America’s Most Loved

In the steamy late-summer month of August 1935, the world mourned. Banks and federal buildings shut their doors. The U.S. Congress let out for the day, movie theaters closed, radio shows went silent, Wall Street shuttered its doors, and newspapers around the world splashed headlines of the death of America’s favorite humorist, Will Rogers.

Flags were flown at half-staff by federal and state authorities. More than 12,000 motion picture theater screens went dark for two minutes at 2:00PM on August 22 in tribute. Newspapers and editorials called on then-President

Franklin D. Roosevelt to declare a national holiday and day of mourning to honor Rogers.

On August 15, 1935, Will Rogers had died in a plane crash near Point Barrow, Alaska, along with the famous

Oklahoma aviator Wiley Post, and grief spread across the world in a black wave of disbelief, tears, shock, and sadness.

As the news rocked the world that America’s top movie star, radio personality, and author had perished, the nation wept.

The impact that this humble man from Oklahoma had on entertainment, popular culture, and journalism at the time were such that the national mourning of his death rivaled the grief usually reserved for presidents and heroes.

At the time of his death, Will Rogers was perhaps the most beloved and respected man in the world. At the height of his career, he was the top radio personality, the #1 Box

Office draw, the nation’s most in-demand public speaker, and the most read newspaper columnist in history. He was a comedian and author of many books, a world traveler, and a staunch supporter of charities. At the Will Rogers Museum in Oklahoma, the history and the accomplishments of

Rogers, who famously said, “I never met a man I didn’t like,” keep his memory alive.

“For the first 40 years, people came here to pay their respects to Will Rogers. You walked in the door, you took your hat off, you paid homage to Will, and you reminisced about what he meant to your family,” said Tad Jones,

Executive Director of the Will Rogers Museum in Claremore,

Oklahoma. “But today, there are very, very few people alive Images courtesy of the Will Rogers Museum. who remember Will. So, everybody here now is coming because they’ve heard about Will from their grandparents, or they come because they know their grandparents loved Will.” Fortunately, the museum dedicated to one of the most beloved Americans in history is located right along Oklahoma’s stretch of Route 66. Tourists who may never have heard of the man who was once the top entertainer in the world now buzz through, thanks to the car clubs and bus tours that follow the Mother Road. “Because of Route 66, a steady flow of people come to learn about the history of Will. They get to see and learn about his life. Most people are amazed at what a big star he was,” said Jones. “But it’s getting harder and harder to keep that legacy alive.” William Penn Adair Rogers was born on Election Day, November 4, 1879, in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), the youngest of eight children, to Clement Vann Rogers and Mary America Schrimsher, who were both of mixedrace ancestry, white and Cherokee. His first lungful of air was drawn in a seven-room log home known as “the White House on the Verdigris River” near present-day Oolagah.

Will was a precocious child — sharp-witted but hard to control. Even as a toddler, he was a performer, and that spirit caused him to clash with his serious father, who wished Will to be more business minded.

“He was very restless. He had tons of energy, and he didn’t like school in the traditional sense. He loved to read, but he spent a lot of time goofing off and roping,” said Jones. “He was known for roping his friends and girls in the class.”

Will was such a character that his father tried different schools to straighten the boy out, including a military school. “He just got more demerits, because he liked having fun. He was kind of a class clown. That didn’t work too well for the military. You can’t be roping people,” Jones said. “He never got past the 10th grade, but he did have a passion for learning, and he became an avid reader. But when he was growing up, he loved roping and loved being a cowboy.”

In 1899, Will’s father eventually gave him his birthplace ranch, where he had grown up. Will ran the Dog Iron Ranch for three years before realizing that he didn’t particularly like the business side of ranching — he just wanted to be a cowboy. So, at age 22, he sold the ranch back to his father, and in 1902, took off with a friend to South America.

“When he got down there, he discovered that it wasn’t very fun being a ‘gaucho’ and living off the land,” said Jones. “Will’s friend had left and gone back home, so Will was by himself. But these moments are when opportunities arise.” Instead of giving up, Will loaded a bunch of cattle onto a boat and headed to South Africa. That proved to be a disastrous idea, and soon, the young cowboy was dead broke.

“He didn’t know what he was going to do, but he saw a sign for Texas Jack’s Wild West Show. They were looking for somebody who could do trick roping. Will spent his whole growing up roping. So, he applied for the job, and that was his first foray into show business,” Jones added.

Will had a way with the audiences, and he became a wellknown roper on the Wild West circuits, performing in South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia before moving back to America. He landed in New York City in 1905, joining the vaudeville crowd as a trick roper after pulling off an act of daring that only Will Rogers could do.

One night in April 1905, Will was at a show in Madison Square Garden when a wild steer broke free of the arena and began barreling through the crowds in the viewing stands. Will sprang into action and roped the steer, which earned him front-page fame from the newspapers. The crowds loved him, and Will was signed by vaudeville producer Willie Hammerstein. For more than a decade, according to a 1915 New York Times article, Will worked for 50 weeks a year at the city’s myriad vaudeville theaters.

During his decade in New York City, Will married Betty Blake on November 25, 1908, and the two honeymooned in the “Big Apple” where Will was performing. Before his vaudeville career began, Will had met Betty in 1900 in

Will Rogers driving an early Ford Model A.

Oolagah. The two had corresponded regularly, and in 1906, Will finally proposed. Betty wasn’t quite sure about being the wife of a performer, but she accepted. Eventually, her reluctance to being a performer’s wife faded, and she became his staunch supporter and lifelong love.

Meanwhile, other trick ropers started coming into vaudeville, and Will knew he needed to expand his show. “So, one night, he messed up a trick and he made a comment, and people laughed. And he was kind of upset because trick roping was his craft,” said Jones. “People told him afterward, ‘No, no, that was good. You want people laughing.’ So, he started making mistakes on purpose, and had different lines that he would say to make people laugh.”

Observing the popularity of Will’s patter, Betty suggested that he start adding comments on the goings-on of the day to his shows. “That’s when his star just took off,” said Jones. “He became like Johnny Carson or Jay Leno or Jimmy Fallon. He hosted a show every night that was unique. People couldn’t wait to see who Will was going to make fun of that night.’” In 1915, Rogers signed on with Florenz Ziegfeld’s Midnight Frolic, a vaudeville revue that performed at midnight in the top-floor nightclub of Ziegfeld’s New Amsterdam Theatre. Appearing in his cowboy outfit and playing with his lasso, Will opened every night with the line, “Well, what shall I talk about? I ain’t got anything funny to say. All I know is what I read in the papers.” From Midnight Frolic, Will moved to the prestigious Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway in 1916. With a mix of good-ole-boy humor and self-deprecating fun, no one was safe from Will’s satire. Although he picked on both political parties equally and poked fun at the newsmakers of the day, he never came off as snide, malicious, or mean. The Follies was only the first step in Will Rogers’ journey to becoming the most popular entertainer alive. He performed with the Follies from 1915 to 1925, but thanks to his popularity and his witty monologues, he was soon noticed by the movie industry. His first silent film, Laughing Bill Hyde, was made in 1918, and for the next few years, producer Sam Goldwyn cast him in more silent movies. When sound films began, Will Rogers was among the first to become a true movie star.

“At the time, Will and Charlie Chaplin were the two most successful people to come out of vaudeville. Charlie Chaplin was the top in the silent movies and Will did what they call the ‘talkies,’” said Todd Vrandenburg, executive director at Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation.

Will made his first talking picture, They Had to See Paris, in 1929 with the Fox Film Corporation. He went on to star in other popular films, including A Connecticut Yankee in 1931, based on Mark Twain’s humorous novel, and State Fair in 1933. In total, Will starred in 71 films—50 silent films and 21 “talkies.”

So much more than just a movie star, Will also became a prominent radio broadcaster and political commentator.

“HERE WAS A MAN APPRECIATED BY ALL OF THE COUNTRIES; IT DIDN’T MATTER YOUR RACE, RELIGION, ETHNIC BACKGROUND, OR INCOME LEVELS. EVERYBODY LOVED WILL ROGERS”

Besides penning the most popular daily syndicated column in the U.S. (writing a total of more than 4,000 nationally syndicated newspaper columns), he authored six books. He was even nominated (but declined) to run for governor of Oklahoma and became honorary mayor of Beverly Hills in 1925.

“Journalists like to refer to Will as the original Tweeter. Will was sending out his daily telegrams all the time when he read the paper and had his observations. The wires would pick up those daily telegrams and all the newspapers would run Will’s quote of the day,” said Vrandenburg. “He really was the most popular person in the world.”

A Relevant Legacy

While the world mourned the death of Will Rogers, it also moved quickly to honor him. Will’s wife Betty built a memorial in Claremore, Oklahoma, which was dedicated in 1938 by President Franklin Roosevelt. In 1944, Will’s body was moved from California to be laid to rest at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum, along with his son Fred, who died at age two. That same year, Betty passed, and now rests beside her husband and son.

During the 1920s, Will had bought land in Santa Monica and built a home and ranch on 359 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean. After his death, Betty donated Will’s ranch, along with the 31-room ranch house with neighboring guest housing, a stable, corrals, riding ring, roping arena, polo field, golf course and riding trails, to the California State Parks system. In 1944, the Will Rogers State Park was created from his property as a historic park.

Keeping Will’s legacy alive more than 60 years later, however, is becoming more of a challenge. The Will Rogers Memorial Museum battles that challenge every day, as does Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry, Will’s great-granddaughter.

“It stuns me that people don’t know who Will Rogers is, but I guess time marches on. It’s hard, and that’s my job and role as the family spokesperson,” said Rogers-Etcheverry. “I just want to keep his legacy alive. I’m a co-founder of a foundation that we are starting in the California Pacific Palisades, which will support Will Rogers State Historic Park.”

Route 66 also keeps Will’s legacy alive. In 1952, Route 66 was dedicated as the Will Rogers Memorial Highway after the movie The Will Rogers Story debuted. The movie starred Will Rogers Jr. playing his dad, and the entire cast of the movie drove Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica in honor of Will.

Will Rogers with wife Betty and their three children. Visitors can learn more about “Oklahoma’s Favorite Son” at various museums and sites throughout America, including the 400-acre Will Rogers Dog Iron Ranch and Birthplace Home in Oologah, Oklahoma. Of course, the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore is the pinnacle of all things Will Rogers — it has the largest collection of Will Rogers memorabilia in the world, plus all of his writings. “Will Rogers was a great citizen role model, and part of what we do here at the Will Rogers Museum shows what kind of person he was. Here was a man appreciated by all of the countries; it didn’t matter your race, religion, ethnic background, or income levels. Everybody loved Will Rogers,” said Jones. “Why did so many people love him? He worked hard. He treated people with respect. He looked at the good in people. He didn’t take things too personally. He laughed. We share that if you can implement these traits, then you can succeed, have good friendships, and have a good and fulfilling life as Will Rogers did.” Route 66 has been home to many colorful personalities since its inception in 1926. Many of them have since passed on, but the legacy that they leave, and the impact and joy that they brought while here, well, lucky for us all, that just seems to linger on. Oklahoma’s Favorite Son. The Cowboy Philosopher. Every man’s friend. Not bad for a restless school drop-out with a penchant for roping anything that moved.

OASIS IN THE MOUNTAINS

OASIS IN THE MOUNTAINS

The road leading up to and crossing Arizona’s Black Mountains is a nail-biter. Guard rails are just wishful thinking, and the unending bends and curves are an apt metaphor of the struggle early travelers had in the bone-dry Mojave. It’s a segment known as the Gold Road, because of the mines on the western slopes en route to Oatman. It is a road that the Dust Bowl refugees would have followed on their journeys of hope. If they had not broken down by then, this climb might be what pushed their vehicle to its limit. It was christened Route 66 in 1926, and this stretch of highway, between Kingman and Needles, was legendary for taxing motorists as well as their fourwheeled steeds.

Which explains why about halfway up that grade, a roadside attraction known as Cool Springs has long beckoned drivers with at least the thought of a temperate break from the steady relentless climb. Cars routinely overheated in the intense desert sun. While the elevation change is not much for today’s vehicles to overcome, that could not be said a century ago. Kingman sits at a little more than 3,300 feet, but the road quickly drops to about 2,200 feet outside of town as motorists mark their entry into the Mojave. It is then that climbing begins in earnest. The summit of the range — known as Sitgreaves Pass — is at nearly 3,600 feet. Couple the steep gradient with hellish summer heat, and motorists could only pray to make it over. The actual springs, once frequented by indigenous people and located across the road, were not as important as the contemporary oasis.

Today, thanks to restoration-minded Ned Leuchtner, Cool Springs still serves motorists on that lonely ribbon of pavement, even if modern autos have much better cooling systems.

The original rock structure was built in the 1920s by N.R. Dunton, selling much-needed fuel and oil to those daring to continue west. Eventually, a cafe, bar, and cabins were added.

Cool Springs was then sold to James Walker, a native of Huntington, Indiana, who had himself moved west with his family. He added the cabins and made improvements to the station. His wife, Mary, cooked and ran the cafe, with chicken dinners becoming her signature dish. After only a few years and a contentious marriage, James Walker returned to the Midwest and left the station to his thenwife. Mary married Floyd Spidell in the 1940s, and the pair continued to run the business together.

Route 66 was rerouted in 1953, though, with a straight shot from Kingman to Needles, via Yucca. The terrain was much gentler, and motorists took to it quickly. Cool Springs suffered, but managed to hang on, if only for a little while. The Spidells split up, with Floyd receiving the station. Unable to take care of it alone, he asked his niece and her husband, Nancy and Chuck Schoenherr, to move in. They ran it until 1966, when it was finally shuttered. Later that year, it burned down.

To add cinematic insult to injury, the entire complex was blown up in the filming of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s 1991 action film, Universal Soldier. Production crews built a makeshift station around the ruins, which served as prop for the detonation.

But there was still another chapter in the old bones of the historic oasis when Ned Leuchtner, aged 60 and then a real estate broker in Chicago, bought the place in 2001, after stumbling upon the ruins and curious rubble, and repurposed Cool Springs as a tourist destination and gift shop.

“I have always been fascinated with history,” said Leuchtner. “When I was a kid, we would take road trips up into Wisconsin. I was fascinated with the old gas stations. To break into the real estate market, I had to take the properties that the other brokers did not want to deal with. That’s how I got to know gas stations and their old owners.” Then in his middle age, Leuchtner was starting to think about potential retirement. “That was the mindset I took with me out to Kingman in 1997, to look at some vacant land. Something went through me when I was out there. I told the real estate guy I was working with, ‘Hey, find out what happened and who owns this site.’”

After a month, the realtor had located an elderly woman in Lake Havasu City, but she wasn’t interested in selling. When Leuchtner came upon the site, all that remained was a pile of rocks, some concrete slabs, and the original stone pillars, but he was committed. Finally, with persistence on his side, the owner finally acquiesced in 2001. That woman — Nancy Schoenherr — was the surviving spouse of the couple who ran Cool Springs many decades earlier. They became close friends. “She became a grandma to me,” Leuchtner said fondly.

It took another three years of hard work to painstakingly rebuild the desert stop, culminating with its reopening in 2004. “It marks the first time that the lights were on there since 1966,” Leuchtner recalled. “The hardest thing was to get power back. It took three and a half years. When it burned down in ‘66, they chopped down the power poles.”

While there are gas pumps out front once again, they are merely decoration and photo op, a convincing flourish that Leuchtner included in pursuit of authenticity. Today’s Cool Springs is strictly a gift shop and a place to pick up a cold drink. Although Leuchtner has never lived on-site during his ownership tenure, he has always had a resident manager or tenant to run and secure the place. Leuchtner hopes to retire soon and has plans to build a couple of condos made to resemble the original guest cabins. He would live in one, and perhaps allow a caretaker to reside in the other, thus placing him personally along the Mother Road.

The Gold Road is rather quiet these days, used only by a handful of locals and intrepid Route 66 travelers who desire a taste of Arizona’s desert history. The Black Mountains loom in the distance and the rusting relics of unfortunate vehicles that crashed long ago down in the valley below shimmer in the relentless sun. This is a quiet country and Cool Springs is still very much the needed reprieve for motorists that it has always been.

America’s Enchanted Highway

When local school principal Gary Greff noticed the decline of his town’s economy, he decided to take matters into his own hands. There wasn’t much to see or do in his little North Dakota town of Regent; it was slowly becoming another victim of time and technology. However, instead of giving up and letting his hometown fall into decay, he created something that would put it back on the map and make it a bonafide destination in its own right.

In 1989, Greff started building the first of what would become seven giant metal sculptures spanning 32 miles of highway near Regent, North Dakota. His goal: to draw people from the interstate about 30 miles to the south. He had no experience in welding or metal working, but that didn’t stop him from creating the pieces of roadside art that now stand prominently along a stretch of road known as the Enchanted Highway. He drew inspiration from the world around him and from what could be found in North Dakota, constructing fantastic images of birds, fish, grasshoppers, and other nature-inspired scenes.

“My first inspiration was when a farmer out of town made a man out of metal, and it dawned on me that the ranchers and farmers of the Midwest all had to know how to weld,” said Greff. “So, I thought, let’s use that to our advantage. Nobody’s going to drive thirty miles out of the way for normal sculptures, but what about the world’s largest?”

Greff certainly took that idea and ran with it. He always wanted to make giant, unusual sculptures, but some weren’t very feasible. Eventually, though, he completed his first creation, “Tin Family,” in 1991, depicting a whimsical rendition of a farmer with his wife and son. From there he was on a roll. As of 2002, “Geese in Flight” held the world record for the largest scrap metal sculpture. At its highest point, “Deer Crossing” measures up to 75 feet tall. Each art piece, according to Greff, is slightly unfinished. He hopes that whoever takes over after him will have the same vision and continue to expand his highway.

As word of Greff’s art project spread, tourists soon began arriving in Regent from all around. When the Regent School closed—which also happened to be the school he worked at until leaving to begin work on the Highway—the building was left vacant. This was a golden opportunity; there were no hotels in Regent, and visitors were pouring into town.

“I figured that if Regent was ever going to be a destination, we would need a place for people to stay. We bought the building and totally gutted the inside and converted it into a hotel. We added a tavern and a steakhouse, and I wanted to tie it into the Enchanted Highway. I thought, what ties into the word enchanted? A castle.”

Alongside his hotel, Greff hopes to continue building Regent’s reputation with more sculptures and a metal art theme park. Greff’s vision and determination to bring his town back to life resonates with a lot of people and is reminiscent of the roads that inspired many similar experiences.

What makes the Enchanted Highway so special, beyond the obvious, is that it is simply a highway. The sculptures sit about 30 miles off of I-94, on a road that doesn’t really have a designation beyond the Enchanted Highway. But it feels like an old historic route, moving over grassy hills and through fields of wheat and corn, like Route 90 in the south, Highway 50 through Nevada, or the all-important Route 66.

“Route 66 started with the idea of something unique. You get a different experience through different views. I think the Enchanted Highway ties into that sort of feeling. You don’t have to drive the interstates to see America. You drive the Enchanted Highway, and you know what made America what it is. You see the hard work of the farmers, the grain, the cattle, the rolling hills, then you see the sculptures, and it’s a whole different feeling.”

Greff’s vision helped make Regent “somewhere” again. He plays with themes of the Midwest, of the part of America that so often gets overlooked but is so important to the life of the country. His pieces represent so much more than just a giant grasshopper or geese. So many remote towns are dying because they don’t have anything there to help keep things going; Greff’s work reminds these communities that there are things they can do, and every town is worth saving.

EASY ON THE CORNER

EASY ON THE CORNER

In the heart of downtown Winslow, Arizona, lies a hub of ‘70s nostalgia and Route 66 tourism. It is a place that delights history buffs and music enthusiasts alike. And along Route 66, there is no other place quite like it. We would like to introduce you to Standin’ on the Corner Park.

The park is easy to find, recognizable by a large Route 66 highway shield covering the intersection of Route 66 and North Kinsley Avenue, a prominent storefront mural painted over a rustic brick wall, and a bright red Flatbed Ford truck parked alongside it. The park commemorates Winslow’s fortunate association with the 1972 Eagles anthem, “Take it Easy,” and since the late 1990s, has drawn in a plethora of curious Route 66 travelers, all eager for a photo opportunity. However, there is one lone figure that has stood guard over this corner since the park’s opening. He is an individual that has garnered his own unique status as a prominent Route 66 attraction. This stagnant figure is the famous “Standin’ on the Corner” statue, nicknamed “Easy” — a street-level statue of a ‘70s-style guitar player that is intended to reflect a likeness to the iconic musician, Jackson Browne. What adds to the legacy of this statue is not only its status as a Route 66 photo opportunity, but the story of its creation and the man behind it, Montana-based artist Ron Adamson.

The story of “Easy’s’”creation began in 1997 with the establishment of the Standin’ on the Corner Foundation, months before Adamson was contacted as a potential contributor to the project. Since the construction of I-40 in the late ‘70s, Winslow had suffered decades of declining tourism, something that the 14 original members of the Standin’ on the Corner Foundation were determined to change. The foundation wanted to create something worth pulling over and checking out — a memorable site that would commemorate the notoriety of “Take it Easy” and successfully put Winslow back on the map.

“The majority of our downtown district had been boarded up and closed, so the idea was to provide a new reason for people to stop into town,” said Roberta Cano, mayor of Winslow. Since Jackson Browne’s famous lyrics did not reference a specific corner in Winslow, foundation members Glenn and Yvonne Howeth decided to provide locals and tourists with a visual frame of reference for the corner in “Take it Easy,” in the form of a mural and a statue placed in the center of town. In their search for the artist who would make this vision a reality, Adamson was contacted.

“I was never going to say no, because I loved the music of the Eagles,” said Adamson. “[But] I had no idea that later on, it would become such a major factor in my life.”

Adamson quickly set himself apart from other candidates when, during negotiations with the foundation, he contested their request to submit a drawing of “Easy” for his proposal.

“I always refer to myself as a three-dimensional artist with two-dimensional class,” said Adamson. “I just never draw. I see it in my head and then go from there.”

Instead, he created a mockup sculpture of “Easy”and flew to Winslow to present it face-to-face to Glenn and Yvonne Howeth. Adamson’s three-dimensional proposal evidently left an impression on the foundation; after months of consideration, he was informed in 1998 that he had been tasked with casting

the statue. Eager to bring life to the nostalgic ‘70s anthem, Adamson got to work; however, his efforts would require In telling the story of his African family’s journey on Route 66, Brennen Matthews has made an important contribution to the leg“ extreme patience, innovation, and artistic passion.acy of the highway. He off ers both a new voice and a new look at

Easy was an exciting, yet difficult, project for Adamson, the Mother Road.” | michael wallis, New York Times bestselling who thus far in his career had never sculpted a human being author of Route 66: The Mother Road , from the foreword “ in a standing position. He was also missing a blast furnace, necessary for casting the mold for the bronze statue. In order to save both money and time, Adamson improvised and An impassioned and engaging road trip along and deep inside Route 66, with a bright, thoughtful guide and his engaging family. If you ever want to travel the Mother Road yourself, it would be a learned how to create his own blast furnace from scratch terrifi c, quirky guide. If you don’t have the time to make that quintusing a 55-gallon drum and a backwards Kirby vacuum. essential American drive, the book is as close as you’ll come to expeUsing the makeshift blast furnace, Adamson built his own riencing the sheer wonder of it.” | stephen fried, New York Times foundry and casted the bronze mold for Easy. bestselling author of Appetite for America: Fred Harvey and the Business

“Very few artists cast their own work, and I had never done of Civilizing the Wild West—One Meal at a Time it before, so it took several months for me to figure that part out,” said Adamson. The bronze figure for the statue was casted in the form of a six-foot tall, denim-clad guitar player, miles to go is the story of a family from Africa in search of authentic America along the country’s most famous highway, Route 66. Traveling the scenic with inspiration from both the height and figure of Adamson’s byway from Illinois to California, they come across a fascinating assortment son, as well as the parted haircut sported by Jackson Browne. of historical landmarks, partake in quirky roadside attractions, and meet more

After a year of work, the opening ceremony for the Standin’ than a few colorful characters. on the Corner Park — and Adamson’s deadline — was Brennen Matthews, along with his wife and their son, come face-to-face approaching. Easy was almost finished; however, disaster with real America in all of its strange beauty and complicated history as the struck two days before Adamson was scheduled to arrive in family explores what many consider to be the pulse of a nation. Their unique perspective on the Main Street of America develops into a true appreciation Winslow to present the statue. While pouring the metal for the for what makes America so special. By joining Matthews and his family on backside of Easy’s guitar, the mold blew out, and Adamson their cross-country adventure, readers not only experience fi rsthand the sights was again forced to improvise. and sounds of the road, but they are also given the opportunity to refl ect on

“I took the good side of the guitar that didn’t blow up and American culture and its varied landscapes. Miles to Go is not just a travel story cut it in half. I [then] used that side to weld the back of it, but a tale of hopes, ambitions, and struggles. It is the record of an America as which made it skinnier.”it once was and one that, in some places, still persists.

Adamson worked for 40 hours straight, modifying the brennen matthews is the editor of ROUTE, the nation’s leading national Route 66 guitar and preparing the statue for transport. When he and his and classic Americana magazine. wife finally drove to Winslow and arrived in town, they were met with hundreds of townspeople playing “Take it Easy” throughout the main square, anxiously awaiting a glimpse of University of New Mexico Press Adamson’s finished project. unmpress.com

“All of these hands jumped in, and Easy was carried off. We put Easy on the ground, and the rest is history.”

Since that day, the statue has grown to become one of the most beloved Route 66 attractions in the country. Every year since 1999, Winslow has hosted a Standin’ on the Corner festival with live music, where tourists from all around the world gather to celebrate the Eagles and capture a photo with Easy.

“If I didn’t live in Winslow and I was traveling through, my husband would have to pull over, drive through town, and stop so that I could get a picture on the corner,” said Mayor Cano.

Adamson did not return to Winslow until years after the opening ceremony but has since found himself “absolutely dumbfounded” at the reception of his work. The impact of Easy also struck a personal chord with Adamson when, years after the statue’s completion, he recovered an old photo of his grandfather posed on Route 66 with a guitar in the exact same position that Easy maintains today.

“It’s just kind of odd how it all worked out. It’s a tremendous coincidence, and I wish that my grandfather could have been alive to see it.”

Just like many other Route 66 roadside attractions, the story behind this bronze statue is strikingly more human than what meets the eye.

isbn 978-0-8263-6401-2 travel/recreation southwest