his brothers-in-law — John and Frank Kroutil — bought the mill from Spencer and began expanding production. “For a long time, since the mill was right on the railroad, these trains would come and pick up the flour and ship it all over the country,” said Pam Shelton, the CEO for the Yukon Chamber of Commerce. “During the war, a lot of that grain would go overseas to Europe, too.” In 1910, John Kroutil established the Yukon Electric Company to provide electricity for his workers, and his company lit the town of Yukon until the 1960s. Throughout the early 1900s, the Yukon Mill & Grain Company produced huge amounts of flour and grain, not only for the Canadian County area where Yukon sits, but for the world. Bohemians continued to flood in from Europe, providing willing labor for the mill. The dramatic increase in workers, as well as the First World War’s expansive
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effect on American agriculture, provided a wonderful opportunity for the Kroutils and Dobrys. By the 1920s, the Yukon mill became the largest single mill operation in the state, producing 2,000 barrels of Yukon’s ‘Best Flour’ a day. “They were very influential in Yukon,” said Shelton. “They had a lot of businesses going on in this town. The two split however during the ‘30s, and another mill was built right across the road from the other. One was Yukon’s Best Flour, and the other was Dobry.” Despite many hardships, including the destruction of the Yukon mill by fire in 1921, the grain elevators still survive today. The mill was rebuilt after the blaze, and a huge sign, packed with incandescent bulbs, was placed on the roof declaring “Yukon’s Best Flour.” Advertising campaigns ran all over the country, proclaiming products like white cream meal and the “Yukon’s Best Recipes” baking book. In the early 1970s, the Yukon mill was sold to Shawnee Milling of Shawnee, Oklahoma, and later, to the Mid-Continent Farmers Cooperative, ending the long run of family ownership. In 1991, due to deterioration, the mill building, and storage tanks were torn down, but the mill elevators were preserved and continue to stand guard over the Yukon landscape. “Our school mascot is actually the Miller Man,” Shelton added. “He’s this big, brawny guy, and he carries around a giant sack of flour. The town really cares about the history of these mills, and we try to preserve them as best we can.” The mill elevator giant sign was turned off on June 24, 2012 — only 212 of the 1937 bulbs were still working at the time — triggering a “Relight the Mill” committee to hold a fundraising campaign. More than $250,000 was needed to renovate the giant sign on the building, and the committee members themselves thought that it would take years to collect the needed funds, but well-wishers came to the rescue, and the sign was relit on June 28, 2013. For Route 66 travelers, the Yukon elevators, which at 140 feet high, remain the tallest structures in the town, stand high on a visitor’s must-see list, especially in the blue hours of the evening when its sign comes alive. But for the residents of Yukon, the elevators and silos are an every-day reminder of their town’s rich historical roots.
Illustration by Chandler O’Leary.
MA DE IN YUKON
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B
efore the Mother Road’s heyday, its predecessor, Illinois Route 4, was repositioned through Pontiac, creating a perfect spot for Joe and Victor “Babe” Seloti to create an establishment to serve travelers along brand new Route 66. The brothers were excited with the birth of the new route and hung their hat on the wind of change. Built from cedar telephone poles and seating about 45 customers, the Old Log Cabin opened its doors in 1926 as a gas station and lunch spot. Another change to the road in 1941 made it a four-lane highway, but on the west side of the restaurant. Businesses in Pontiac still wanted to face the front of the road to maintain good commerce, but first had to figure out how to make that possible. For the Old Log Cabin, the answer was as easy as turning the roadhouse around with some old-fashioned horsepower and logs. The unique event attracted a huge crowd, after which daily life at the Old Log Cabin continued as usual. While Joe would tempt passing motorists with the aroma of a secret beef and pork barbecue recipe, Babe would fill their gas tanks next door. As opportunity grew, they rose to meet it. The brothers were somewhat unconventional and did what was needed to lure passing motorists. There’s an old tale about a crow, that was gifted to Joe, who could carry on a full conversation with customers. The “talking crow” allegedly became a roadside attraction and had his own caged area in the restaurant. Other than the passing of the bird, little has changed at the Old Log Cabin since then. ”It’s definitely going to be an authentic diner experience. It’s not showy, it’s not trying to be, it just is,” said Liz Vincent, Director of Visit Pontiac. “It’s been there for so long; it’s definitely become part of people’s trips when they plan their [travel] along Route 66. It’s famous locally too, which is pretty neat. It doesn’t just survive on the traveler; it survives on locals patronizing it as well.” In 1986, the venue went through a change when it was purchased by Brad Trainor, a Romeoville native who, growing up with his five siblings, had always wanted to own a restaurant. Trainor had driven by the cabin every day during his commute to work – as a cook – at the Elks
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Lodge in the ‘80s, until he went to check out the state of the cooking equipment for another possible owner, who bowed out. Trainor stepped in and made his dream a reality by purchasing the eatery, only making minor updates to the historic establishment. Thirty-five years later, Trainor still owns and works at the Old Log Cabin as the only cook. “I learned to cook when I was nine years old from my Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy who used to own a resort in Wisconsin. My parents used to ship me up there from Romeoville in the summer. Anybody that I worked for… I would turn it around and end up making them money, so I thought, ‘Why don’t I do that for myself?’” said Trainor. “Route 66 wasn’t anything when I got [the Old Log Cabin]. It was just over the years that it started getting bigger and bigger.” Trainor’s daughter, Devon, works as one of two servers at the eatery. She’s grown up there since she was seven years old, transitioning to other jobs, but always ending up back at the cabin. “On Sundays, we’d fill jellies, and then in my college years, I waitressed there in the evenings. Then, I would go and get a job [but] end up there again, and then I got another job, and would end up there again. I don’t think Dad is going to let me leave this time. It’s [his] first venture on his own. Hopefully, my brother and I will take it over.” Despite the many travelers that come through, the heart of the restaurant is the faces that Devon and her father see every day. Regulars are abundant at the Old Log Cabin, sometimes even coming twice a day, first for breakfast and then to watch gameshows in the afternoon. “They’ve turned into my family. If I don’t see them for a day or two, Shannon [the other waitress] or I are calling to check on them and make sure that they’re okay. It’s not just being a waitress, but a therapist, an ear to listen,” said Devon. America’s Main Street is well respected for its diverse culinary offerings. There are quirky diners, neon-adorned cafes, fine-dining establishments, and more burger joints than you can count, but luckily for Pontiac, they well may have the only 100-year-old log cabin. When motoring across America in search of a memorable experience and a true taste of history, this type of kitschy encounter is gold.
Image by David J. Schwartz – Pics On Route 66.
ONE OF A K IND
Rodeo’s Greatest
COWGIRL
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In 1930, Tad won permanent possession of the iconic Metro Goldwyn Mayer Trophy for her three victories as All-Around Champion Cowgirl at the Madison Square Garden Rodeo, the most coveted award in her day. But her smooth sail to fame hit a bump three years later at the Chicago World’s Fair when her arm was crushed while trick riding, causing doctors to advise her that she would never be able to ride again. Lucas’ six-year-old daughter, Mitzi Lucas Riley, took the chance to follow in her mother’s footsteps and fill in for her during a trick riding act. But the cowgirl wasn’t done quite yet. Following three years in a cast, she was back on the saddle and the mother-daughter duo would perform trick riding routines together for the next 20 years. A decade later, many women’s rodeo programs were eliminated. With Lucas as a key member of the fight, the Girl’s Rodeo Association was formed in 1948 to prevent any further barriers for women in the world of rodeo. Lucas’ role was vital in perpetually ensuring girls and women a place in rodeo. “In 1989, we created the Tad Lucas Award in recognition of her achievements, but also in her never-ending quest to get rodeo, but also women in rodeo, attention,” said Grauer. Lucas rode her last bucking horse in 1964, at the age of 62. Three years later, she became the first woman elected into the National Rodeo Hall of Fame and the only person elected into all three rodeo halls of fame, including the National Cowgirl Hall of fame in 1978 and the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1979. The Tad Lucas Memorial Award was inaugurated in 1989 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in her honor. Tad Lucas passed away a year later at age 88. Her tattered red cowgirl boots are on display at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, allowing the world to witness the grit and style of the “greatest cowgirl of all time.”
Image courtesy of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Ralph R. Doubleday Collection.
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s the youngest of 24 children, young Tad Lucas had no choice but to stand out. Born Barbara Inez Barnes in 1902, Lucas was nicknamed “Tadpole” — eventually shortened to Tad — by her siblings for being the smallest and quickest of the bunch. Her tenacity showed those around her that she was destined for excellence early on, but little did they know that she’d become regarded as the greatest rodeo cowgirl of all time. As a child in Cody, Nebraska, Lucas was no stranger to adventure. She rode bulls through the main streets in her youth to raise money for the Red Cross during World War I, and worked her way up to horses, eventually entering her first rodeo in 1917 at age 14. She placed first in steer riding. At the age of 16, Lucas left home to join “California” Frank Hafley’s Wild West Show and travel the country rodeoing. She participated first as a bronco rider before befriending a family of Cossack trick riders, in which she found her calling. First appearing in the Western rodeo circuit in 1922, Lucas went on to win the contest event of trick riding at the Cheyenne Frontier Days eight consecutive times in the 1920s. From there, she quickly rose to fame during the golden years of rodeo. “When she was competing, women were few, but they were very much a part of it, and eventually got driven out of rodeo. A lot of people don’t realize that. They rode in virtually every event that men did in the 1910s and 1920s, up until about World War II, and then were relegated somewhat to the sidelines,” said Michael R. Grauer, Curator of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. In 1922, she met rodeo cowboy Buck Lucas and the couple married two years later. She moved him to her new home in Fort Worth, but the new phase in life didn’t stop her from riding. The couple produced rodeos for four decades, even with Tad partaking in some of the events herself.
On exhibit through May 1 1700 NE 63rd St. • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma nationalcowboymuseum.org • (405) 478-2250 Exhibition sponsored by: Ms. Catherine Freede • Hughes Cattle Company • Oklahoma Humanities* • Mr. and Mrs. Ted Paup Mrs. Maxey Reynolds • Rockmount Ranch Wear • Tulsa Spanish Source * This program is funded in part by Oklahoma Humanities (OH) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of OH or NEH.
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TH A STORY Photograph by Brennen Matthews ROUTE Magazine 23
T
he 35th parallel that runs across the American West has long been a favored path for travel. Everyone from explorers to military personnel, commerce, and tourists have used it, primarily because it is about as far north as you can go and still have a reasonable chance at an all-season crossing of the Continental Divide. Wagons, trains, trucks, and cars have plied the ruts and rails of those roads. It is also where the Painted Desert Indian Center, a modern rendition of the much older trading posts, has operated for nearly 50 years. Historic trading posts, often no more than dilapidated cabins, grew into bustling commercial centers as travel through the area increased. And while the corridor proved to be passable much of the time, until the turn of the 20th Century, it was never easy. Trailblazers like Edward Fitzgerald Beale in the 19th Century, faced many challenges, but they blazed a trail later followed closely by the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad, the National Old Trails Road, Route 66, and nowadays I-40. None of those challenges have stopped Freddy Slatton, 73, though, from selling his wares along the side of old US Highway 66 in Adamana, Arizona. A short ribbon of the old pavement still exists in the shadow of I-40, bounded close by to the west with a seemingly impassable old bridge, and a dead end seven miles east where Rocky’s Stage Stop once serviced motorists. It’s accessible only via Exit 303. Farther east is the Petrified Forest National Park, wherein the namesake Painted Desert is viewable. In between Slatton’s place and Rocky’s is the razed site of the Painted Desert Point Trading Post, one of several long-gone posts within a 20-mile stretch, all bearing some variation of “Painted Desert” in their name. What entrepreneurs lacked in originality, they basked in optimism that theirs would succeed. Slatton’s is the only trading post surviving today, in large part because it arrived on the scene long after the others had closed, once the freeway opened around 1960. No stranger to retail, Slatton is well acquainted with the tourist trade. “I’ve been doing this for 50 years,” he said, referring to a store that he had once owned but lost following a divorce. “My partner and I had bought some land [in 1970], and we built the building in 1974.” They opened their trading post the same year, before leasing it to his partner’s cousin in 1976. That deal went sour but had a sweet ending. “When I got divorced, he owed me about $42,000 in back rent. I kicked him out and I took over. That was in 1983.” He then adopted the current name, changing it from Indian Mesa. It was also about this time that Slatton married his current wife, Lita, who helped in the business until retiring recently. “We’ve got a 1986 work truck around here, and we bought it new. We’d been together a few years by then,” he recalled. Slatton prides himself on the wide array of authentic Native American merchandise that he carries, alongside the usual touristy souvenirs. From elaborate woven rugs to pottery, kachina dolls, jewelry, and other artifacts, his vendors and their goods actually come to him. In many ways, it is the authenticity of his merchandise that sets him apart from many other shops. While some visitors
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are happy to buy inexpensive trinkets sourced overseas, others prefer the more expensive crafts produced by local artists. “I’ve got potters from all the tribes—Navajo, Hopi, Santa Clara, Jemez, Acoma.” But Slatton’s shop is anything but a true Indian trading post, which functioned more like a pawn shop. As a third-generation eastern Arizonan, he has seen the final vestiges of those old trading posts. “They [the Indians] used to come out with wagons and horses. They’d trade flour, beans, all the essential stuff,” he recollected. “That’s a thing of the past [now].” Slatton, who has lived within a 100-mile radius of his store his entire life, and now lives 50 feet behind his shop, is a man who has watched the world change around him. Adamana had originally been settled in 1896 along the railroad, which still runs a few miles to the south of the current freeway exit. It was named for Adam Hanna, a local rancher. “But somehow it got twisted around,” he laughed. A depot and small hotel sat beside those rails, serving what was then sufficient passenger travel to justify their existence. But the automobile, as well as the highways ultimately being placed in their current position, left the original settlement in the lurch. New businesses then sprung up along the road, although very little remains at the exit today. But that is one of the things that makes the Painted Desert Indian Center and its location so memorable. The area allows visitors to experience a fun stop in a lonely, largely abandoned section of Arizona. The mood of modern-day Adamana is flooded with the past. Aside from his merchandise and perfect location, Slatton’s shop beautifully mirrors the tactics used during the 1940s and ‘50s, when motorists were lured off of the speeding highway by a muffler man giant or an exquisite piece of neon. This is Arizona after all and Slatton is a man with a plan. An eyecatching array of teepees, old Indian weather rock, and of course some requisite dinosaurs, rest waiting for unsuspecting drivers to wander past. Someone else’s bad luck once again became his good fortune. A flurry of interest in dinosaurs, generated by knowledge of the millions-of-years-old rock core of the Triassic Period in the Holbrook area, resulted in the International Dinosaur Park and Museum opening nearby in 1999. But its closure in 2007 gave the City of Holbrook itself, as well as area businesses, the opportunity to purchase some very large dino statues. “They [the Holbrook Chamber of Commerce] got them into town, but they hadn’t considered all the overhead wires crossing the streets. They were 16 feet and 8 inches high! So, I bought them,” Slatton laughed. His dinos are positioned to appear to be stalking through a teepee village. It’s an effective gimmick. In an ever-changing world, fewer and fewer places like the Painted Desert Indian Center are surviving and as they disappear, a fascinating chapter in our modern history is dying with them. Perhaps that is what makes them such a draw to travelers who dream of visiting the West and experiencing a history that they’ve only read about. For now, Slatton’s colorful respite for travelers sits silently in the arid desert, waiting to be discovered.
Experience outdoor fun, incredible attractions, historic Route 66, and so much more. www.experiencewilliams.com ROUTE Magazine 25
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hose who have taken a trip through the Show-Me State are no stranger to the 32-foot-tall Praying Hands that reside in Webb City. Standing atop a 40-foot man-made hill along the side of Highway 71, they’re hard to miss. Although they may appear unannounced and unexpected, the message they portray is fundamental to local artist Jack E. Dawson. Nearly 50 years ago, the Webb City Park Board and the Historical Society were approached by a 20-year-old college student who wanted to construct an art piece in the local King Jack Park. It was 1971 and the country had been in a constant state of unrest for nearly a decade. As an artist from his childhood, Dawson channeled his feelings toward the country’s turmoil into doing what he did best: create art. He came up with the idea for a large set of praying hands, not as a protest statement, but as a simple reminder. “I was really motivated, not as a protest of any kind or anything like that, but more of an inspirational sculpture with a spiritual connotation to it – to point people to faith and God and being inspired to pray,” said Dawson. “I know from personal experience that the way to peace is to follow the principles and standards that are listed in the Word. That became a motivation to want to put a symbol somewhere that would cause people to consider why the hands were there and think of the fact that it’s a simple testimony of prayer and faith, and to cause people to be aware that we need to always have God in our lives. I know a lot of our founders would be in agreement with that, and prayer was very vital in those days, and I think it has carried right on through.” The Board and Historical Society didn’t only approve Dawson’s proposal, they asked the community to help fund it. Garnering support from local citizens and businesses, Dawson began the process of first creating the hands in a smaller form as a model. From there, they only got bigger. The base is made of a sturdy steel understructure with metal lath, all created in his own backyard. It wasn’t until the following summer of 1972 that the steel base would
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be coated in a special concrete and stucco type material, forming the actual hands. What was described at first as appearing to look like a “gigantic birdcage” soon became carefully constructed, pure white, sculpted hands in a praying formation atop a rocky base. “There were challenges along the way,” continued Dawson. “This was a project that didn’t have a lot of funding at that time. So, there were materials that were donated for the project, money was donated for the project, it had a humble beginning. The community did come together, and they offered support and assistance. They’re placed on a major highway through Missouri, Route 66 obviously is coming through Webb City, so they’ve been seen a lot. It ended up being a visual that you see driving by more than anything, and that’s why they are large, and they make that statement.” In 1974, the 100ton hands were opened to the public at a dedication ceremony and have received thousands of visitors in the years since. Half a century later, the hands are in a state of improvement. In November 2020, a ceramic tile mural was added to the premises to tell the history of their creation and display personal pictures of what Dawson’s creation process looked like. As a further enhancement, the hands were cleaned, and the structure was re-inspected after being outside for all these years. American flags wave in the wind before the sculpture, protecting the hands. Behind the flag is a stone carving, reading, “Hands in prayer. World in peace.” Roadside attractions and art installations are scattered along Route 66 with many meanings of their own, but the Praying Hands are a reminder to all. Rather than standing as a protest or a statement to be made, the Hands are Dawson’s favor to the public. As people rush to their next destination along the highway, the Hands stand tall as a gentle reminder to slow down the fast-paced style of living ever present across America and take a moment for contemplation, and perhaps a little prayer.
Image by David J. Schwartz – Pics On Route 66.
PR AYING HANDS
A NIGHT AT
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THE MUSEUM By Cheryl Eichar Jett Photographs by David J. Schwartz - Pics On Route 66
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n the western edge of Oklahoma City’s burgeoning, 27-year-young downtown, the Ford Motor Company built a Model T assembly plant in 1916. A gargantuan four-story building to the tune of over 186,000 square feet, its American Commercial exterior looked down on the beginnings of the city’s industrial district. The whole thing occupied a half city block, its brickand-glass facades spreading right to the sidewalks. Into this imposing edifice walked 24-year-old Fred Allison Jones, fresh off a Rock Island train from Georgia and looking for a job. Throughout the next half-century, Jones’ career soared, and in 1967, he finally purchased the building where he’d started his career. Almost another 50 years on, in 2016, the inspired lodging, restaurant, and art museum hybrid known as 21c Museum Hotel opened within the enormous space of what had become the Fred Jones Manufacturing Company. But what of the young man who had walked into the assembly plant back in 1916? He got the job, of course. But that was truly just the beginning. His family’s legacy is told, incredibly, within the design and details of the Oklahoma City 21c Museum Hotel, and it’s a classic yet unique American story.
Fred Jones and the Ford Motor Company In the shadow of the new Oklahoma Capitol’s construction reaching skyward, the city’s industrial district was developing nearby. In April 1916, the Ford Motor Company’s new assembly plant at the 900 block of West Main Street began operations. Its spacious windows and soaring brick pilasters identified the industrial style of architect Albert Kahn, who designed more than 1,000 buildings for Ford. On its opening day, Fred Jones is said to have been the first employee to punch in. In town to visit a cousin, Jones had liked the energy of the young and growing city and the ambition of the Ford Motor Company, all of which convinced him to adopt the city as his own. Jones rose through the ranks at the assembly plant and by 1923 began purchasing and growing Ford auto dealerships — eventually a total of 39. By 1926, Jones was the biggest Ford auto dealer in the Southwest, and by the time the decade of the Great Depression was nearing its close, he was the fourth largest Ford dealer in the country. “How has Fred Jones done this?” a magazine writer marveled. During the Great Depression, Ford ceased car production in the West Main Street plant and began operations as a parts branch, which would continue with much less fanfare for 35 years. But Jones’ next venture was revolutionary. “In World War II, Ford couldn’t build parts, they were building tanks and airplanes, so someone had to remanufacture a part. And so, he did that, and started a huge industry of remanufacturing,” said Fred Jones Hall, president of Hall Capital and grandson of Fred Jones. Fred Jones Manufacturing Company became 30 ROUTE Magazine
the biggest Ford-authorized parts remanufacturing company in the U.S. In 1967, Ford closed out its parts branch at 900 West Main, and Fred Jones was finally able to attain his goal of buying the Ford building, which became the headquarters for his businesses. Through his career, Jones gave back to his adopted city. He and his wife Mary Eddy (Neal) Jones became known for their philanthropy, community involvement, and patronage of the arts. But one of their largest gifts, the Fred Jones Jr. Art Center on the University of Oklahoma’s Norman campus, was the result of a tragedy — their son Fred Jr.’s death at the age of 25 in a plane crash in 1950. Their only son, he was their hope for the future of the company. The new art center was their tribute. Fred and Mary Eddy Jones’ daughter Marylin married Brooks Hall, a Princeton- and Harvardeducated businessman, and an executive in the Fred Jones company. Brooks and Marylin’s first son was named Fred Jones Hall for his grandfather, with two more sons, Brooks “Boots” and Kirkland, joining the family. The boys’ grandfather, Fred Jones, passed away in 1971 at the age of 79, although grandmother Mary Eddy would live until the year 2000, when she died at the grand old age of 97.
The Jones-Hall Synthesis and the Third Generation As the three Hall grandsons were still getting their educations, Fred Jones’ death precipitated a change in the control of his businesses. With no clear leadership heir, Ford Motor Company stepped in and engineered a sale to non-family members. Still overseeing operations were Mary Eddy and Marylin. But Fred, Boots, and Kirkland Hall eventually knew it was time for them to return to Oklahoma City, buy out the new owners, and reclaim the Fred Jones legacy. By 1983 they had become controlling owners of the company and later diversified to add another component to their portfolio — capital. Thus was born Hall Capital. Through it all, the Hall brothers continued the philanthropy and community involvement that had become a hallmark of the family. And they began to wonder about a new chapter for the Fred Jones Manufacturing building.
21c is Born Meanwhile, Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson, philanthropists and art collectors in their native Louisville,
Inside the hotel lobby.
Kentucky, were keenly aware that some of Louisville’s historic downtown buildings were deteriorating. They wondered what role they could play in tipping the scale the other way, with historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and contemporary art driving revitalization. During their years of travels to international art fairs, they noticed the way that other cities wove art into city life. “We owned a building in downtown Louisville and knew that we wanted to do something to help revitalize the downtown corridor,” said Wilson, one of the founders of 21c. “The discussions and ideas kept evolving and 21c was born. My dad once told me art is worthless. I’ve been on a lifelong mission to prove him wrong. Contemporary art can be a spark for community, economic revitalization, and commerce; we have seen it in all of our locations.” What turned out to be only the first 21c Museum Hotel opened in 2006 in a series of 19th Century warehouse buildings in Louisville’s arts and theater district. Emphasizing adaptive reuse, the couple employed Deborah Berke Partners, a New York-based firm known for “true-toplace” projects which re-imagine old buildings. But besides the boutique hotel and farm-to-table restaurant, the couple incorporated an attraction in line with their belief that art has the power to transform communities — a freeadmission, 24/7, contemporary art museum. “We believed in
the concept, but it was completely untested, and lenders were very skeptical,” Wilson said. “21c Louisville was successful almost immediately, we received the Readers’ Choice Award from Conde Nast Traveler magazine, and it really catapulted the property into a different sphere of recognition. We began to gain the attention of community leaders and art collectors from around the country. People began asking us to come and do the same thing in their hometown and after some consideration we decided to form the company.” One of those community leaders that contacted Wilson and Brown about doing “the same thing in their hometown” was Fred Jones Hall from Oklahoma City. He and his brothers felt that their historic building was the perfect spot for a 21c Museum Hotel. “As soon as [my grandfather] bought the building, he called it his Camelot, so with that legacy, it’s not like we can sell [it]. We knew we wanted to make something special with it,” Hall said. “We had heard about 21c, and somebody suggested that I talk to Steve [Wilson]... that’s how it all came together.”
A New Life for the Ford Plant The Fred Jones Manufacturing Company, formerly the Ford Motor Company assembly plant, was the right building, ROUTE Magazine 31
and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014 as plans began to evolve and partnerships were cemented. Laura Lee and Steve’s 21c company partnered with Hall Capital. Deborah Berke’s architectural firm was called upon again, this time to work with local firm Hornbeek Blatt Architects. The timing was right here as well, as the Oklahoma City 21c Museum Hotel opened in the summer of 2016 — in the building’s centennial year — as the only hotel opening ever in a Ford Motor Company assembly plant! Remarkably, the building had remained mostly unaltered over its 100-year life, and the scale of the structure lended itself to 21c’s generous use of large, airy, and light-filled spaces. The architects re-imagined the old plant with a contemporary interpretation of the building’s industrial heritage, keeping in place or recreating many original elements. Throughout the vibrant redesign of the building, one finds original architect Kahn’s signature splayed-top concrete columns, hallways wide enough to drive a Model T through, and the terrazzo tile floor in the former automobile showroom. One hundred and thirty-five high-ceilinged boutique hotel rooms were carved out of larger spaces or converted from former offices. Bathrooms were constructed with a luxuriously sleek but industrial look. An outdoor patio where the plant’s train shed once stood is outlined with old steel railway canopies. As for the 21c’s unique restaurant, it was named Mary Eddy’s Kitchen and Lounge as a tribute to Fred Jones’ wife. Recently, Oklahoma City restaurant designers Benji Homsey and brothers Corbin and Ross See were brought in to reimagine the restaurant space to invoke the nostalgia attributed to the Jones’ neoclassical home not far away on 17th Street. “The redesign of the restaurant includes William Morris wallpaper, wood millwork, vintage chandeliers, pieces of
Fred Jones Hall outside of the 21c Museum Hotel. 32 ROUTE Magazine
her china, and a painting of Mary Jones herself,” explained Melanie Briley, 21c Museum OKC Director of Sales & Marketing. “[The family] is very close to this project, which is really wonderful because it’s more than just a financial partner. It’s someone who wants to continue the history and the impact of this building on the city and wants to move that forward in a very different way.” The art museum consists of 14,000 square feet of exhibit space administrated by Alice Gray Stites, Chief Curator and Museum Director for 21c’s multiple venues. The history of the building inspired four site-specific artworks collectively entitled Mechanical Magic, using materials and mechanics of 20 th Century industry. “Fred Hall and his family in Oklahoma City were the perfect partners for 21c,” Wilson emphasized. “Not only have they been community leaders for generations, but they also share our passion for the arts. They understand the importance of the arts in the development of a city. The building they own, the former Model T Ford factory, is symbolic of the mission of 21c — it is steeped in tradition and architecturally important. Its redevelopment has also been a key catalyst for the revitalization of that part of downtown Oklahoma City.”
Art, For All the Right Reasons The 21c concept is based on the belief that art can ignite urban revitalization and drive commerce into a historic area which has been abandoned or under-utilized. But it’s also undeniably about people’s passion for art and the knowledge that art enhances people’s lives. And the 21c museum policy of no admission charge makes art widely accessible. “As we grew...we went from having 10,000 square feet of museum exhibition space in Louisville to a multi-venue museum, which was an enormous change both for the art collection and operationally,” Wilson explained. “We now have more exhibition space than any contemporary art museum in America and we are open to the public 365 days per year.” Another raison d’etre of the 21c museum is — it’s fun. One special attraction that guests look for in each hotel is a sculptural penguin in a bright color. 21c’s co-founders Brown and Wilson discovered Red Penguin at the 2005 Venice Biennale contemporary art exhibit, and the tradition began when they brought a flock of the tall plastic birds home to their Louisville 21c. “For us, the color is purple,” explained Briley. “The color purple was once exclusive to royalty, until a man figured out how to mass-produce the dye. Henry Ford [manufactured] the Model T and changed the world. That’s how we ended up with purple penguins.”
Purple penguins welcome visitors.
Into the Future The 21c Museum Hotel in OKC is not resting on its laurels. Two new restaurants are slated to open in 2022. One will be a pool bar, accompanying a new outdoor pool, and the other will be a fixed-price restaurant targeted to the occupants of the nearby apartments. As Wilson and Brown have witnessed with other transformations, 21c Museum in Oklahoma City inspired additional revitalization in the neighborhood. Apartments, shops, and restaurants have opened in the surrounding blocks. “We were really the first corporate inhabitants to start out there, in an area of great growth. It’s great to see 21c being the anchor and Jones Assembly being one of the best restaurants, along with Mary Eddy’s, then to see the apartments flourishing,” Hall explained. “We look forward to doing more in that part of town; we have the ability to do it and the property to do it, so we look forward to Chapter Two.” Chapter Two will undoubtedly include Hall’s daughter, Allison (so named for Fred Jones’ middle name), who is the fourth generation in the business. In 2018, AccorHotels of Paris purchased an 85% stake in the 21c company — but not the real estate — for $51 million, with Wilson and Brown retaining a 15% interest. “Once we began expanding, I dreamed of opening 21c properties in Europe [as well as] cities around the U.S. The possibility of worldwide expansion is exciting. We were delighted to partner with Accor and Ennismore because they have more expertise and resources to make that type of expansion
happen,” said Wilson. “It’s always difficult to a business owner to give up control, and it’s been no exception for me, but our greater ambition is to share the work of living artists. The ability to expand helps us to achieve that overriding goal.” Although each 21c Museum Hotel (nine open; two more slated to open) embodies the concept of art as a driver of revitalization, and each features a chef-driven restaurant, luxury hotel, and an “open door” museum, every location has its own special story. And very possibly, Oklahoma City’s is the most unique. With a century-old family business and a centennial building anchoring the present enterprises, this legacy may just be getting started. But just across the street to the north, stands a bronze statue of Fred Jones, commissioned by his grandsons and placed in 2020 to mark the centennial of Jones’ first business enterprise. Lest anyone forget who started all this, Jones — affectionately dubbed “the Skipper” by his employees — is still looking after things. The Ford assembly plant turned Fred Jones Manufacturing Company building lived to thrive in an exciting new chapter, in an adaptive reuse the likes of which Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown have been championing since before their initial 2006 21c success. “21c OKC is a living example of why it’s so important to give these buildings new life rather than tear them down,” Wilson said. It’s not just the American dream — it’s a tale of classic Americana. ROUTE Magazine 33
DESTINATION
By Olivia Miller Photographs by David J. Schwartz - Pics On Route 66 34 ROUTE Magazine
ALANREED
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lanreed, Texas, is one of those small High Plains towns where the wind blows long and hard and the scattered low-slung buildings seem to cling to the earth so they don’t uproot. Surrounded by sparse grazing land, the residents are a tough breed of people that also cling to the soil. With grit and determination, some families hang on to ranches against all odds, while others do the same with small businesses. But one family with a historic surname — Crockett — has survived more than their share of disasters to hang onto both ranch and business in Gray County, Texas. In its heyday, Alanreed was a popular stop between Amarillo and Oklahoma City. The town was originally laid out based on plans for the Choctaw, Oklahoma, and Texas Railroad. Founded in 1900, the town was previously known as Gouge Eye, reportedly named for a bar room brawl, but later received its current name derived from the contracting firm for the railroad, Alan and Reed. The town reached its peak of about 500 residents in 1927, thanks to an oil boom and the creation of Route 66. The population ebbed and flowed until 1977, following the construction of Interstate 40, when it dropped to a mere 60 residents and zero businesses. “Like most of our small towns, it’s a dying town. In its time, it was a great town. It still has a population, but I would be surprised if it was still in the double digits in the actual city limits,” said Dora Meroney, Secretary and Treasurer of the Old Route 66 Association of Texas. Double digits or not, tiny Alanreed has the look about it of simply being out in the middle of nowhere, perched on a hill above Interstate 40, motorists zooming by below. But the owners of the Alanreed Travel Center, Dixie and David Crockett, haven’t seemed to mind — they’re used to the relative isolation, whether at their travel oasis, or at home on their ranch north of nearby McLean. Dixie knew that some travelers would always seek out her colorful, quirky treasure of a travel stop. For 37 years, she operated the Alanreed Travel Center — a Conoco gas station plus general store, post office, RV park, and motel. Travelers would stop for necessities, but also because they’d heard about the very personable Dixie Crockett, a woman beloved by the regulars of the Mother Road. At age 78, she’s finally retired – but she’s happy to talk about how she got to Alanreed.
A Cowboy Love Story Dixie Jo Burroughs grew up an army brat — her dad served in World War II — so Dixie was moved around the country from a young age, her family finally settling in McLean, Texas, for her high school years. As a young woman she wasn’t quite sure what the future held for her after graduating, but she did know one thing: she was going to marry a cowboy. 36 ROUTE Magazine
“When I was a little girl, I was going to be Cinderella. And then after that, I was going to marry Roy Rogers. And that didn’t happen, so I was determined to find me a cowboy, and I found a good one. His name is David Crockett,” Dixie laughed. The couple is celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary this summer, but their love story began when they met in high school in McLean, only eight miles from Alanreed. David was a football player and the son of a Texaco oil distributor; they lived on one of the quiet streets of smalltown McLean. However, David soon discovered that his passion was for ranching. A couple of local ranchers and rodeo cowboys took him under their wings — in the summers, he’d help a local family with their cattle — and the couple’s future began to develop. Just a few days after her 18th birthday in 1962, Dixie married her cowboy. In the early days of their marriage, the couple purchased five acres — the beginning of the Crockett Ranch — from David’s grandfather. But as some of their aging neighbors were willing to sell additional acreage, the Crocketts finally found themselves with an operating cattle ranch — and a son and two daughters. Dixie stayed busy with her children, her home, and her passion for antiques and dolls, which led her to open a store called Yesteryear. “My husband cowboyed and ranched, he loved that. [At first] I stayed home with the kids, but I love anything antique, so I opened a store in McLean. When I-40 bypassed McLean, that was the end of that,” said Dixie. “We decided that if we’re going to survive, we needed to get something other than agriculture to keep us going.” That’s when Dixie’s husband, David, discovered a diamond in the rough.
The Alanreed Travel Center In Alanreed, about ten miles away from their ranch, stood a deserted gas station with a small restaurant and motel. “My husband drove by it, and he came home that night and said, ‘There’s something sitting up there in Alanreed that could really help us,’” Dixie said. “But it was left abandoned.
Dixie Jo Crockett.
Whoever had it before us just walked off and left it. The electricity was turned off, everything was left in it, it was a disaster.” Nevertheless, the Crocketts were ready to give it a shot. They met with the property owner, Johnny Holton, agreed to lease it, and sealed the deal with a handshake. Holton’s father had purchased the motel-and-station complex five or ten years earlier, and the Holtons had watched their business tenants struggle until they simply vacated the property. The provenance of the buildings is a bit murky — no one can seem to remember the original business, but 1965 has been put forth as the year it might have been built. “We came up there and knew nothing about running a gas station. So, we just had to clean it and get a new image.
We were just determined to make something go,” Dixie added. And make it go, they did. A renovation was required to change the building from a restaurant into a general store and post office. Dixie became the mastermind behind the travel center, hatching ideas and hiring workmen to bring them to life. “My husband is not a carpenter. He can do stuff with cattle, but he’s not a house carpenter,” said Dixie, but they set their sights on what the outcome could look like and pushed forward. While she prepared to open the business, David continued to run the ranch, along with son Brock. The travel center opened in 1985, boasting colorful murals and quirky signs such as “your husband called and said you can buy anything you want!” to bring tourists in off the road. It worked. The quaint oasis brought in customers both ROUTE Magazine 37
local and far-flung, and her charming ways ensured that many of them would come back again. Dixie began selling Exxon gasoline, but soon switched to an affiliation with Conoco. The gas station may be the main reason travelers stopped, but Dixie knew how to make them stay. The motel’s doors were adorned with hand-painted murals of traditional western Texas scenes. A cowboy and cowgirl silhouette leaned against the entrance to the trading post, where visitors could find postcards, beer, wine, and eccentric Texas souvenirs. The “Alanreed Jail” — small as it was — stood outside, just waiting for photo ops. A guest’s stay was carefully designed to be something to remember. “We did anything we could to draw attention, we tried to make it appealing and a fun place for tourists to visit,” said Dixie. “I had a mock election for the past five presidential elections. Anybody coming down the interstate could vote, they only had to put their state or country. It was a lot of fun.”
Life on the Range When the family moved to Alanreed from their ranch in 1985, the open land was what their kids missed the most. Going from the country lifestyle to living right off the interstate, the young cowgirls and cowboys missed the ranch and leaned towards their father’s way of life. “We had always lived out in the country, riding horses, and Alanreed was kind of not in the country, it was right off I-40; it was a lot different,” said Juliana Sadler, the youngest of the three Crockett children. “They had struggled financially. My dad would do the ranching part and my mom… that’s the whole reason of her having to go there. We needed another source of income, because the ranching business wasn’t doing very good. So, it worked out really well.”
As enjoyable as it could be, it wasn’t always an easy road. In 1970, the travel center was hit with its first tornado and then again, 20 years later in 1995. While there wasn’t complete destruction, the Crocketts still had to cope with the aftermath. Then, a mysterious fire destroyed the living quarters of the motel around 2000. “I was working in the store and looked out and there was fire coming out of our living quarters at the end of the motel. We didn’t really ever know… It destroyed one room in the living quarters,” said Dixie. “But we are the NGU bunch; ‘Never Give Up.’ I had some help. David didn’t ever run it, but he helped in any way he could, whenever there was something major broken down. For a while, I had some employees, but as time went on it got harder to find [people].” But Dixie did find some help, somewhat accidentally, in a long-time customer. Leigh-Anne Isbell had known the Crocketts since she was 12. She grew up near the Alanreed Travel Center. As it was the only place nearby to buy alcohol, Isbell would tag along with her dad on his trips there. “My dad would drive out there and it was kind of an adventure for us, it’s nine miles away, and her store was always so neat, with all the different things she had in there. So, it was an adventure for us. ‘Hey, we’re going to the beer store with daddy,’ and he’d go get us a snack and get a beer, and we’d visit with them,” said Isbell. While working as a curator at the the Devil’s Rope Barbed Wire Museum in McLean, Isbell discovered that the Crocketts were going out of town and needed someone to run the travel center. Her boss initially volunteered her, but Isbell chose to stick around long after the Crocketts returned. “They’re a really good family. Dixie’s just quirky. They had so many stories of the people they’d met. It was neat to see all the different [folks]. They’d come in and say, ‘We met the Crocketts years ago, so now this is a stop for us, we always stop here,’” said Isbell. “It was a local place that I grew up going to with my dad, and then when I left and went to college, when I’d come home, I would always make a point to go to the store, because they had Texas souvenirs and things like that. I always made a point to go and buy souvenirs and take them back with me when I went out of state.”
Trying Tragedies and Solemn Good-byes
Inside of the store. 38 ROUTE Magazine
Extreme weather hit the Texas Panhandle in the summer of 1995, in the form of strong storms and a rare F-5 tornado. Three generations of Crocketts sought safety in their storm cellars north of McLean while the tornado wreaked a path of destruction nearly a mile wide, including on their four houses, barn, corrals, wagons, and livestock. It would have been a
hard blow, but this is Texas. Refusing to be beaten, the Crocketts rebuilt everything. A worse tragedy struck the family in the 2017 Panhandle Wildfires. While working on the Franklin Ranch, grandson Cody Crockett and his girlfriend Sydney Wallace were moving cattle when the winds suddenly changed, killing the young couple. “He was certainly a cowboy and loved it. He was doing what he loved,” said Dixie. The tragedy brought the Crocketts closer together, and nearly four years later, in 2021, Dixie knew it was time to close the travel center and The motel rests quietly on the hill above the highway. spend more time with her family back It took a while to make the sale, but on February 24, on the ranch. After working nearly every day for 37 years, 2022, Johnny Holton sold the property to Daryl Duke, working on her feet everyday only got harder. She was in a construction company owner from Wellington, Texas, her mid-seventies when her decision was further solidified where Holton also lives. Duke plans to do some remodeling as David was thrown from a horse, putting him in a nursing and has not yet announced a reopening date for the home for a month, and soon after, Dixie broke her back in business. seven different places. As for the Crocketts, with eight grandchildren and two “I should not be on my feet for very long at a time. [David] great-grandchildren, they plan to spend their newfound was hurt for a long time, and he still has some effects from time with their close-knit family. In true cowboy fashion, that, so it was just time.” The Crocketts’ decision to close in David plans to continue ranching into his 80s while Dixie August 2021 was just what their children had been yearning will continue to foster her own passion for antiques, making for, as they worried about their parents’ health and welltheir McLean home the perfect oasis for their brood, just as being. they did for travelers for nearly forty years. The ranch suits “Everyone thought it was time. She had been there 30them all, as the family’s legacy of cowboy life flows through some years, a long time. They’re older, it’s just a lot of work. the Crockett family genes, and the couple’s children and They’re strong, strong people and they worked through every grandchildren all developed a love for the lifestyle. bit of it. They just never really got to do a lot, and [travel] While the doors of the travel center may be closed for a lot, so I’m hoping that they can relax more and enjoy life now, the spirit of the Crocketts illuminates Alanreed in more,” said Juliana. visitors’ memories. What could now be considered a ghost town was a beloved stop for many, whether it was a fatherInto the Future daughter snack run or a lonely traveler looking for a warm As the Crocketts announced that they would be closing, conversation. The Alanreed Travel Center will live on in the property’s longtime owner, Johnny Holton, listed the their cherished memories for all that it was, but mostly for property with a realtor, announcing that he was also in the the heart and soul of its owner — Dixie Jo Crockett. process of retiring. The Crocketts had been Holton’s tenants Dixie and her cowboy have clung to the land and to each for 37 years. other for 60 years now. As they reflect on their struggles “Someone right now is looking at the travel center. I don’t and triumphs, their travel center waits quietly on its windknow what they want to do with it. I know they want to keep swept ridge for its next occupant, who hopefully will give it it as an RV Park, but I don’t know what exactly,” said Dixie. another 37 years of life. “I hope they keep it just like it was. Any way I can help, I’ll be happy to do it.” ROUTE Magazine 39
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ROUTE 40 ROUTE Magazine
DISCOVER CLINTON, OKLAHOMA
WHERE ROUTE 66 TRULY COMES ALIVE!
• HIS TORI C HOTE L S• D IV E RS E D INING• •M OHAW K LOD G E IND IAN S TORE• •THE WATE R ZOO•
www.clintonokla.org ROUTE Magazine 41
H
istorians, preservationists, and researchers have explored and documented much of the length of Route 66 and its myriad landmarks. But an aura of mystery still surrounds a handful of enigmatic locations, brushing evidence — or lack of — aside for legends and myths. The quiet remains of one such building stands cloaked in mystery between Luther and Arcadia, Oklahoma. About the Old Rock Conoco Station, few facts are actually known, but the legends and lore run rampant. Its roof and canopy long gone, the rock walls and pillars may hold secrets about this place, but they’re not giving them up for those who want to know what happened here. Located on old Route 66 five miles west of Luther, the Old Rock Station is also known as the Rock of Ages Station for the farm that it adjoins. No one seems to know the exact year that it opened, but it’s believed to have been built in the 1920s, back when there was no electricity to power the station. The pumps were fed by gravity from 55-gallon drums. Candy was sold when the temperatures were low enough to keep it from melting, and soda was available when the iceman had dropped by with a fresh block. But this purer vision of innocent classic Americana doesn’t quite fit with the station’s corrupt reputation. “According to the legend that I’ve verified with some other elderly folks that live in the area, they had some folks stop and fill up one day and they told them how they could make a whole lot of money and they sold them these plates. And so, in the back room, in addition to selling gas out front, they were making, I think, $10 bills from these plates,” said Linda Simonton, owner of the Rock of Ages Farm, and now, the old Conoco station. As the story goes, the two brothers who owned the gas station built a counterfeiting office in a secret back room. They had a good operation going for a time, until they were caught in Oklahoma City trying to circulate the counterfeit bills, thus ending their money-making operation. To further
42 ROUTE Magazine
the saga, an unidentified body was allegedly found soon after on the property. There doesn’t seem to be much evidence to support the local tale, but word of mouth keeps the myth circulating. “I’m a little skeptical in that as the story goes, they had a counterfeiting printing press in the back room of the station, but the only problem is, the station is very small and on the back wall was a fireplace, and behind that was basically a rock embankment, so I have trouble understanding where this backroom would’ve been,” said Jim Ross, Route 66 Oklahoma author and historian. While the tale has the station closing in the late 1930s, the only known photograph shows two men with a dog out in front of it, still in operation in 1940. Previously owned by Sam Gillaspy, who shared the legends with the local community, the station’s ruins are now owned by Linda Simonton; both are on the Board of Directors of the Arcadia Historical Society. “It was offered to me by Mr. Sam. I was the only one he would sell it to because he knew I would care for it and maintain it, and let him stay there under supervision. He is still living in the house and there are people checking on him a couple of times a day. He’s 94 years old,” said Simonton. “Mr. Sam keeps that thing meticulous and swept out. He and his second wife ran a park in there. My plan is to restore that park. It had a zip line in it, and a big slide, and a swing. They entertained groups like the Scouts. He’d bring them out, give them a tour, he had swinging bridges over creeks. All kinds of really cool stuff.” Will a children’s park help to dispel the old tale of crime and murder? Mythology and mysteries are sometimes part of an aura that is hard to shake off. And, despite no known evidence to prove any part of the counterfeiting tale, the story persists. But while the station’s past may be hazy, the future is quite clear. This little piece of lost treasure along Route 66 in Oklahoma will be welcoming visitors for a long time to come.
Image by David J. Schwartz – Pics On Route 66.
RO C K O F AG E S
44 ROUTE Magazine
A CONVERSATION WITH
Jim Belushi By Brennen Matthews
Opening image by Tyler Maddox
ROUTE Magazine 45
I
t is funny, as audience members, how we connect with actors at times. They may exude an arrogance in every role that they play, and we don’t really like them, or come off as overly serious but intractable, and we respect them. Others, though, strike us as being warm and friendly, the nice-guy type. These are the people that we would love to sit and have a beer with after a long day. They’re like you and me, a regular person, but who has a really unique job. They create a sense of familiarity, and we generally find ourselves rooting for them, regardless of the role that they are portraying. Jim Belushi is one of these guys. Born in the Windy City in 1954, and the younger brother of iconic comedian, John Belushi, he has been in the entertainment business since the 1970s and has appeared in over 150 projects. And whether representing a “good” guy or a more unsavory character, with each and every role, audiences have connected more to him. It’s been said that art imitates life. Perhaps it is true that what we see on the screen is in fact a true depiction of who people really are, their natural tendencies automatically coming out in film, which I tend to believe is the case. Now, in true Jim Belushi form, the actor has taken on a new challenge that while unexpected (as an actor), fits perfectly in line with who he is as a person — a gregarious, good guy from Chicago, Illinois.
You were around 16 at the time, which coincided with the first time that you saw John perform in Second City, right?
Your brother John developed a passion for comedy and entertaining people from an early age, but you also had the vision. What was your household like growing up, with you as the younger brother watching John make his way into the spotlight?
Well, first of all, my dad had no idea. He just didn’t get it. I mean, he would just stare. He really had no idea. My mom, on the other hand, it was a status jump for my mom. My mom grew up during the war. She was an honors student in high school and then got sucked right into Rosie the Riveter and sent the money to her parents. Women took a beating back then. [It was] hard to get an education. My mom was smart. She always regretted not going to college, and then when the women’s movement came, she embraced it. She goes, “I’m not gonna just sit at home. I’m smart. I am somebody.” It was very meaningful to my mom. Very meaningful. It made her not feel so low in the world.
I gotta be honest with you, I mean, he was five years older than me, so he was a senior when I was in eighth grade. So, it wasn’t like, hey John, can I go with you? We didn’t really hang out. And we had a philosophy in our house: eat and sleep there. That’s it. So, we went out for football, wrestling, theater, you name it. We were never at the house. I was a fan. I saw him do his first performance when he was in the eighth grade. There was an album called The First Family, a comedy album, where they’re making fun of the Kennedy administration. And there was a little clip in there of [Nikita] Khrushchev giving a speech and banging his shoe, and John memorized that and mimicked it perfectly, in the eighthgrade variety show. And I remember seeing that show at Edison Junior High and seeing John, and that moment you knew, this guy was special. When he left high school, I came into high school. When he left, the theater director also left. The new theater director was also the speech teacher and didn’t know anything about John. Nothing. I had to give a speech on a Monday morning, and I didn’t prepare my speech. So, I got called up, and as I’m walking up, I come up with this idea of playing a hippie. There was a Vietnam moratorium the day before, October 15th, in downtown Chicago, so I just got up and I turned, and I pretended to be a hippie. I was like, “Hey man, where were you? Why weren’t you at the moratorium, man? You know, this Vietnam thing, man?” and I raptured the class with my performance. I got an F on the speech, but that night that teacher, who was the theater director, asked me to audition for his play and he cast me in the lead. And that was the start. 46 ROUTE Magazine
I was a freshman in 1968. Yeah. 15, even. 15, 16. That was the best show ever done at Second City. John was brilliant.
Was that the aha moment for you, when you knew that you wanted to be a performer? That’s where I came up with the phrase, “hey man, how do I get in on that?” I’ll tell you what it was; and it’s a phrase I’ve been using of late. It was magic. It was magic. When I first went on stage and heard the first laugh, my body went into this kind of adrenal, dream state. It was magic. I’ve been chasing magic ever since. When I saw that magic in Second City, I said, “John, I’ve never seen anything like this. How do I get in on this?” I went and watched every show at Second City six, seven times. I had those scenes memorized. So, when I came to Second City, I knew all the scenes in the touring company. Just chasing magic. Saturday Night Live, magic. It’s magic on my farm. Magic in acting, magic on The Blue Brothers. I just chase the magic.
Your parents immigrated to America from Albania. How did they respond to all of the fame that John discovered?
Have you ever been to Albania? Yes. Five, six times. I went with my dad. He hadn’t been there for sixty years.
It must have changed quite a bit? Well, it changed in the times that I went. I went in ‘95 and there still were not that many cars on the road. The infrastructure was terrible as far as electricity and water and — Albania didn’t even know they were free for two or three years when the wall went and [Enver] Hoxha died. It was a slow start up. Now [Edi] Rama’s doing a great job for Albania. But it’s changed. Now, there’s traffic jams, every Albanian has got three cell phones, it’s crazy. They’re in the modern world finally. I took my dad up this winding mountain to this little village, it almost looked medieval. They were all there waiting for us, and they pulled up chairs and we sat on the mountain. I said, “Are you happy, Dad?” He said, “Yes, I’m happy.” I said, “Who was that woman you were talking to?” He said, “I used to like that girl.” I said, “Ooh, young sweetheart!” He loved her when he was 16. I said, “How was it?” He goes, “You know, she doesn’t look the same.” I said, “Dad! Of course, she
doesn’t look the same, she’s sixty years older!” (Laughs.) He remembered her looking one way for sixty years.
You grew up in Chicago but made the move west after some time? I had done Thief and Trading Places and The Man with One Red Shoe and Salvador, I did it all out of Chicago. My wife-to-be at the time, turned to me at one point and asked, “What do you want to do, Jim?” I said, “I want to be in movies.” She said, “Where do they make movies?” I said, “LA, but I don’t have to go to LA. I can do it from Chicago.” She said, “Why don’t you give it a year, and if you don’t like it, come back.” And I went, “I could do that. I’ve been on the road with Pirates of Penzance for a year. I could do location.” I moved there in 1986. About Last Night came out, and I never left.
There is a great story behind how About Last Night came about for you.
It was the first big movie for you. That was it. It made me, I made movie after movie after that one. Anyway, I thought that was a funny exchange with John. “Wouldn’t you rather have someone in your family do it?” No! No! Leave it for me! So, I think he protected me a little bit. I don’t know.
You’re quite close with Dan Aykroyd and were close with John Candy. Did you get to know them through your brother? There’s an old saying: when you drink the water, remember the men or women who dug the well. I’m drinking a lot of water, and my brother John, he dug the well. When he dug, the water rose, and I drank. I went to Second City after him, went to Saturday Night Live after him, I met some of the greatest creative people and friends in my life through John. He was a trailblazer for many comedians and writers, but also for me. Dan Aykroyd and John Candy were the two men who came up to me at John’s funeral and said, “Jimmy, I’m really sorry about you losing your brother. If there’s anything you need, you let us know.” And it was so crazy, I can’t believe those are the only two people that said that to me. But they put their arms around me and cared for me. And I developed the most beautiful relationships. And Danny literally forced me to join the Blues Brothers with him. And that was like, cracking open my chest, taking my heart out, and massaging it. It just gave me passion and inspiration again, and a beautiful friendship. ROUTE Magazine 47
Image courtesy of René Besson.
I did this play called Sexual Perversity in Chicago. It was a big hit. I had done a series for Paramount, and they wanted me to do another series, and I said, “I want to do a movie. Can you get me into a movie?” So, they sent Don Simpson to see the show in Chicago. He flew in, saw me in the play, and we went out and had drinks after. He said, “Wow, this play is great. You should make a screenplay out of it.” And I go, “Oh, okay.” So, I go back and my two producers, young guys, this is like the second show they’d produced, asked, “What’d he say? What’d he say?” And I said, “He said we should make a screenplay out of it.” They went and hired Denise DeClue and Tim Kazurinsky, spent $110,000, wrote a script, and gave me the script. I go, “I’ll give it to Don.” Sent it to Don, he read it, he loved it, and then I didn’t hear from him, or the producers. They made a deal with the producers, and then we didn’t hear from them. [Then], I get a call from my brother John, “Hey Jimmy, how you doing?” He goes, “Uh, listen. Simpson and Paramount just gave me this script called Sexual Perversity in Chicago. They want me to do it.” I was like, “John, come on, man. What are you talking about?” “Yeah, they want us to do it.” I go, “John, this is my character. I developed this character on stage.” I said, “I can’t eat a cheeseburger, lift a samurai sword, I can’t do Marlon Brando, the Godfather, you ate all that stuff up on Saturday Night Live. This is mine. Leave it the f*ck alone.” He goes, “No, Jimmy, they’re not gonna give it to you. Hollywood, it’s heat-seeking missiles. And Danny [Ackroyd] and I are hot right now. We get every script. It’s a good script.” I said, “Yeah, it’s a good script!” “Danny and I are thinking about doing it.” I said, “Don’t you do it, man. Don’t you do it!” He goes, “Jim, you don’t understand Hollywood. They’re not gonna give it to you.” I said, “Don’t do it! John, come on, man. It’s mine. Leave it alone!” And he said, “Jimmy, if I pass on it, and Danny passes on it, you know they’re going to offer it to Billy Murray. Now, wouldn’t you rather have someone in your family do it?” I said, “You a**hole. Don’t do it!” He goes, “Ah! You don’t understand Hollywood!” and he hung up on me. I don’t hear from Paramount… I believe Billy Murray did get the script, and I believe John, I don’t know this for a fact, but I believe John said, “Let Jimmy have it.” Six years later, I [finally] get cast in it, and that’s when I become a movie star.
I really don’t remember, but I remember the memorial! It was great. Danny got up there on the pulpit at Candy’s memorial, right? And he did a reading — he didn’t sing it — of Oh, Canada, but he did it like a Shakespearean poem. It was so moving and beautiful. Then when we went to the cemetery, we got out on the 405, right, and there wasn’t a car on it. The police had blocked off the highway for Mr. Candy. We were in the limo going, “Johnny, are you seeing this? Are you seeing what you’re doing to the 405?” Johnny. John. My poor joy boy John. He was joyous to the last moment. I gotta tell you, he was so giving and generous and kind. One time we went to a Teamster’s convention, and we had to get back into the city to film — we were doing Only the Lonely — and we were walking out, and people were crowding around us wanting autographs, and John was signing every autograph. I said, “John, we gotta go. Come on, come on, come on!” “Jimmy, one more, just one more.” We were late because he signed every autograph. I said, “John, you gotta be able to cut them off.” And he said, “Aww, no, Jimmy. You don’t want to hurt nobody’s feelings. They’re excited.” He was just so sweet.
You joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 1983. That was a big opportunity, but I reckon, a scary one. Nobody in my realm wanted me to do it! I went, “You’re nuts! Of course, I’m gonna do it! I’m a Second City actor! This venue, improvisational actors created this! I’m a fan of the show. Who wouldn’t want to be in the show? I’m gonna do it!” They said, “You’re gonna get killed for it because John was on it.” And I went, “Let them kill me.” [But] people were very warm and loving to me when I did that show. And by the way, the first show I did, John Candy was the host. And he came down on the Monday and he went, “Jimmy! Jimmy Belushi! So good to see you!” I said, “How are you doing, John?” and he said, “Oh Jimmy, I have a lifestyle change. I’m not eating pastas no more, no more, Jimmy.” A lifestyle change! He was so funny. (Laughs.) Anyway, he said to me, “What do you want to do?” and I said, “Well John, you’re the host of the show. What do you want to do?” and he said, “No, Jimmy Belushi, no sir. This is your first episode on Saturday Night Live. What do YOU want to do?” I did six scenes with him that first episode. Danny, and him, they’re brothers to me. And again, going back to it, the water I drank, John dug the well and brought beautiful love into my life.
What was your experience like on Saturday Night Live, the first time in front of the live audience? Oh my god. I can’t even explain what goes through a performer’s head on Saturday Night Live. I mean, there were 48 ROUTE Magazine
twenty million people watching. Live. I mean, people I went to kindergarten with were watching. If you start thinking about that stuff, you just go into shock and your body just stops. You go into trauma. So, you gotta just focus on your lines, focus on the actor next to you, focus on the audience, just to stay present. It is really an exercise in perseverance, endurance, and what I consider pure stupidity. Like, who in their mind would go and perform in front of all these people? Be judged and criticized. Plus, with the overriding pressure, the iron bar pressure of being John’s sibling on Saturday Night Live, you know? So that was an out of body experience. I always say that Saturday Night Live was the toughest thing I ever did, including divorce. Tougher than divorce. But it was also like, the MASH unit of comedy. I learned so much, it was like a graduate program for me.
By that point, some of the guys that started the show had already left. Who was still around that you took the most from? I loved Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall; they were wonderful to work with. You know who was really kind to me? Eddie Murphy. He’s just a stand-up guy. He could see my nerves and he made time for me. He was a big, big star, and I was a little, little guy, and he just made time for me. He looked me in the eye and asked, “How are you doing?” You know, I’d pitch him ideas, I did Trading Places, and he was just a gentleman. A gentleman.
Your brother had a big impact on you. You seemed to have learned a lot from him and the other comedians around you. There’s a guy in Chicago who owned a tavern that all the journalists used to go to. It’s right there by the Sun-Times and Tribune building. All these people used to drink like fish there. Now, when John was alive, this guy had a sign up that said: “Cheesebuga cheesebuga cheesebuga John Belushi Saturday Night Live.” And he was telling everyone that John got the idea for the cheeseburger sketch from him. Now, I know that John got it from my dad, right? He was actually playing my dad, and my dad’s place was called Olympia Lunch. So, I’m all pissed off that this guy’s stealing this. So, I go to John and said, “This guy, man, can you believe it? He’s saying that you came up with a bit from him. He’s making this up, man, he’s capitalizing on it. Let’s go bust the guy.” And John goes, “He wouldn’t have taken it if he didn’t need it.” He just turned and left it. I always remembered that.
Chicago is famous for many reasons, but it is actually the traditional starting point for Historic Route 66. Have you driven any section of the iconic highway? I did! When I was 16. My friend Art Smith and his parents, they were campers. And they had one of those campers that they hooked onto
Image courtesy of Tyler Maddox.
It was very sad when John Candy died so suddenly. Do you remember where you were when you found out?
the back of the car; it was square, and it would open up. And for two weeks we took 66, and many other highways, all the way to the Grand Canyon, and then we came back through Bryce, and you know, the Four Corners. That was the most memorable trip of my life. They were very, very nice people. Very religious. Evangelists. The community I come from, Wheaton, they had as many churches as gas stations. I grew up in a community where I was surrounded by these very beautiful religious people. These Evangelists across the street from me, the Macys, were the nicest people I had ever met in my entire life. They got me into Pals and Pioneers, so I had a real sense of community, and that’s where any kind of spirituality began, and my sense of morality… my sense of storytelling comes from those experiences in Wheaton. The Smiths were that way, too. We did a little Bible study on that road trip. I was 16, so I wasn’t really into it, but I sat and listened, and I’m grateful for it now.
You lost your brother at a pretty young age. How would you define that time, especially for you as a young guy, trying to wrestle with the tragedy? It’s like throwing a hand grenade into a family, the shrapnel hits everybody in the family differently. Everybody deals with that trauma differently. It blows up — the number one fear in life is death, the number two fear in life is the collapse of family. That’s a really big question because as you know, I’ve had 40 years to think about it, so I have lots of answers. For me, the whole world knew. I couldn’t run and hide. Everywhere I went, people would say, “I’m sorry for your loss, sorry for your loss, we loved him, we loved him,” you know? So, I was constantly in a pathway of healing and a journey of experiencing this trauma. I also found that over the last 20 years, I’ve had a lot of people, the number’s really high, of people who approached me at shows and grocery stores, and it’s really always the same, they talk to me for about ten minutes, and then they feel safe, and then they reveal to me that they’ve lost their brother, or their sister, to an overdose, or a tragic accident. And they’d look to me for some guidance. And I went, “Okay, I have purpose here.” And I sit with them, and I talk with them, and I answer questions, and I say, “the journey never stops.”
It must have been difficult at least in the first ten years, having to continually live in that shadow, and people not letting it go. Oh, the first ten years? Yeah, I struggled with that. And then one day, I stopped, and I just embraced it. People said, “These are big shoes to fill,” and I went, “Yeah, but I like his shoes.” “What’s it like being in the shadow?” I go, “You know, when you’re in Arizona and it’s 115 degrees, you sure do want to stay in the shadow, don’t you?” I love the shadow. I love it. I let it embrace me. I celebrate it. It brought a different energy, a new understanding, new elevations of me as a man. I just roll with it, and I get taken to places that are really joyous, and very giving. I just let it come.
Where are you at now? I have my own career, my own persona, and through the challenges, I’ve fought through them, I’ve earned my place in this industry. I’ve earned my place in Oregon here within
the cannabis industry, but, come on… John’s my brother, but he’s like the Michael Jordan of comedy. He was beautiful. I’ve never been in competition with him. I’ve just been a fan. He was really, really special. He was my brother, and he was just huge. I mean, one year, he had the number one album, number one TV show, and number one movie. It was so cool.
You have three kids. How has the journey of being a father been for you? It’s extremely emotional for me. Because of the traumas that I’ve experienced, it’s really hard to not let that get in the way of parenting. And I have to admit, it’s gotten in my way. I’ve done a lot of study on addiction, and I know it starts with sugar. It starts with the endorphins that sugar… I used to get into fights with my wife like, you can’t have all this Captain Crunch around. You can’t keep feeding them sugar. You don’t want them to make choices that you know from experience can lead them down the wrong way. So, it was tough, it was actually what broke the back of this marriage that I’m currently out of, the parenting point of view. We disagreed. I’m all about character, values, accountability, responsibility, and she’s all the other stuff, which is sweet, too. You know, social life, being nice…
Your youngest, Jared, just turned twenty years old! He’s a damn good kid. My daughter, Jamie, too, I’m so proud of both of them. They’re in Growing Belushi!
You know how difficult and heartbreaking the entertainment business can be. Obviously, you want to protect them. How do you feel about each of them being in the industry? I don’t understand why they chose it. I thought about it a lot. Maybe they chose it for the reason I chose it, too, because John dug the well and showed that there’s a possibility. The other thing I think about is that they see me having this grand life, I’m very wealthy from it, they’re seeing how easy it was — in their eyes — they don’t know the struggles I go through. “Hey man, I’m gonna be rich and famous! It’s so easy! Look, my dad did it!” But, trust me, my daughter called one time before a performance when she was at NYU, and she was just out of her mind. I went, “Baby, I told you, this is not an easy profession. You could be waiting tables right now, bartending, you could be in the fashion industry, you could be all these things, but you chose this. And I told you, I’m telling you, I’m a lot older, I’m 40 years past your point in your career. And I still get crazy before a show. It doesn’t get any better.” And I said, “I warned you, but if you can do it, the fear spirit is a thin veneer that’s right in front of your eyes. But right through that veneer is courage. And you gotta bust through that fear to the lion of courage.” And I said, “You’re giving your fear too much thickness. You’re making it like a redwood tree. You’ll never get through it.” She gets it a little bit, but they don’t talk to me about it. It’s like, “I’m the best coach you can get!” Nah, they don’t want anything to do with me. I said, “You don’t think that Kirk Douglas helped Michael Douglas?” Come on!
Has the whole empty nest syndrome hit you yet? I am living it, and I gotta tell you, nobody ever warned me about this. It’s not a big discussion. ROUTE Magazine 49
I’ve studied addiction; I’ve studied all kinds of things, but the empty nest thing was never really ever talked about. I’m going through heavy withdrawal, because I threw myself into parenting. I was lucky, I did eight years of According to Jim where I was home all the time. I was at every game, I went to every show, I took them to school, I picked them up, dinners, vacations. I love these kids. I was so involved in the parenting. And now I’m like… It’s like I’m lacking that sense of family, and I get a little depressed about it. I’ve got the show, and I’ve got the farm, I’m doing movies, I’ve got great friends, and I can travel, I got all that stuff, but there’s nothing that runs deeper in a man than his children.
I feel like the media, the court system, and the entertainment arena is leaning more towards discounting the significance of fatherhood, as an almost easily dismissible part of the family. I think that fathers are critically instrumental to the fabric of the family. I am with you 100%. I’ve been pushed to the side all the time. (Laughs.) Yes, we are instrumental, damn it. And most men hide it, but there’s a lot of hurt that carries on. When you have children, they never tell you about all the hurt that comes with it, too.
Has the midlife crisis thing caught up to you as you’ve gotten older? I never really had time to think about it in the 40s, 50s. I’m kind of an in-the-moment type of guy; I’m doing what’s in front of me all the time. But when I hit 60, I think a depression started. You start looking at how many years you have left. What are you going to do with those years? I’m a frugal guy, I’m not a spender, and I’ve saved up a lot of money. I’m going to give it to my kids, I guess. But my cousin is like, “Get a new car!” “But my car is nice, I like it.” “Get a new car! Spend it! What’re you gonna leave it all to them for? Come on, have a good time! You’ve earned it, have fun.” So, I buy nicer cigars. (Laughs.)
You can’t take stuff with you, but you can leave it to the people you love to make their lives fuller. Yeah, as long as it gets fuller, and as long as they still have a good work ethic, which I think my children really do. Have a sense of value, a responsibility to the community. You know, you don’t want them to just live off of it.
Growing Belushi has been a great show for you. You’re successfully incorporating humor and interesting dialogue into each episode. What got you into farming and why Cannabis? It was an accident. Just an accident. I own this beautiful, spiritual property. The farm next to me came up, and I bought it, now I have 93 acres and a river. I didn’t know what to grow and Danny Aykroyd, he was like, “Cannabis became legal, let’s do agriculture.” Danny introduced me to Captain Jack, and I just started growing. As the relationship developed with this plant, I’ve grown, it’s been a spiritual journey for me. One day I was going to a dispensary with some cannabis to sell, and to do a personal appearance, and there was a line 50 ROUTE Magazine
of people. I usually walk down the line, give them a little tap on the shoulder and say, “I’ll see you inside,” and there was one gentleman that I caught his eyes, and he had long hair, a beard, blue eyes, thin, very Jesus looking. He looked at me, and I just stopped, and I said, “Are you ok, man?” and he said, “You know, I’m a veteran, and I was a medic in Iraq. I saw things that happened to the human body that nobody should ever witness.” He said, “I have what they call triple PTSD. I don’t even know what that means. All I know is I can’t talk to my wife, I can’t talk to my children, and I can’t sleep. And they gave me a bottle of 600 Oxycontin at the veterans hospital, but I couldn’t do it, and I came to cannabis.” And he goes, “And your Black Diamond OG is the only strain that allows me to talk to my family and sleep.” And he teared up, and hugged me. And I said, “I didn’t make this.” And he said, “No, but you’re a steward.” And that was a paradigm shift for me. That’s when this moved from an entrepreneurial business thing to wait a minute, there’s something important going on with this plant. There was this woman with 106 bones broken in her body from a car accident. She takes cannabis instead of pills. Hospice people that are on morphine, at the end of their life, that can’t even see or talk — putting them on an edible of 100 mg their pain subsides, their eyes are clear, and they can relate to their families. Last week, in Oregon, universities discovered that there are components in the cannabinoids, the CBD elements of cannabis, that are preventing COVID. So, the medicine just keeps going on and on. Everybody knows somebody who’s struggling. Screaming inside. Everybody turns to medicine. What medicines are out there? So, all I’m saying is that cannabis is a medicine, a [potential] pathway to healing. So, it’s purposeful to me, this medicine. And this TV show is an entrepreneurial thing, of course, but it’s also about the education — I call it edutainment.
From your experience, are you finding that there’s a wider acceptance of cannabis now that it was made legal? Well, listen, my generation counts for almost 50% of the sales. I’m at dinner at my mother-in-law’s house. My wife was out of town, my mother-in-law said, “Oh, Jim, maybe he’s lonely.” I wasn’t, but… so I’m having dinner with her. She’s 80, her boyfriend’s 84, there’s another couple there, one guy, Sam, who’s 84, his wife, who’s 80, the other couple was 79 and 81. And me. The most conservative people you’d ever want to meet. So, I’m a little nervous because I’m in the cannabis business. I thought these people would be… so it comes up that I’m in cannabis. These six people all leaned into me. “You know, I golf, and my hands hurt, and I can’t grip it.” And I go, “Well, there’s a good CBD salve.” “Can you get me some?” The other woman is like, “You know, I don’t sleep.” And I said, “Well, you can do some gummies.” Another one, “I was an Olympic athlete, my shoulder still hurts.” I was like a pharmacist. I literally went home, went through my closet, and brought them all these products. They are my best friends [now]. They sent me bottles of champagne. Be sure to catch season one and two of Growing Belushi on Discovery.
ROUTE Magazine 51
BOB’S GASOL
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LINE ALLEY Photograph by Nick Fox
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E
ver since the birth of classic American roadways, small towns and their unique stops along the way have contributed to the iconic status of these old interstate corridors. Roadside communities hold on to treasured locations that define the culture of classic Americana. One of these special towns, located just off I-44 in southeastern Missouri—along the old tracery of Route 66—hosted the largest collection of historic Route 66 gasoline memorabilia in the Midwest. While the one and only Bob’s Gasoline Alley is no longer open, the City of Cuba will never forget the impact of one man’s passion. As a child, Bob Mullen held a deep fascination with American roadways. Born and raised in Cuba, he spent much of his time sitting on his front porch, watching the cars on the highway whizz by. He often wondered where they were going, and why they tried to get there so fast. Throughout his adult life, Mullen was a key part of the goings-on in Cuba. He owned several businesses, ran fundraising events, and generally did all that he could to make his home a better place to be. But in 1995, he started something that no one, least of all Mullen himself, expected would garner the world’s attention. He opened Bob’s Gasoline Alley, a place to display and sell the plethora of Route 66 gasoline memorabilia that he and his wife had collected over the years. “It started with an Anheuser-Busch pitcher,” Darlene Mullen, Bob’s wife, said. “We had a garage full of stuff and we wanted to start a room full of cookie jars. Someone gave him this pitcher with little turkeys on it and that was the first thing to go in there.” For over 20 years, Bob and Darlene continued to grow their collection of vintage Route 66 memorabilia. They gathered neon signs and clocks, vintage gas pumps, signs advertising anything from gas stations to brands no longer found in the modern market. They expanded first from their garage to an old barn on their property before finishing the construction of a new building. As the collection grew, the Mullens began bringing in not only vintage pieces from the Mother Road itself, but also many items that held historical significance locally. “We had the booth out of the Hen House, the bar out of the Rainbow Motel in Cassville, just a lot of local history,” said Darlene. “We had the largest collection in four states, and so many people would come to visit. Channel 5 from St. Louis came and did a big piece, all kinds of magazines, all these stories and stuff. And it would draw people from all over.” People arrived from Australia and Japan, all across Europe, and even from the Caribbean island of Cuba. It amazed the couple that so much interest in their town and quiet destination was being shown. Bob’s Gasoline Alley was a must-stop for thousands of people a year, including many who would return year after year to enjoy the unique collection, the company of Bob and Darlene, and the food that Darlene would prepare for them. The Mullens hosted everything from funerals to weddings at Bob’s Gasoline Alley. There was no better place to stop for Route 66
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enthusiasts and tour groups, and his wit and sense of humor made him part of the attraction. “He definitely had a following,” said Lori Malcom of the Cuba Visitor Center. “Campers, people traveling in RVs, bikers, they would all come by, or see his place off the highway and stop to see what it was all about. He was such a prominent member of the town, and my first year living here he invited my husband and me to the town Thanksgiving dinner they do every year. He just made everyone feel welcome.” Sadly, in early March 2020, Bob Mullen died suddenly in his home at age 67. His viewing was one of the largest that Cuba has ever seen. Up and down its stretch of Route 66 that day were classic cars belonging to the nearly 900 people that filled the Knights of Columbus event center. After his death, Darlene wanted to continue Bob’s legacy for people to enjoy. However, within a week of his funeral, it became obvious that that wasn’t an option. Unbelievably, people began stealing signs and other items from Bob’s Gasoline Alley in the middle of the night. The attraction was located on Bob and Darlene’s own property— and with trespassers raiding the place in the middle of the night, Darlene and her family made the difficult decision to close Bob’s Gasoline Alley for good. “It would have been nice to keep it open for a while for my sake,” said Darlene. “It was bad enough losing him so suddenly, but to have people coming and stealing things, I just didn’t feel safe. For my own well-being I had to close it.” The next question that followed was what to do with a huge — several large buildings’ worth huge — collection of Route 66 memorabilia. The easiest answer was to hold an auction, and on July 15, 2020, Aumann Auctions held one — both in person and online. Of course, Darlene kept some things for herself, but no longer is there a room filled with cookie jars and an old turkey pitcher. There are no neon signs, no shelves filled with miniature animals and cars, no old advertisements for Coke or alcohol, and no more of the vintage gas pumps that made Bob’s so special. But to this day, there are still many people who don’t know of the Alley’s closing or even Bob’s passing. Many of his repeat visitors have been unable to come, and others are simply unaware. Some of the Route 66 tour bus groups still have the Alley on their itinerary, and the Cuba Visitor Center often gets calls asking about it. “He touched a lot of people’s lives,” sighed Darlene. “Everything that happened out there, that was all by accident. But we’d collect stuff and share it all. He truly loved going out and helping people, and we would have fundraisers all the time. That was just who he was.” Despite Bob Mullen’s passing, his memory, and the memories that he imparted to the thousands of people who visited his collection, lives on. Just like the winding path of the Mother Road that he loved so much, the vast assemblage of memorabilia that was Bob’s Gasoline Alley will be remembered as a staple of classic Americana.
DEVILS ELBOW, MO
Today 10:18 AM
“Taking off now. Have some stops to make!”
CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULE. GET TO PULASKI COUNTY, MO! Ready for a road trip of breathtaking twists and turns that will take you back in time? Take your pick of drives down Route 66, through historic Fort Leonard Wood, and along the Frisco Railroad line. Then fill up at unique (and oh-sotasty) diners before heading off to uncover even more rare finds at countless antique shops. So, book your stay and get ready to play on a road that you’ll always remember. Plan your trip, complete with downloadable turn-by-turn directions, at pulaskicountyusa.com. ROUTE Magazine 55
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s the post-World War II era ushered in a period of unprecedented economic growth, American families took to the road with fervor. As these primarily middle class people motored in all directions across the American landscape, they issued an unspoken tourist preference: they would much rather stay in modern roadside motels instead of the older high-rise hotels known for serving passenger rail traffic. By 1947, there were 22,000 motels in the US, vestiges of first-generation auto travel. Only three years later, that number had swelled to 50,000, and peaked at 61,000 in 1964. The Baby Boom was in full swing. Moms, Dads, and their progeny were off to see America, with neon signs and guide books the only way they knew that there was lodging down the road. It was around this time, in 1959, that one of today’s most respected Route 66 motels opened its doors in Moriarty, New Mexico. Bill and Elaine Pogue built their Sunset Motel one brick at a time on the east end of town, sharing the same optimism that fueled a nation to keep spreading its wings. And it’s still in the same family today, carefully nurtured by Mike and Debbie Pogue.
Home on the Range Situated along the farthest reaches of the Llano Estacado, the gently sloping plateau that extends into West Texas, the land and climate looked like heaven to Irish immigrant Michael Timothy Moriarty. He, his wife, and three children had left their homestead in Iowa in 1887 in search of more hospitable weather. Here, on this gently rolling grassland, there was nothing as far as the eye could see, aside from the Sandia Mountains to the west that separated them from Albuquerque. Despite the hardships of there being no modern amenities like railroads or a post office in the vicinity, the Moriarty family sunk a tap root and became sheep and cattle ranchers, like the other settlers had done across the wide open expanse. Soon however, by 1903, the population had increased enough to warrant a post office and Mr. Moriarty became its first postmaster, and the community named in his honor. Moriarty passed away in 1932 at the age of 91, several years before Route 66 became the town’s Main Street. In 1916, Mr. and Mrs. Hubbard C. Pogue arrived from Pearl, Texas. They homesteaded land near Willard, about 30 miles south of Moriarty. Mr. Pogue’s health considerations had promnpted him to move to the semi-arid climate; Mrs. Pogue gave birth to Jack in 1917, and Hubbard “Bill” Jr., in 1918. By the 1920s, with auto travel growing rapidly, roads were carved, including New Mexico Route 6 running east-west, and Route 41 on the north-south axis. Although federal 60 ROUTE Magazine
highways were created in 1926, it was not until 1937, that Route 66 was realigned through town along old Route 6. Moriarty grew rapidly. Both Jack and Bill left Willard by the mid-1930s; Jack became a paratrooper, while Bill sought work before ultimately finding himself in the Navy at the onset of a world war. The elder Pogues moved to Moriarty during this time in 1939, and by the next year had opened the Yucca Motor Court along Route 66 near the center of town. It was a prime location for capturing the small but growing number of road travelers. It was into this setting that five young women — among them 20-year-old Elaine Boswell — arrived in Willard from Central Texas (1944), and went to work for the Civil Aeronautics Administration at Otto Airfield about six miles north of Moriarty. An emergency runway had been built in the 1920s to serve first-generation contract air mail pilots running between Los Angeles and New York City; she served as an air traffic controller. That pretty young woman’s arrival set the wheels in motion for what would one day become a multigenerational family steeped in the hospitality industry.
A beautiful New Mexico rainbow above the motel sign.
Bill Pogue came to Moriarty in 1946, met Elaine, and dated her off and on. Elaine then took leave to go to Eastern New Mexico University, and Bill would visit her there. They married in 1947 in Moriarty. On the day of their wedding, she resigned her position at the runway, and Bill, who had been an airman in the war, took the job. Bill and Elaine then welcomed sons Jack in 1949, and Mike in 1951. The couple noticed the increasing post-war traffic along 66, and realized that they could open their own motel without cannibalizing revenues from his parents at the Yucca. While still working the midnight shift at the airfield, Bill and his young sons built the Sunset as a family. The airfield closed in 1961, and Bill made the motel his full-time occupation. Starting first with only two rooms on the east side of town, the family slow grew the property by four and then six rooms at a time through 1969, when its final configuration of 18 rooms was reached. As tourists motored west, the Sunset Motel was among the very first businesses they saw upon passing the city limits sign on 66. The sun was rising on Moriarty, and the Pogue family wanted to bask in those rays.
The Boomerang Effect “I was born and raised here. I understand it inside out,” Mike — the youngest Pogue — explained as he began to wax philosophic about ‘his’ New Mexico. Quoting Nikolaus Tinbergen’s Curious Naturalist, he read aloud: “We lived in the place long enough to have experienced it under a variety of circumstances and moods. And gradually, every single minute aspect of the landscape acquired significance.” But in spite of such intimate knowledge and understanding, Mike’s professional journey has followed the flight path of a boomerang, not once, but twice. At the age of 21 in 1972, he headed east to New York City. With a newly minted accounting degree from the University of New Mexico, he took a position with Price Waterhouse in the financial district. His father had passed away earlier that year, leaving the Sunset in the hands of Elaine. But the future of the Sunset became very uncertain, as Elaine increasingly had other plans that did not include the hospitality industry. She put the motel up for sale while she ran it alone. However, they didn’t receive a single nibble. ROUTE Magazine 61
One day the family’s banker told Mike that it was becoming increasingly apparent that it was he who should take the reins. In 1975, the banker arranged a loan for Mike to buy the Sunset from his mother. Mike’s brother Jack had no interest in the family business, leaving Mike to be an absentee owner with onsite managers hired to handle the day-to-day operations. With energy to spare, Elaine pursued a paralegal degree at the University of New Mexico, and in 1978 she ran for Mayor of Moriarty. She won, and wound up serving two consecutive terms, the only female Mayor in the town todate. That same year, Mike and his mother bought the Yucca Motor Court, along with the small café/gas station out front. Elaine opened a fabric shop in the café with one of her former airfield co-workers; ultimately the hotel was demolished in 1992, and the entire property sold in 1997. A dollar store stands there today. It was in New York City, and on a blind date, that Mike met Debbie Easters in 1983. She was a freelance illustrator living in Manhattan. Their romance blossomed, and they married in 1986. In 1989 their son Mac was born, yet they remained remote motel owners for many years. In late 1996, opportunity beckoned Mike to California where he served as an interim CEO for a Silicon Valley tech start-up company and others. The family had relocated to Moriarty around this time, but Mike left Debbie to run the Sunset while he attended to his duties on the West Coast. Meanwhile, Debbie found that adjustment to motel management in small-town Moriarty had its challenges. The stresses of frequent trips there and back caused Mike to find a house in California for his family, which they occupied around 1999. With the Sunset once again being run by residential managers, Mike started Last Mile Research in 2006, a company that provided guest support services at high-end resorts and hotels. Around 2010, though, the duo realized that they needed to return to Moriarty once more, this time 62 ROUTE Magazine
to begin much-needed renovations on the motel. “We probably put $500,000 into [the motel] over the last 10 years,” said Mike. But it was worth it, because their online reviews skyrocketed, and now they run the motel in the black. More importantly, Mike came to realize the value of his father’s words back when the motel was brand new. “When we were kids, we would come in from school at 3:30. My Dad came in and told us to go out and sweep the sidewalks,” he recalled. It took decades for the value of that exercise to sink in, because it pushed Mike and Jack to be outside where they mingled with the guests as they were unpacking and relaxing. In so doing, they learned how to see “their” New Mexico through the eyes of strangers. The sidewalks may have been swept clear of the detritus that blows across the high desert, but the pathways of their young minds were also cleared to learn new things from new people. “I now understand. We’re an 18-room motel. We didn’t have air conditioning then. People would sit outside and enjoy the evening cool.” His father had told him, “The entire world is passing through Moriarty. Go meet them. Tell me what you see.” And in so doing, Mike came to know New Mexico all the better. Little did Bill and Elaine know in 1959 that the motel they set out to build with their two sons would still be in business 63 years later, much less in the same family.
On the Big Screen New Mexico has a long history as a popular filming location for movies and television shows. Reaching back to the 1930s and the spaghetti westerns filmed in the Four Corners regions, to sometimes a dozen projects filming at the same time in nearby Albuquerque, the state has become renowned for its generous tax incentive program that is one of the best in the nation. The Sunset has benefitted from both the mystique of being a vintage roadside motel, as well as those incentives. Numerous projects have been filmed there precisely because it is a period property. “Netflix, which is growing in this area, has been the production company that has selected our location lately,” said Mike. While exterior shots are the primary domain on-location, because interior shots require ample room for lighting and cameras, Netflix’s sprawling soundstage in Albuquerque offers the opportunity to build the set of a motel room that is designed to accommodate all of that equipment as the “fourth wall” so to speak. From the 2010 Sundance Film Festival selection The Dry Land that was produced by America Ferrara, to several 2021 productions involving Matt Dillon (Land Of Dreams), Angelina Jolie (Those Who Wish Me Dead), and Queen Latifa, Ludacris, and Beau Bridges (End Of The Road), and
a forthcoming indie film by Leslie Thomas, the Sunset has been a highly sought after filming location. But the best known movie shot at the quaint venue, and certainly the favorite of the Pogues, is 2016’s Hell Or High Water with Jeff Bridges. “That was a lot of fun. He was an amazing gentleman, and set the tone for the whole crew,” Debbie continued. “They came in, knocked on the doors of everybody in the neighborhood, and invited them to come have a meal there at their canteen. They even brought an ice cream truck for all the kids.” Running a motel that is also a frequent filming location brings its own challenges. Sometimes the entire motel must be closed down for filming, and while production companies pay for such access, it disrupts the normal flow, and sometimes potential customers are left looking for other accommodations, but it has its upsides, too. “It’s fun, and it just seems to keep going,” Debbie smiled. Although it can be frantic at times, they appreciate the free publicity that is garnered by being seen on television and the silver screen.
No Sunset in Sight Every family-owned business understands perhaps their biggest challenge: succession. The elder Pogues were fortunate in that Bill, and later Debbie, would step up to the plate to continue operations. Although Mike and Debbie were in and out of Moriarty multiple times for sizable periods, they always hired competent managers to maintain the same tradition of high quality service.
The motel has become such an integral part of their lives now that they cannot picture themselves not being there to welcome guests, especially the many who return each time that they pass through town. But eventually, they will retire, and Mike and Debbie have given thought to whom they will hand the baton. Their son, Mac is in his early 30s and living in New York, is not terribly interested in the hospitality business. Like Mike when he too was young, he has his own dreams. But there are some cousins in Texas with whom Mike and Debbie have already spoken about the possibility of an eventual transition. More importantly, they have made a vow. “We won’t wind up passing it off to a corporate fat cat who’s going to try to milk it for everything it’s worth,” said Mike. “But it’s a conversation Debbie and I have been having a lot recently. It’s time to start checking things off the bucket list. That said, we’ll probably stay in the game as long as we can. We enjoy it. We don’t want to let go of the family of customers we have garnered over the last 60 years.” In retrospect, there was something in the semi-arid air that Hubbard Pogue, Sr., breathed. It instilled an entrepreneurial spirit that became part of the family DNA. From his humble beginnings with the Yucca, to Bill and Elaine’s bold move to open the Sunset, to Mike’s sense of family responsibility to keep the fire burning, the Pogues are serving Route 66 travelers like they have always done for more than 80 years. The nighttime skies over Moriarty may be a star gazer’s delight, but the sun isn’t going down on the Sunset any time soon.
You are always welcome at the Sunset Motel. ROUTE Magazine 63
DON’ T FORGET
The little area does not offer much these days to cause people to remember it, even though the famous song says to. But there is one thing: the bridge. Located along the old 66 (known as Townsend-Winona Road), about one mile northwest of the Winona townsite, this well-preserved Parker through truss bridge has been calling out to travelers since 1924. That was two years before the birth of the Mother Road, but already the highway had been carrying significant amounts of traffic. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, and while it has not been used for vehicular traffic for decades, it is still easily accessible to those on foot. A small pull-out provides safe parking for those taking what is one of the most common photographs along 66. And rightfully so, because looming in the westward view is Humphreys Peak, standing 12,637 feet tall and a stunning backdrop to Flagstaff. It is the highest peak that motorists will see that is directly adjacent to Route 66. Even the majestic Mt. Taylor near Grants, New Mexico, is 1,300 feet shorter. “The old truss bridges on Route 66 are fast becoming a rarity,” said Jim Hinckley, author and Route 66 historian. “They are a tangible link to the evolution of Route 66 and are crucial to preserving the idiosyncratic nature of a drive on this iconic highway.” The bridge’s name may be a little misleading, because it only spans a tiny dry creek at this location. The canyon proper is situated farther south in Walnut Canyon National Monument south of I-40. The creek flows for 34 miles in a general northeasterly path, ultimately draining into the Little Colorado River. When early 66 travelers were plying this road, though, they were likely to actually see water flowing through the channel, especially in spring and early summer as mountain snows melted. In fact, this little creek was once considered one of the most reliable water sources in what is surprisingly a very arid area. But two dams were constructed farther upstream in order to provide a municipal water supply for Flagstaff. After the 1941 64 ROUTE Magazine
construction of the Upper Lake Mary Dam, all water flow ceased, except for during summer’s monsoonal rains. In other words, such an elaborate bridge would never have been needed if it had been built less than two decades later. The bridge itself is 101 feet long, with a roadway of 19 feet. Bridge enthusiasts are quick to note the distinction between this and other through-truss bridges. What sets a Parker bridge apart from others is the use of a polygonal top chord. That’s an engineering term describing the curved top, which other truss bridges — flat along the top — lacked. This design allowed for savings in construction materials and placed the greatest depth of the truss right in the center. This is where strength was needed the most. While there are variants of this bridge design, the Parker model (named for C.H. Parker who developed it in the Mid-19th Century) proved to be among the most popular. It was used extensively well into the early decades of the 20th Century. Few remain today, though, making this specimen a rarity. “They provide photo ops that blur the line between past and present,” Hinckley added. This section of 66 brings motorists into the long grade up the Arizona Divide, which is just west of Flagstaff. While that ascent actually starts around Winslow, it is shallow at first. Early travelers would have noticed the gradient change, though, in their Model As and Ts. One thing that was probably lost on those early motorists, along with many a modern traveler, is the significance of the Walnut Creek and the civilization that once lived along it. The Sinagua were a pre-Colombian culture who lived primarily between Flagstaff and Sedona to the south. Their name—coined by an archaeologist in 1939—means “without water” in Spanish. Historians have long been surprised that an entire culture could proliferate in an area with only seasonal water flows at best. The cliff dwellings of the Sinagua are accessible at the nearby national monument. All the more reason never to forget Winona, this bridge, and the people who were here long before the automobile carried modern travelers. That musical bard was on to something.
Image by David J. Schwartz – Pics On Route 66.
W I NONA
ROUTE 66 · OLD WEST HISTORY · DINOSAURS · RAILROADS
HISTORY YOU CAN TOUCH.
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SUNFLOWER STATION
R
oute 66 is famous for its many larger-than-life roadside attractions and historic neon, motels, and eateries. The iconic road is dotted with dozens of notable stops that draw visitors from around the country and world every year. And we are blessed to have them. But for every fantastical destination along the Mother Road, there are dozens of quieter ones that, while not quite as famous, hold a magical energy and history of their own. One such stop has found a home in a small dusty western Texan town whose own claim to fame is being the geomathematical midpoint between the Eastern and Western Termini of Route 66. That’s pretty cool. The town is Adrian, Texas, a quiet Panhandle community with one main street that runs straight through it. Route 66. This street, this town, has long been visited due to another business that still calls to motorists today, the Midpoint Cafe. And it too has a story, a story that connects it to its lesser-known neighbor, Sunflower Station. The origins of the unassuming station are murky. What is known is that when Jesse Fincher and Dub Edmonds purchased Zella’s cafe (later the Midpoint) in 1956, they also got the derelict station in the deal. They renovated the station, adding the MidCentury canopy. Jesse operated the cafe while Dub ran the station, selling Enco gasoline. The cafe changed hands several times, and the station ownership turned over too, to the Adrian Co-Op, and then to propane dealer Larry Loveless who used it for his fuel trucks. Into this scenario arrived the determined Fran Houser in the 1980s. Houser grew up in Massachusetts, but later moved to Big Spring, Texas. Fran’s uncle in Adrian owned a ranch, whose manager became her second husband, moving her to Adrian. After they divorced ten years later, she stayed – but she was looking for something to do. And the cafe was for sale again. She bought it, calling it the Adrian Cafe, but soon recognized its geographical advantage and renamed it the Midpoint. Fran had so much business that her customers took over Loveless’ parking lot. They worked out a deal — Fran purchased the station, but Loveless kept the garage and re-located it. Then, the little station sat idle for a while. “I sold the cafe in 2012. I went on trips, visited family, went back to Adrian, and I thought, ‘Well, I’m bored. I need
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to do something.’ So, I renovated the station and turned it into a gift shop,” said Houser. Fran certainly “did something” with Sunflower Station. Although the desert-tan of the exterior matched its I’min-the-middle-of-nowhere surroundings, Fran’s cheerful decorating contrasted. A little turquoise paint, an old faded red truck which attracted stickers and autographs — and of course sunflowers — brought visitors to browse the antiques and souvenirs inside. In 2020, Houser moved closer to Amarillo to be near family, thinking that she’d drive out a few times a week to run the shop, with friends lending a hand. But ultimately, she closed the doors. Then in 2021, Kelly and Jason Snyder came along. From Bellefontaine, Ohio, the couple took a second Route 66 trip in search of property in Arizona to purchase, but Kelly remembered the Midpoint Cafe and wanted to visit again. They noticed a “for sale” sign on the station next door and called the number listed. “When we were in Amarillo the night before. I said, ‘God, if we are supposed to be anywhere out here, show me the place.’ When Fran gave us the price, and it was exactly what we had in our bank account, I knew God made that happen,” said Kelly. “When I told her [Fran] what our plans were, everything clicked.” “They’re a perfect fit,” said Houser. “They are going to bring that station back to life, and I’m so glad they came along.” Jason has indulged his passion for building race cars in their Ohio body shop, but now he’ll do that on Route 66. He’s building a two-bay garage to replace the one that Larry Loveless took with him, while Kelly maintains the appeal of Fran’s shop. They plan to build cabins, attracting travelers through the Bunk-a-Biker community. Route 66, like most Texan communities has always been about people. Individuals come with ideas and dreams, invest and explore, and then they go, and new folks find their way into towns and businesses. Sunflower Station, like the Snyders, is beginning a new chapter in its life, and travelers will no doubt rise up to support it. And regardless of its next incarnation, the little stop will undoubtedly do Adrian proud.
Image by David J. Schwartz – Pics On Route 66.
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ROUTE Magazine 67
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ROUTE Magazine 71
PARTING SHOT
Scott DAHL What is the most memorable place you’ve visited on Route 66? I am a neon sign and Muffler Man hunter so anywhere the Mother Road provides these treasures. What did you want to be when you grew up? A pro athlete of course! Most famous or noteworthy person you have ever met? Willie Nelson. What characteristic do you respect the most in others? Integrity. Dislike in others? Self-absorption. What characteristics do you dislike in yourself? I can be impulsive at times. Who would you want to play you in a film based on your life? Adam Sandler. Talent that you WISH you had? Artistry, specifically wall murals. Best part about getting older? I find more clarity every year. What would the title of your memoir be? No Days Off. First music concert ever attended? AC/DC. What is your greatest extravagance? Loopy for Luplin. What is the weirdest roadside attraction you’ve ever seen? Mahuffer’s. Coolest muffler man in America? Buck Atom: Space Cowboy. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? More detail oriented. What do you consider your greatest achievement? Being self-made. Most memorable gift you were ever given? My dad gifted me his briefcase when I was promoted to a hotel general manager in 1993. What is the secret to a happy marriage? Never go to sleep mad at each other. Most memorable hotel/ motel that you have stayed at? Ramada Inn Galesburg. What breaks your heart? Animal cruelty. What is the last TV show you binge watched? Ozark. What is still on your bucket list? Pikes Peak Ascent. What do you wish you knew more about? Astronomy. What is something you think everyone should 72 ROUTE Magazine
do at least once in their lives? Take a long road trip. What fad or trend do you hope comes back? 8-Ball Leather Jackets. Strangest experience while on a road trip? Driving 30mph through a winter storm and not seeing another vehicle for six hours. What movie title best describes your life? American Underdog. Ghost town or big city person? Ghost town. Lake or ocean person? Lake. What does a perfect day look like to you? Early rise, long run, time with family/friends, and finished with a few beers around a fire pit at sunset. What is your favorite place on Route 66? Motorheads Bar, Grill & Museum. Best Abraham Lincoln connected spot to visit? The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. What is the most unexpected surprise about Springfield? The historic sites are free, and the city has a 4,200-acre lake. What would your spirit animal be? A hawk. Which historical figure — alive or dead — would you most like to meet? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. If you won the lottery, what is the first item you would buy? A mountain farm. First big-ticket item that you ever purchased? Engagement ring. What meal can you not live without? Seafood boil. Bizarre talent that you have that most people don’t know about? Back Hand Flip Trick. What surprises you most about people? The lack of environmentalism. What makes you laugh? Sarcasm. Most unknown (but should be) stop in Illinois? Sangamo Brewing in Chatham, followed by an eight-minute drive to Brick 66. What do you think is the most important life lesson for someone to learn? Walk your own path. What is one thing you have always wanted to try, but have been too afraid to? Surfing. What do you want to be remembered for? A life lived well.
Illustration: Jennifer Mallon.
Springfield, Illinois, is known for many things. Not only is it the capital of Illinois, but it is also the embodiment of the Land of Lincoln, boasting several odes to the �6th President, including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, a destination that has the most complete collection of Lincoln documents in the world. However, there is more to this historic All-American town. It carries a rich Route 66 history, with its own share of Mother Road attractions, including iconic Route 66 stops such as the Cozy Dog Drive In and the MaidRite Sandwich Shop, plus newer ones like Motorheads. Springfield is a stop along America’s Mother Road that deserves an ample chunk of time to explore and experience. In this quick-fire interview, we introduce you to the man responsible for celebrating this vibrant city, Scott Dahl.
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