ROUTE THE MAGAZINE THAT CELEBRATES ROAD TRAVEL, VINTAGE AMERICANA AND ROUTE 66
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December/January 2021 $5.99
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The Story of the American Muffler Man GALLUP’S HISTORIC RICHARDSON’S TRADING POST RAIL HAVEN: QUEEN OF THE OZARKS
When every week looks the same, give yourself a weekend! Take a few days to explore the Birthplace of Route 66— Springfield, Missouri! Celebrate the legacy of the Mother Road at the newly opened History Museum on the Square, see classic cars at the Route 66 Car Museum and enjoy a burger and shake at one of our vintage American diners, all while experiencing the local arts and culture scene in Springfield!
Plan your Getaway at
SpringfieldMo.org
A masking ordinance is in place for the city of Springfield. For details, visit SpringfieldMo.org. ii ROUTE Magazine
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Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on 66 — Tulsa With his steely gaze and rocket ship in hand, Buck Atom is Route 66’s new Muffler Man.
Order a free Oklahoma Route 66 Passport at TravelOK.com!
Sapulpa — See the world’s largest gas pump. It’s 66 feet! Tour the Heart of Oklahoma Route 66 Auto Museum while you’re there. 2 ROUTE Magazine
Arcadia — One of TripSavvy’s 5 MustVisit Restaurants on Route 66, POPS is the perfect pit stop spot. Sip on one of 700 kinds of soda pop!
Discover more must-see gems on Route 66 at Travel
El Reno — Located where the Rock Island Railroad and historic Chisholm Trail intersect, this shield is the ideal Route 66 family photo op.
.com.
Elk City — Made from oil drums and scrap metal, this 14-foot kachina doll — known as Myrtle — has greeted Route 66 travelers since 1962. ROUTE Magazine 3
Foss State Park — Foss Just 6 miles off the Mother Road!
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Build your Route 66 trip today. Download the TravelOK app or visit TravelOK.VisitWidget.com.
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In 1889 a shot rang out. A land run started. And El Reno, Oklahoma would become the front door to the American West.
Photo courtesy of Canadian County Museum.
Historic El Reno, Oklahoma, where the glamour of Route 66 meets the Old West drama of the Chisholm Trail. Where the world’s largest fried onion hamburger is celebrated, and where you can ride a rail-based trolley through historic downtown. Nearby Fort Reno is home to the colorful U.S. Cavalry Museum, as well as the graves of Buffalo Soldiers, Indian scouts and World War II prisoners of war. For information, visit www.elrenotourism.com.
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SO MUCH TO SEE IN OKC Occupying the historic Ford Motor Company assembly plant, 21c Oklahoma City is a multi-venue contemporary art museum and boutique hotel. The perfect Mother Road destination for the curious traveler. Best hotel in the Midwest – CondÊ Nast Traveler Readers Choice Awards 2019
#thisis21c 21cOklahomaCity.com Matthew Geller, Woozy Blossom (Platanus nebulosus), 2010-2015. Steel, water, copper, pump.
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CONTENTS
Rainbow Rock Shop, Holbrook, AZ. Photograph by Efren Lopez/Route66Images.
16 Gem of the Ozarks
By Hayley Bell Springfield, Missouri, the birthplace of Route 66, is packed with cool stops, vivid neon, and a plethora of history and cultural attractions. Perhaps the most noteworthy is the world-famous Rail Haven Motel, a venue that has a story to tell that is only matched by its enviable location on America’s Main Street.
24 Angel of Ash Fork
By Heide Brandes Many who call Route 66 home possess an undeniable resolve and passion to safeguard the history of the Mother Road. A few are well known, but many work tirelessly behind the scenes, helping shape the old road’s character as we know it today. Down in quiet Ash Fork, Arizona, one woman has been championing the effort to preserve the town’s vital threads in America’s historic fabric for decades and she is not slowing down. Meet Faye Hume.
businesses since the 1960s, and now, 60 years later they are still drawing attention and pulling motorists off the highway. Nick Gerlich takes us through the voyage of these colossal folks and reminds us of yet another reason that America is so darn special.
54 Richardson’s Trading Post
By Richard Ratay Gallup, New Mexico, is famous for its bright neon lights and wide assortment of classic Navajo arts, crafts, and products. It is a town that still celebrates its western and Route 66 roots. And perhaps the best place in town to get up close and personal with Navajo gems is a place older than America’s Main Street itself: Richardson’s. Encounter a trading post that is still very much alive, with a family story that is both endearing and inspiring.
32 A Conversation with Andy Garcia
By Brennen Matthews From his passion for his Cuban heritage, to his love of family, to his path toward major films like The Untouchables, When a Man Loves a Woman, and The Godfather Part III, Andy Garcia is a person of many talents, and a joy to converse with. In this interview, meet the man behind the movies.
44 American Giants
By Nick Gerlich Is there anything cooler than a 30-foot giant on the side of the road? Enormous muffler men have been advertising 8 ROUTE Magazine
ON THE COVER The Painted Desert Indian Center. Arizona. Photograph by Efren Lopez/ Route66Images.
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 9
EDITORIAL Here we are, our final issue of 2020. It is crazy to think that Christmas is just around the corner. Then again, this has most definitely been a long and tumultuous year that I know many people are keen to put in the rearview mirror. But still, Christmas is just around the corner. I have always loved Christmas— the excitement, the songs, the presents, the festive cheer and celebration. While Christmas may be a little bit different for many this year, it is still a special season when we can all take a moment and reflect on all that the year has brought us. If I think back over the past 12 months, I am delighted with the many wonderful stories that we’ve been able to tell, the fascinating people we’ve been able to bring to you, and the special connection we have made with many of you. It has been a year of uncertainties and we are not out of the woods just yet, and perhaps we never are – if it is not one thing it is another, which is how life works – but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 2021 offers a fresh start and new opportunities to jumpstart our lives, and perhaps, open a new chapter. In this issue, our Christmas edition, we tackle a big story, literally. Muffler Men giants have captured our hearts and minds for decades. When they first greeted the public, motorists were amazed, easily lured off of the highway to catch a closer look. They must have been a real sight to see. As the years progressed, time was not so kind to our enormous friends and soon they were viewed as passé, vulgar, an eyesore even. But thanks to some dedicated people with a passion for midcentury advertising, recent years have witnessed a resurgence. In American Giants, Nick Gerlich takes us through the colorful journey that these lovable, larger-thanlife marketing gimmicks have followed. Route 66 has always rose to the occasion to meet motorists as they entered towns and cities, using whatever tactics possible to interest them into visiting a business. Down in Gallup, New Mexico, noted home of the Navajo people, one old school shop, Richardson’s Trading Post, continues to set the standard for roadside companies selling trinkets and treasures. The story is a fascinating one of one man’s dream that has not only endured but has continued to support and benefit an entire community. The story of Richardson’s is very much a picture of local business up and down the Mother Road since migrants began to travel it in the 1930s, in search of opportunity and a better life. Every year when I am blessed to be back out on the road, I have a mental list of the hotels and restaurants that I am just a little more excited to revisit. These are places where I know the experience will be a bit more magical and where the road will come more alive. Always on this list is the Rail Haven Motel in Springfield, Missouri. Located on a historic piece of the Queen City of the Ozarks, Rail Haven’s vivid wraparound neon green lighting and its quirky sign speak to me and remind me that, when standing on the motel’s grounds, I am actually standing on an important piece of history. It transports me back to Route 66’s heyday. Hayley Bell’s article investigates the origins of the historic venue and carries us through the years and journey of the motel. This is a trip that included multiple owners, a bad vehicle accident, and even a visit from the King himself. This issue is packed with stories that will bring Route 66 and roadside America a little closer to you. As we make the turn into 2021, please be sure to hit the highway for yourselves and take a big slice out of America. Please remember to like and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and if you have not already, subscribe to ROUTE Magazine and never miss another issue.
Blessings, Brennen Matthews Editor
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ROUTE PUBLISHER Thin Tread Media EDITOR Brennen Matthews DEPUTY EDITOR Kate Wambui EDITOR-AT-LARGE Nick Gerlich LEAD EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHER David J. Schwartz LAYOUT AND DESIGN Tom Heffron EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Bret Kauppila Delaney Kelly Theresa Romano DIGITAL Matheus Alves ILLUSTRATOR Jennifer Mallon CONTRIBUTORS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS Alexei Hay Alise O’Brien Charles C. Pierce Cheryl Eichar Jett Edmund Historical Society and Museum Efrain M. Padró Efren Lopez/Route66Images Hayley Bell Heide Brandes J.C.H Grabill Jeff Blumenfeld Joel Baker John Smith Phoebe Billups Richard Ratay 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.
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O
klahoma City wears its cowboy heritage on its sleeve. Anyone driving in on Route 66 will immediately spot bronze monuments to the pioneering men and women who blazed the first trails through Oklahoma’s golden, rolling prairies. From the larger-than-life cowhands that adorn the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum and storied trailheads to spectacular rodeos and livestock shows, the rough and tumble spirit of the Wild West is never far from sight. It hangs over the historic brick buildings and skyscrapers that dot downtown Oklahoma City and its suburbs like a fine coat of dust, a reminder of how far the booming metropolis has come from its pioneer roots and, at the same time, how wonderfully little has changed. In the Territorial School in Edmond, on the outskirts of Oklahoma City, a few strong-willed women have found a way to close the gap between this past and the city’s present. The one-room school’s story begins on a summer day in 1889, when Jennie Forster walked straight into Brown’s Lumber Company and bought enough lumber on credit to build a schoolhouse. Forster and her husband ran the dry goods store in newly founded Edmond, a tiny settlement on the great uncharted plains of Oklahoma until the railroad blew through in 1887 and left new buildings, businesses, and plenty of rollicking saloons in its wake. Forster had a dream of starting the first school in the Oklahoma Territory. Like so many women in the history of the Wild West, she did not ask permission. She rolled up her sleeves, gathered a cohort of strong-minded schoolteachers and pioneer wives, and went to work. The 15 founding mothers who made up the Ladies School Aid Society went from house to house, pestering their husbands, local businessmen, and anyone else they could for donations. Forster later joked that the businessmen probably “felt like running out the back door when they saw me entering the front door.” The women raised 25 dollars selling blackberries, ice-cream, and lemonade at an ice-cream social. Some of them wove rugs or hosted dinner parties to help with the fundraising effort, and a Thanksgiving Game Dinner paid for the salary of the first schoolteacher in the Oklahoma Territory. “It took them an entire year to raise enough funds to get the schoolhouse paid for,” said Stephanie Carel, the President of the Edmond Historic Preservation Trust. “The first group of school-age kids came in September of 1889. It just grew from that.” 12 ROUTE Magazine
Forster’s vision for the community spawned a library and the sprawling campus that is now the University of Central Oklahoma. She herself went on to open the city’s first library and was an advocate for educational opportunities in Edmond until her death in 1959. Over the years, education in Edmond became so successful that the little schoolhouse, with its woodstove and white-washed steeple fell by the wayside. By the 1980s, the building had become Sander’s Camera Shop. No one even remembered where the old schoolhouse once stood. Founding member of the Edmond Historic Preservation Trust, Lucille Warrick, was convinced, though, that the camera shop contained a storied piece of the city’s past. If she could prove the building was indeed the old Territorial School, it would be the only surviving structure from the old settlement. In 1982, she convinced the Edmond City Council to investigate this possible site of the schoolhouse lost in the mists of time. Warrick purchased the building from the camera shop in 1997. When she and the other trust members finally ripped down the walls of the interior, there were the blackboards Forster and the women of the Ladies School Aid Society lovingly painted on the walls a hundred years before. Today, a historic American flag sits over the blackboards and a wood stove sits in the middle of the cozy room. While older visitors receive a glimpse into the lives of tough-as-nails women who built Edmond, children slip into the role of students. “There are classes exactly like they would have had [in 1889],” Carel said. “They go outside during what we would consider recess now and they play with toys and stuff from back in the 1800s. They play and then they get to do chores. They’ll hang clothes out on a line, see how kids made soap, things like that.” Warrick, Carel, and the other members of the Edmond Historic Preservation Trust who helped restore the schoolhouse possess some of the grit and determination of its original founders. Once again, a group of strong-willed women led the charge to make a dream for the community a reality. As students filed into the sparkling white schoolhouse with wonder in their eyes during the grand opening on April 15, 2007, Oklahoma’s past met its future. A black-and-white picture of the founding mothers smiles down at the rows of desks, once more filled with pupils old and young, eager for a peek into the past.
Image courtesy of the Edmond Historical Society and Museum.
A N 1889 TER R ITOR IA L SCHOOLHOUSE
Miami, Oklahoma
The gateway to Oklahoma on Historic Route 66
DELUXE INN Miami, OK
visitmiamiok @miamioktourism @visitmiamioklahoma
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F I N D H E R W E ST Women Who Called the West Home
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Image by J.C.H. Grabill.
F
amous men such as legendary explorers and stereotypes, such as Rachel Robbins of the Modoc tribe frontiersmen Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, and (another woman featured in this exhibition), who grew up as Lewis and Clark are plentiful in our collective image a cowgirl on an Oregon ranch from the 1920s to the 1940s. of the American West, but women—not so much. Of course, many other women lived simpler, anonymous Although lawmen, outlaws, and riflemen such as Wild Bill lives, but nonetheless, their stories helped to shape a nation Hickok, Billy the Kid, and Buffalo Bill Cody immediately during a pivotal time in the country’s development. come to mind at the very mention of the Old West, women, “Some names are recognizable, but most will be unfamiliar, though less obvious, were also very much present in the and some are even unidentified. Anonymity doesn’t diminish period. A few colorful female personalities are actually wellthe roles that they played and their place in history, however,” known, like frontierswoman Calamity Jane, sharpshooter said Roblin. “Their stories are just as meaningful and Annie Oakley, and reporter Nellie Bly. But of course, for important. Diverse in ethnicity, background, and age, they every famous—or infamous—woman of the American West, share a commonality. Each experienced and shaped the there were many more who remain more or less anonymous. American West. They were not passive bystanders.” However, that does not mean that their lives were any less One of the exhibit’s relatable but anonymous young important in shaping the region’s legacy. women lived in Oklahoma in the 20th Century’s first decade. We learn her particular story through letters that she wrote In a new exhibition, “Find Her West,” at the National to her mother, who was living in Washington state. In one Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in the Route 66 letter from 1909, she tells her mother how her two young metropolis of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, approximately 50 daughters—Edna and Fern—were knocking over chairs and photographs and their accompanying documents illuminate wash buckets, refusing to the contributions of sit down at dinner, and women who might have creating other chaos— otherwise been lost to the things experienced in dustbin of history. homes still today. But “History is more than the exhibit also features a timeline. At its core, it the stories of women is about people. Not just who did not lead such the famous and infamous, comfortable lives. One but the everyday and was an anonymous ordinary,” explained young woman who died Kimberly Roblin, Director in childbirth, which was of Dickinson Research unfortunately common Center and Curator of at the time. Another Archives. “Historically, Emma Knutson Buckingham, likely taken in the Black Hills of was Rose Jackson, who however, women’s stories South Dakota. was likely still a slave aren’t told as often or when she traveled from as loudly. In ‘Find Her Missouri to Oregon on a wagon train in the mid-1800s. West,’ we rediscover their voices through photographs and Famous or not, none of these women were just wives, manuscripts from the Museum’s Dickinson Research Center.” mothers, settlers, or pioneers. They carved out their During the western expansion of the 19th Century, women enjoyed benefits not yet available to their eastern counterparts, own spaces within the American West, and some of such as voting rights, liberal divorce laws, and the ability to their achievements benefited their contemporaries and own land in their own names. Consequently, in some cases these descendants. Even the simplest of their stories can tell us legalities enabled women to strive for their own careers. Many a great deal about what life was like for women of all were able to build reputations for themselves as writers, painters, backgrounds in the 19th Century and early 20th Century. “As a curator, I try to humanize history and help visitors see architects, teachers, “bulldoggers” (a common nickname for the the present through the past. I want them to connect to it— rodeo event of steer wrestling), and even legislators. see something of themselves in it. Many of the women in this Some even started their own businesses, such as taxidermist exhibition were not famous. Their names were known only to Martha Maxwell, who practiced in mid-1800s Colorado family and friends—until now. I hope it encourages visitors, and is featured in “Find Her West.” This was an unusual whether they’re from the West or not, to consider their own profession for a woman at the time, but she was highly ancestors and the lives they led, the roles they played, and the proficient and displayed her handiwork at national legacies they left.” exhibitions and in her own museum. Another strange career Whatever role she played, every Western woman had a story for a woman was that of freight driver, but “bull whackeress” to tell, and each one contributed to this nation’s vast and Emma Knutson Buckingham became one of the few women fascinating history. to succeed in this job. Other, less famous women defied ethnic
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GEM OF THE By Hayley Bell Opening photograph by Efren Lopez/Route66Images
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E OZARKS
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T
he saga of the mom-and-pop motor court, designed and located strategically to lure in the motorist of yesteryear, is truly an American story. Some courts have survived, evolving from a handful of simple cabins, to quaint cottages joined by garages, to multi-unit motels kissed with neon. Many courts have perished, perhaps to a fire, or simply abandoned to time and entropy after being bypassed by a newer, faster highway. Most of today’s remaining historic motels have each had their own lucky day, when the right someone – with resources, a love of history, and maybe tourism savvy – appeared on the scene, offering new life to a faded old lodging. Route 66 and its unique motels hold a special place in the hearts of road trippers who follow the Mother Road. Although Route 66 is bookended by two big cities – Chicago and Los Angeles – the 2,448 miles in between are full of towns both large and small, each with their own unique flavor and places to stay. But only one city, Springfield, Missouri, is heralded as the Birthplace of Route 66, and they boast of being home to one of the best.
The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1925 established the first interstate highway system with uniform numbers, making it possible for Oklahoma highway commissioner and businessman Cyrus Avery and Springfield entrepreneur John Woodruff to map out the Chicago-to-Los Angeles route. At a 1926 meeting in Springfield, Avery, Woodruff, John Marshall Page, and B.H. Piepmeier were advised that the euphonicsounding ‘66’ was available, resolving their route numbering disagreement with the federal officials. A telegram indicating that ‘66’ was acceptable was sent from the Colonial Hotel, and the route was approved on November 11, 1926, as part of the Federal Highway System.
Best Western Rail Haven is Born The Rail Haven is situated at Glenstone Avenue and St. Louis Street – where Route 66 turned the corner to head west – in Springfield. Abundant neon, a mix of Cottage- and MidCentury style, and its iconic rail fence greet you as you roll in, often among a flurry of activity. Two vintage gas pumps stand sentinel outside the stack-stone office, and the lobby’s black and white chequered floor fits perfectly with the classic feel of Route 66. In the evening, the whole scene is set aglow by vivid green neon tubing along the eaves that creates a surreal sensation of stepping back in time. On the side of the motel, just off of St. Louie Street, a replica of the quirky vintage Rail Haven sign flickers warmly in the darkness. Standing in front of the sign the road is often quiet in the evening, and seemingly alone in the black night, it is impossible not to be reminded of the historic nature and story of this classic motel. 18 ROUTE Magazine
Image by David J. Schwartz – Pics On Route 66.
The Birthplace of Route 66
But who was the right someone, the savior of this marvelous motel? The ambitious restoration was the undertaking of Gordon Elliott, award-winning Springfield hotelier and apartment entrepreneur. Elliott, a history buff, had the business savvy, resources, and a keen interest in this particular motel—the one he remembers driving past way back in his high school years—to step in and revive it to its previous glory. The property was deteriorating, and Elliott knew he’d need to act fast. “I’ve always believed that luck comes once, and if you can’t get it quick, you’re going to lose it, and it will go somewhere else,” said Elliott, President of Elliott Lodging, owner of the Rail Haven since 1994.
Elvis Presley Suite.
The Story of a Cottage Court But the Rail Haven’s story begins long before, back in 1938 when brothers Elwyn and Lawrence Lippman, who owned a printing firm in Springfield, decided to develop roadside accommodations on a family-owned property at the crossroads of US Highway 66 and Missouri Highways 65 and 60. This prominent four-acre site, with an apple orchard and a leased gas station upon it, grew in significance as the Route 66 years rolled on and other automobile-oriented businesses sprang up around it.
The new Rail Haven Motor Court opened with eight Craftsman-style cottages built of Ozark stone, or “giraffe rock,” with adjoining garages and a rail fence surrounding the complex, giving it an air of coziness and security. Here, for the grand sum of $4.50 per night, you had a snug cabin with a front porch, plus a steam-heated garage for your automobile. The following year, 11 more units were built, and a color postcard was issued, advising motorists to just “Look for the Rail Fence!” It was a simple slogan, but an effective one. It was Lawrence Lippman’s idea, inspired by the sycamore grove at the University of California Berkeley, to plant a ROUTE Magazine 19
smaller grove at the Rail Haven. Sycamores, fast-growing trees that can attain a 75-foot height, were the perfect choice. Placed along with the split rail fence, to instill Ozark charm and make the property stand out, the trees took root. Today, a few stately sycamores still adorn the perimeter of the property, as does the simple fence. From its opening days, the Rail Haven was a family business, one of those mom-and-pop enterprises that built America. Lawrence Lippman and his wife Katherine were the primary operators along with brother Elwyn, who used his printing shop to create postcards, signs, and other advertisements. And Lawrence’s children, Elinor, Daniel, and Edgar helped out after school, escorting guests to their
Cool replica of the original sign. 20 ROUTE Magazine
rooms and keeping the grounds tidy. Elinor, the oldest sibling, “graduated” to working in the office and gift shop as she grew older, but it was Edgar who later became manager after his graduation from college. In the 1950s, a new 16-room building expanded the L-shaped complex, and in 1957, a 30-unit building was added, replacing some of the original cottages. A three-unit building and a swimming pool were added the following year, and the old gas station was moved off the property to make room for a modern office. The motel’s popularity increased due to the expansion, and the Rail Haven was featured in the June 1954 edition of The Ozarks Mountaineer magazine in an article titled, “Ozarks’ Motels
A Difficult Period But the ‘50s weren’t without problems, and in November 1951 the “big snow” descended on Springfield, requiring horse-drawn plows to clear two feet of snow from the hotel parking lot. Severe conditions kept the motel closed until better weather arrived. Then, an accident remembered locally as the “Wreck of ’52” occurred on February 12, 1952, when a tractor-trailer carrying a load of new DeSotos careened down the Route 66 bridge after a collision, crashing into the arrow-shaped “Springfield” directional sign and running up a telephone pole on the Rail Haven’s corner. The crumpled arrow sign disappeared that night, and was never seen again, according to Elliott. The truck driver was unharmed, but the driver of the other vehicle was hospitalized. In 1961, the Lippmans sold the motel to local entrepreneur Ward Chrisman, who also owned the Colonial Hotel downtown. The ambitious Chrisman built an eatery, the Sycamore Inn, on the Rail Haven property; it opened in 1962 and served patrons around the clock. It quickly became the city’s hotspot for both formal dinners and kaffeeklatsch gatherings. Waitresses wearing pretty handmade uniforms rushed around, catering to a diverse 24-hour clientele – from cops to students. The restaurant soon became a local legend, but after management changes, it fell on hard times just as fast, closing during the 1970s. Road reroutings and pedestrian-oriented malls led to a period
of decline throughout Springfield in the 70s and 80s, and the Rail Haven fell into disrepair. But this is not a new story along Route 66 during the time.
A Savior for the Motel Then along came Gordon Elliott, who had developed both an affection and a vision for the shabby property. “By the early ‘90s it was in pretty bad shape,” he recalled. “We got it in 1994 and it was an automatic transfer into the Best Western portfolio. They came out to do an inspection and the guy quit after an hour and said, ‘I’m out of here’. And I thought, ‘How are we ever going to get this to stay in the Best Western collection?’” A better question might be, how did Elliot, apartment mogul and hotelier, come to buy a “distressed location” that he ended up sinking almost a million-and-ahalf dollars into? Elliott frankly couldn’t stand the thought of the motel being razed. “I just didn’t want to see that piece of history torn down,” he explained. “I started out with apartments, but then started to diversify. Every year I bought another motel.” Referring to the Rail Haven restoration, “I was proud to have done it.” “I bought it for the price of the land – four acres. The process took over three years to get it acceptable to Best Western,” said Elliott about his 1994 purchase. In addition to the building renovations, Elliott directed the demolition of the old restaurant and construction of the pavilion. And then there were the signs to deal with. The huge Rail Haven Motel sign was in as bad of condition as everything else, and the Best Western head office was pressing to erect a standardized sign which identified the property as a Best Western. “That sign was trashed,” Elliott admitted. The original Best Western sheet metal sign has been living out behind the motel in a state of rust. Curious visitors can easily view it as they wander the grounds. As for the iconic “Springfield” arrow sign that disappeared after the wreck, its shiny replacement was installed to mark the motel’s 75th anniversary in 2013. Maintaining the oldest still-operating Best Western in the company is an ongoing task. “The architectural surveyors come around every five to ten years with a property improvement plan. I fight with them if necessary because what I won’t do is destroy anything that’s original. We’re the oldest and we’re in the top 20% of their best hotels. And they are the longest existing lodging chain in the world. We rank with their very newest hotels. But it’s no big deal,” said Elliott with Ozark modesty. His laidback charm – the product of his upbringing – belies his success. “My parents were born in Ireland, and they emigrated [in 1934-35] to the USA as young adults. How they met is a wonderful story. There were a lot of Irish people in both of the churches that they attended - Dad had gone to Philadelphia and Mom had stayed in New York - who decided that they were such an enterprising couple separately, they ought to get married. They had some back and forth with letters and photographs - mom said he was tall, dark and handsome but they never met till they were married in 1938. It was a very happy childhood for me and my siblings.” After their wedding, John and Rebecca Elliott moved from the East Coast to Springfield, Missouri, where they began life as minister and pastor’s wife. Born in 1943, the youngest of three children, Elliott learned about hospitality as he grew up, as his parents hosted relatives, friends, and church family at their home. “We would ROUTE Magazine 21
Image by David J. Schwartz – Pics On Route 66.
Now Rank Among the Nation’s Best.” Among Springfield’s 65 motels, the Rail Haven received recognition as “...the first in the entire region to enter the field of providing fine accommodations, then found only in good hotels.”
Image by David J. Schwartz – Pics On Route 66.
Mr. Gordon Elliott standing out front.
have a houseful of people, and they would stay overnight,” he recalled. And when the Elliott family traveled, they would stay with Irish friends that they knew from back East. “I had actually never stayed in a hotel until my wedding night.” A 1965 graduate of then-Southwest Missouri State College, Elliott worked as an accountant before beginning his career as an apartment complex developer and then hotelier. Now, as CEO of Elliott Lodging and Oak Ridge Properties, Elliott owns and operates 22 hotels and 15 apartment communities in southwest Missouri and southeast Kansas. “Over 25 years we’ve kept improving [Rail Haven]. We didn’t have the cars out front at first, nor the pavilion, which is where the old Sycamore Restaurant used to be. We just had the basics.” Since classic cars are a necessary component of nostalgia, Elliott has two of his own on display. “When I was growing up, my ‘hot car’ was a ’55 Ford, like the blue one out front, and I never could find one like it till I was on my way to an appointment at the office [one day in 2000]. I drove by and thought, ‘It’s there!’ So, I went back, and it had a ‘For Sale’ sign on it!” And the green ‘56 Ford beside the office? In 2005, he found that one languishing on a farm outside of town. “So many people want to take pictures with these cars. Sometimes we have people in their wedding gowns come in and take photos,” added Brandy Kuster, General Manager. “Rail Haven is a place young and old alike can experience the feel of the days gone by. To see a guest’s eyes light up when they step out of the car or watch them running around the property taking photos and selfies is a unique experience for the guests as well 22 ROUTE Magazine
as our staff! Besides keeping the nostalgia and history from those days gone by… Elvis stayed here!!” Route 66 has seen its fair share of celebrities travel along its storied asphalt over the years and the motel has seen many of them grace its doors. On May 17, 1956, an up-and-coming rock and roll star from Memphis performed at the Shrine Mosque in town. “Elvis stayed here when he played that night,” said Elliott. “The story is that he was booked into the Kentwood Arms, historically the best hotel in town. But he got in a tiff with the boys in the band, so he came down here [walked the 1.4 miles] because his mom was staying here. He was a momma’s boy.” So, Room #409 is a tribute to Elvis - and his mom - since the bed is a pink Cadillac, like the car he bought for her. It is an oddly colorful choice, but visitors, especially those from overseas, have a grand time in the Elvis suite. No matter which room you choose, that edge-of-town feeling of the first cottages is still there. The motel seems to exist as its own private island in the sea of bustle that now surrounds it. And the excitement of its location right on Route 66 hasn’t abated, as classic cars, sleek motorcycles, and patrons wearing Route 66 shirts or retro attire come and go. Guests gather in the pavilion to relax and exchange road stories or pluck out a couple guitar tunes. Somehow, this place is comfortable and cozy but still a feast for the senses all at the same time. And when those senses are filled up for the day, a comfortable room awaits, to rest and recharge for another day on Route 66. The tradition of mom and pop motels is still safe and maintained in the Birthplace of Route 66.
ROUTE Magazine 23
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24 ROUTE Magazine
ANGEL of
ASH FORK By Heide Brandes Photographs by Efren Lopez/Route66Images
O
n any given day in Ash Fork, Arizona, Fayrene Hume is outside pulling weeds or picking up trash along the side of the roads. At 83, Hume doesn’t care if the townsfolk call her children in town to express their worry or surprise. Hume has lived a life that has been beat to her own drum, and the town of Ash Fork is darn lucky. Nowadays a blink-and-you-miss-it town, Ash Fork is tucked quietly between colorful Williams and quirky Seligman along Route 66 and the current Interstate 40. The small community is known as The Flagstone Capital of the World and is home to five flagstone yards, numerous ranches, mining, and is now on the radar of a new generation of Route 66 travelers. The Mother Road through Ash Fork continues to serve as the main road through the town (though it’s now called Park Avenue), and a handful of historic buildings pay homage to its glory days of Route 66 and its railroad and quarry history. Ash Fork has become a bit quieter these days, but there is still ample life there yet.
On many days, Hume walks among these historic buildings and old portions of the pavement to keep the town looking sharp for visitors who travel on Route 66. Born to an impoverished family on a cotton farm in Arkansas, Hume was born with work in her veins. Even as a toddler, she helped her family by hauling jugs of water or picking vegetables out of the garden. As an adult, she helped create the wildly popular Ash Fork Historical Society and Museum, which attracts 80 to 100 visitors a day. She and other volunteers made the mannequins at the Museum by hand, painted the displays, and built models. Hume was relentless in having Ash Fork recognized as a Route 66 town when it was left off the map, and she has no intention of stopping anytime soon. “We have a good group of volunteers,” she said of the small army of volunteers who keep the Ash Fork Museum open to visitors. But Hume knows that she still needs to lead the charge.
From Cotton to Quarry Fayrene Hume was born on July 22, 1937 to Frank and Nettie Martin on a cotton farm near Wilmont, Arkansas. One of nine children when she was born, her mother would bear five more children after the family moved to Ash Fork. “I had two brothers who were older, but now I’m the oldest one left,” Hume said. “I had hardworking parents who ROUTE Magazine 25
taught us the value of work. We would [toil] from sunup to sundown, and by time you were 4 or 5, you had a job, even if it was carrying jugs of water.” The Martin family lived with no electricity or indoor plumbing. Hume’s mother pickled 300 quarts of vegetables each summer to help the family survive through the winters, and every child pitched in where they could. “I know what it is like to be very poor. When we moved to Ash Fork, we moved to a house that had indoor plumbing. My mother said she thought she had died and gone to heaven because we had an indoor bathroom.” Hume’s grandfather suffered from severe asthma, and in 1946, he traveled west to Arizona to see if the weather there could save his life. Hume’s two older brothers made the trip with him, traveling from train stop to train stop until finally landing in the railroad town of Ash Fork. Two years later, he came back to Arkansas for a visit, and the entire family decided to join him in a new state and a new life. “My brothers went out the summer before to work in the quarry out there. My parents decided to pile 15 of us up in a pickup and move out there,” Hume said. “It was me, my parents, my siblings and an aunt and uncle. My father made a canopy over the back of the truck and we all piled in.” Hume, who was 13 when the family moved on July 4, 1951, had rarely been off the cotton farm where she grew up. Though the family had visited Oklahoma to see relatives, she had never traveled before. The people they passed had never seen anything like this family either. “There were 15 of us. People were just looking at us like we were the Beverly hillbillies. We would stop at a gas station to put some gas in and people would stop and take pictures of
Faye Hume with visitors at the Museum. 26 ROUTE Magazine
us. They had never seen anything like us,” shared Hume with a wry laugh. “We stopped along the road and just slept there, on the ground, no tent, maybe a blanket. When we were all packed up one morning, a truck came along, lost control and drove right over where we had been sleeping! It would have wiped us all out. We had guardian angels watching us.” The trip to Arizona took nearly four days. For a girl who had never lived in an urban area, Ash Fork offered a fascinating change for the teenager. She was timid about the move at first, but once the family arrived, she was delighted with her new home. “I loved it when we got here. You walked to school and to your friends’ houses. Ash Fork was a boomtown at the time.”
A Town of the Times Like many towns along Route 66 in Arizona, Ash Fork was a railroad town full of cowboys and rail workers. The same year that the railroad arrived in 1882, a man named Thomas Cooper Lewis opened the town’s first business, and in 1883, the first post office was established, making Ash Fork a true town. Those early days were wild, especially since no law enforcement existed at the time. Rowdy men and chaos plagued its streets, leading to gunfights and vigilante justice. But the railroad brought growth to the budding city. Cattle and sheep ranches popped up along the countryside, and local flagstone was soon quarried to build churches, schools and public buildings. “Ash Fork was a stagecoach stop before the railroad came. It was a stop between Flagstaff and Prescott,” said
David Cox, longtime member of the Ash Fork Development Association and Historical Society. “The town was originally located on the other side of the tracks on the north side,” said Cox. “When it burned [in 1893], it was a big fire. There was no electricity at the time, so everyone used kerosene lamps. It didn’t take much to start a fire, and all the buildings were wood, so if you got any wind, the whole town was wiped out.” Facing its first major challenge, the town birthed its “never say die” attitude and rebuilt on the opposite side of the railroad tracks, where it stands to this day. By the time the 1930s rolled around, rock quarries were the economic driver in Ash Fork. In fact, “until the mid-1990s, ‘rock doodlers’ still lived on their rock claims around Ash Fork,” said Cox. “I’m the pastor of the First Southern Baptist Church of Ash Fork, and one of my first weddings in the ‘80s was for a rock doodler. That’s what we called the rock workers. It used to be a tradition that when a rock doodler got married, he had to push his bride around at least one block in a rockhand track, which is what they hauled rock in.”
A Surprising New Chapter The stone industry grew, and Ash Fork proclaimed itself to be the “Flagstone Capital of the World.” Fayrene’s father and brothers went to work at the quarry soon after arriving. When she was 15, she met one of her older brother’s friends, a friendly fellow named Lewis Hume. “My oldest brother who was five years older knew him and we met at a carnival in town. He was a very sweet and kind man. I felt safe around him,” Hume said. “Once, we walked to a movie together, but we were never alone together. My brother gave me permission to ride with Lewis to a party, maybe a mile ride. We didn’t know much about each other, but he told me that he cared for his mother, and that she came first.” If her parents were aware of the budding romance, they certainly were not prepared for what came next. As the family headed out to attend the famous rodeo in Prescott, they gave their daughter permission to ride with the 20-yearold Lewis. “We [only] knew each other for about three months. He was a fourth-generation Ash Fork native, and on the way to the rodeo, we passed my parents’ car and decided to just keep going and elope,” she said. “We went to Salome and the justice of the peace married us there for free. We got married on July 4, 1953. I still have never been to a rodeo!” she laughed. Hume became close to her new husband’s mother, who was a single mother of six children. Her new mother-inlaw worked out of her home doing laundry for the railroad workers. “It was a struggle for her. I was married to my husband for 62 years and I was tight with his mother. We had our first son, Roy Thomas, in 1954. Lewis came after in 1960 and Kurt was our third son, born in 1971. They all still live right here in Ash Fork.” Finding a job in Ash Fork was never a problem for Hume. At the height of the Route 66 popularity, the town was a popular stop for travelers. She worked at one of the five restaurants, but the traffic supported motels, service stations and more.
DeSoto’s Salon building.
“It was always very, very busy. We would have 20 or more railroad guys come in for lunch, and all these people who were traveling to California. Some of the people would have all their belongings on one vehicle, kind of like us when we first moved out here. Everyone had a big canvas water bag hanging off the side of their car to get through the desert in California. I loved talking to people who were headed out to California.” But, like many towns along Route 66, the good times were coming to an end. The railroad moved out in 1960, and overnight, 11 families left to follow the jobs. Another big fire burned down most of the buildings in Ash Fork in 1977, and when Interstate 40 was built around the same time, the blows to Ash Fork kept coming. “Ash Fork almost died,” said Cox. “On Main Street, we had 16 or 17 gas stations and 12 hotels, but after I-40 was built, that went way down. Ash Fork had 4,000 to 5,000 people, but then it got down to around 400 to 500 people. Everyone just left.” Hume’s husband worked for the railroad but did not want to move. Instead, he became a supervisor at the state highway department, which was located in the exact same building that currently houses the Museum. “In 1979, when I-40 opened, the restaurants, motels and service stations couldn’t survive. It took away people’s jobs,” said Hume. “Even though I-40 is real close, it’s not the same as when Route 66 went through the middle of our town.” Today, Ash Fork survives, thanks mostly to the quarries and the stone companies in town.
The Little Museum that Could In the 1980s, Hume’s husband worked out of a small historic building in Ash Fork. The Arizona Department of Transportation decided to move Lewis’ office to nearby Seligman, and the historic office threatened to go the way of the iconic Fred Harvey Escalante Hotel. Opened on March 1, 1907, the Mission Style of Spanish architecture hotel was closed in 1948 and was demolished in the 1980s. “That broke everyone’s heart. We tried to call the governor to stop it, but it was private property,” said Hume. “When my husband had to move the office to Seligman, he told me to get busy and get the old building on the Historic Register so it wouldn’t be torn down. We did get it on the registry in 1989.” ROUTE Magazine 27
There is a lot to experience at the Museum.
Hume and a group of volunteers immediately started working on building a museum for the town. Despite the passionate help, the task took longer than expected. The building actually belongs to the county, which leases it for something like a $1 a year to the Museum. “We had one volunteer who was an artist and seamstress and historian who was in her 90s,” Hume said. “We had to buy mannequins, but they were so expensive. She said, ‘No way! We’ll make them all.’ We did. Only two mannequins in the Museum were bought. The rest we made. “ Hume’s daughter-in-law, Rosemary, who is married to her son Roy, also helps with the Ash Fork Historical Society and Museum, but she actually met Fayrene first. “I always said that I married Roy for his mother,” Rosemary said, with a smile. “I had moved to Ash Fork to teach, and Fayrene was very involved in the committees at school. I spent a lot of time with her and didn’t even know she had an older son until he came back from the Air Force.” In 1977, Fayrene asked her oldest son Roy to accompany Rosemary to a school dance, and it was love at first sight. “We only went out once or twice, but we married a couple of months later,” Rosemary said. Hume’s new daughterin-law became involved in the efforts to save the historic building and open the Museum. In 2000, The Ash Fork Historical Society and Museum opened its doors, thanks in part to the Ash Fork Development Council. To this day, the Museum is staffed by volunteer labor only, and because it doesn’t charge admission, donations and the gift shop are its only income. The Museum includes the railroad history, the quarry history, the first jail cell (which was located in a railroad car), Native American history, geology, Route 66 memorabilia, military history and more. 28 ROUTE Magazine
A replica of the Escalante was included at the Museum, and it still draws visitors who have heard legends about the old hotel. Vintage cars seem ready to roar back to life. “Every day we are open, and we get 80 to 100 visitors a day,” said Hume “I still volunteer there too. My children and grandchildren volunteered during the summers, and they loved it. We have events like Pioneer Days that bring the community together.” Yet, despite the success of the Museum, Ash Fork was forgotten when Route 66 experienced its revival in the early 1990s. “We kind of got left off the map. They jump from Williams to Seligman, and it hurt our feelings more than anything else,” Hume said. “I joined the Route 66 Association, and we hosted one of the meetings here once. I think some people were jealous of our museum, but we still don’t have the bus traffic like Seligman does.” Hume’s husband passed away five years ago at the age of 82, but Fayrene continues to dedicate herself to the Museum, which has been open for 20 years now. “If you see anything happening to promote Route 66 in Ash Fork, it is all Fayrene’s hard work. She is not shy to speak her mind and has a strong vision,” Rosemary said. “Her husband was a fourth-generation Ash Fork native, and his grandfather was actually one of the first businessmen in town. He was very proud of that. It was her love for her husband and her love of history that made her work so hard for the Museum. I believe it’s her most proud accomplishment.” From a poor cotton farm in Arkansas to the founding of a historical museum along iconic Route 66, Hume keeps on as one of the busiest and most passionate advocates for her quiet Arizona town. It is people like Hume who, in many cases, keep the history of Route 66 alive across the 2,488 miles of beautiful tarmac.
Williams, Arizona has something for everyone. Plan a visit and see why visitors have fallen in love with Williams. ROUTE 66
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ROUTE Magazine 29
S A N TA RO S A’ S
rom the surface, Santa Rosa’s Blue Hole appears to be just another picturesque swimming hole in the New Mexican desert. Its shimmering turquoise waters blink up at the clear open sky. In the summer, families jump off the sun-baked rocks into the eye-shaped pool or float on its lazy current. The icy waters, at odds with their tropical hue, provide a refreshing retreat from the beating desert sun. However, those willing to probe deeper into the mystery of the Blue Hole will find uncharted depths and a labyrinth of twisting tunnels that extend as far as the human imagination can stretch. While more than 3,000 divers flock to Santa Rosa to explore the Blue Hole each year, no one has been able to answer the lingering question: Where does it end? Some believe that the tunnels extend all the way beneath neighboring Texas. Although the Blue Hole is one of the most popular diving destinations in the Southwest, no one really knows what it is or where its hidden depths lead. The upper chamber, which is about 80 feet deep (or 100 at sea level), is filled with crystalline water that makes it ideal for diving. “People are drawn to the clear water and the depth of it,” said Andria Chavez, an administrator at the Blue Hole Convention Center. “It’s an artesian well, which means it replenishes itself every minute, so it’s always 61 degrees, and there’s no algae like other swimming holes in the area.” On the floor of the upper chamber, a grate blocks the mouth of a spring vent as a warning to adventure-seekers, of the dangers that abound more than 100 feet below sea level. In 1975, a couple of curious divers from Oklahoma slipped through this entrance and found themselves lost in the systems of treacherous, subaquatic caves that spread like veins below the surface of New Mexico. Neither of them made it back to the surface alive. “They made it down 200 feet,” Chavez said. “Then they got turned around in a narrow passageway. One of the divers started kicking up clouds of dust and it blinded them. They couldn’t find their way back out.” A search party ventured into the caves to find the divers. For forty years, the searchers’ accounts of a large, rocky chamber 200 feet below the sand were the only glimpse the public had of the hidden world beneath the Blue Hole. 30 ROUTE Magazine
Shortly after the search party returned, the city shoveled rocks into the vent and covered it with iron bars. It remained hidden until 2013, when the cave divers at the ADM Exploration Foundation set their sights on Santa Rosa. Unfortunately, the Blue Hole does not give up its secrets easily. In 2016, ADM explorer Shane Matthews became lost squeezing into narrower and narrower passages. He did not make it back to the surface. By 2016, ADM had managed to map every inch of slippery, precarious rock they could fit through, and thoroughly explored claustrophobic caverns 194 feet below the surface. After Matthews’ death, the entrance to the lower chambers was once again sealed to the public. The end of the ADM exploration has done nothing to diminish the aura of mystery cast by the aquamarine colored water of the Blue Hole. It also has not stopped people from dreaming and speculating about where this gleaming blue gem in the desert begins and ends. “They say that the spring goes all the way down to the Carlsbad Caverns [200 miles south],” Chavez said. “But there’s no way to know for sure if that’s true.” Some people suspect that its icy waters flow all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, which would make it one of the largest underwater cave systems in the world. Even the Blue Hole’s shining surface holds its share of enigmas, from rumors that Billy the Kid once took a dip here before heading into Santa Rosa, to its mesmerizing color, which looks more suited to the Caribbean than the dry Southwest. Over the years, countless items have fallen to the bottom of the upper chamber or been placed there by visitors eager to leave their mark on the blue eye in the heart of the desert. Bits of pottery are scattered among the rocks, which seem to emanate their own bluish glow. Beautiful masks gaze up at divers as they descend and a tombstone for “Joe Cool” leans against the grate, behind which unknown depths lurk, a cheeky warning to those transfixed by the Blue Hole’s sapphire waters. Each item adds to the allure of this place where many things are lost, and few are found. You can poke around the shining floor of the Blue Hole and marvel at its immensity before returning to the sunbaked rocks that shelter the Hole. But like all good secrets, this one does not reveal itself at a glance.
Image by Efren Lopez/Route66Images.
F
BLUE HOLE
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32 ROUTE Magazine
A CONVERSATION WITH
Andy Garcia By Brennen Matthews
Photographs by Alexei Hay
ROUTE Magazine 33
F
rom his breakout role in the 1987 gangster classic The Untouchables, Andy Garcia’s distinguished presence has continued to light up the silver screen for decades, making him more than a household name. Accolades aside, Garcia is much more than the sum of his compelling performances. In this open conversation, get to know the man with an outstanding work ethic, deep convictions, and most of all, unwavering commitment to family.
You came to America, from Cuba, when you were five. Have you been back since? Well, metaphorically, I did go back to the Guantanamo naval base in, I believe it was ‘93. When I went, there (were) 16,000 rafters, people who tried to leave Cuba by rafts that were picked up, and they had to … for many years, up until the Clinton administration, if a rafter fleeing was picked up in the Florida straits in the middle of the ocean, or happened to land in Marathon Key or Key West or even in Miami … They were seeking political asylum and they were taken in and processed and given permission to stay. But Clinton changed that law to what he called a “wet foot dry foot policy”, meaning that if you touched ground, then you were permitted. But if you were caught at sea, technically, they would send you back, which is, you know, sending you back to Cuba. Once you’ve tried to escape, you’re not going to receive a good reception.
I know five is quite young, but do you have many memories of when you guys were first settling into Florida? Oh, five and a half. I have memories specifically of Cuba. I remember the day that my mother said we were leaving Cuba. She didn’t say we were leaving for good. You know, she just said we’re going to Miami. It was like a vacation. I remember leaving through the airport. They had a thing called the fish tank, which was basically a Checkpoint Charlie before you left, and you get put in this glass enclosed processing center. The people that were staying could see you go, and then in that processing center, there was the militia. And they would go through all your possessions, you were only allowed to take a bag, and whatever you had on. The Cuban government had betrayed the promise of democracy and declared themselves Marxists and so forth and so on. So, I remember that process, because they would strip you of everything, if you had anything on you that that was of any worth, whether it be a ring or watch. I remember the farm that my father had, and swimming, you know, impressionistic stuff. I was there during the Bay of Pigs and I remember the gunfire—anti aircraft gunfire in Havana. I remember being underneath a bed while that was going on. Going out the next morning and finding all these 22 millimeter shells or something—anti-aircraft shells that were on the ground. I have a lot of memories of that time—I guess your mind freezes them because there was some kind of a traumatic thing—and of course my time growing up in Miami Beach. I was very fortunate to land there in a predominantly Jewish American community. It was a really a great place to land.
Before fleeing Cuba, your dad was a lawyer. Did he consider trying to qualify in America? No, he would have [had] to take the bar again. And his English wasn’t very good. He never practiced law again, or farmed. 34 ROUTE Magazine
He started doing odd jobs, like many exiles or immigrants to our country. You know, what’s the first job available when you land? Another Cuban exile said, “Well, there’s janitorial work at the Fontainebleau Hotel.” So he said,” Okay, I’ll be there.” And you go from there to another job, to another job, and selling sneakers from the back of a truck. And then [he] eventually [built] a company, a little wholesale company of hosiery, and building that up, and eventually, almost 17 years later, we started in [the]fragrance [industry]. I was working with him and my brother René at the time. And through my father’s contacts we started the fragrance side of the business, and that quickly became very lucrative, [but] my brother is really the one who carried and built that business. I chose, at that moment, when things were taking off, to pursue my life as an actor and move to LA. 10 years later my father passed away.
Were you close to your dad? Yes, very much. He was 74 and was ill for a number of years with Myasthenia gravis, but we kept him alive as much as we could. There was no real cure for it at the time. I think now there’s more sustainable drugs for it, but in those days, it was just basically Prednisone, and it’s kind of a double-edged sword. We almost lost him two or three times, but he bounced back. And then eventually his body just gave out on him.
I’m sorry to hear that, Andy. It is always very painful to lose a father. Is your mom still with us? Yeah, she is 98 years old! She is a very powerful lady.
Is it true that Mickey Rourke was your Little League Baseball coach? Yes. (Laughs)
He seems very intense. What was he like as a baseball coach? I would not say intense. I would say eccentric. He’s got kind of an easygoing eccentricity. As you can imagine, Mickey as he is now, that’s the way he was when he was 15. He’d call me slugger, and to this day when he sees me, he still calls me slugger, because I won the batting championship. Believe it or not, I played 647, which is an important number if you know about baseball. So, he would ask some of the kids that would go up before me to crowd the plate and make sure that they got hit by the ball, so that they could get on base, [and] I could come in and knock them [home]. He would have kids sacrifice themselves so they could get on base. (Laughs)
You moved to Los Angeles in 1978 to pursue a career in film and TV. That was quite a decision. I only knew one person in LA, Steven Bauer, who was a friend from Florida, and I went and crashed at his house for two weeks, and then I didn’t want to intrude anymore so I found the worst storefront apartment in Los Angeles history, down on the corner of Fountain and Sycamore. It was a storefront apartment with a big living room. It was a studio, so all you had was a living room and a bathroom and a little kitchen, one divided up room. But it had floor to ceiling windows, and it was on the ground floor, so the people who walked
on the sidewalk in front of the apartment, I could see their silhouettes at night. I was sleeping on the other side of the curtain, on a mattress on the floor. I just had a mattress, a Naked Crate, a small black and white TV, and my Conga drums. That was it. I just started to see if I could get an agent and figure out what to do to crack this thing.
Did it take you long to find one? I sent out like a hundred photographs to all the franchise agents, and I got maybe four or five calls back. And the agents weren’t of any prominence. A couple of them said, “Well, I’ll send you out and see how you do.” And they’d asked me to bring in my resume, and they would stamp their name on [it]. But it was very rare that I got an opportunity to go out and audition. Maybe once, twice, three times a year. In those days, there weren’t a lot of opportunities, because there were only the five studios. There were three networks and then PBS would be a fourth. There was no cable or anything. So, there was a limited amount of work. And especially because my name was Garcia, there was not a lot of call for what they would consider Latin actors. The roles were mostly gang members. And the times that I would go in, they would look at me and say … in the hallway to audition there were like, real gang members! And I’d go in and they’d go, “No, come on. You look like the diplomat’s son. Get out of here.” Yeah, the opportunities weren’t there. But I stayed in the game. I was doing improvisational theater. I was part of one of the house groups at the Comedy Store and we performed around town and in La Hoya. I was working on my craft, studying, and eventually, little by little, you know, people would see my work and, as time passed, I got a gig on Hill Street Blues. I ended up doing two or three other shows within the course of their seasons. I was able to get an agent who was a little bit better, that kind of thing.
When you arrived it was suggested that you work on toning down your accent, did you have a very heavy accent? I did. I went to work with a speech therapist who pointed out where I was and where I needed to get away from. It
took a while, but I developed an understanding for it. English is my second language. The city of Miami … a lot of times you spoke Spanish in those days. Most agents wanted me to change my name, but I just couldn’t. I don’t pass judgment on people who do, I just couldn’t introduce myself as someone other than myself. I just couldn’t do that.
Over time you landed a key role in a major film, The Untouchables. That was a major opportunity for you. It was kind of a long journey, though. I did a movie called The Mean Season with Kurt Russell and Mariel Hemingway. There was a role in there for a young Cuban detective who was investigating the case of this serial killer, played beautifully by Richard Jordan. So, I did that movie, and I got some attention. I was in a movie with a character that actually has something to do with the story, not just one scene or a waiter, but someone who’s integral to the narrative of the picture. And I got some attention, and I remember getting a call at the time, and my agent said, “They’re interested in you doing a reoccurring role as part of the new season of Cagney and Lacey?” But in those days, if you wanted to do film, television was kind of taboo. In those days, if you got stuck in that world, you could be there forever. At the time I was making a living doing what we call walla. It’s the groups of people that come in and do all the background voices and all the background sound in a movie for the mix. Like when you have crowd scenes or someone in a ballpark is selling hotdogs, or whatever, the walla groups would dub those voices. I was doing that two or three times a week, and, I was paying the rent well with that. I had a young child and decided to say no, that’s not why I came here. I wanted to roll the dice and see if I could get into another movie. Then shortly thereafter, there was an opportunity to audition for Hal Ashby and Lynn Stalmaster, one of the most important casting directors in the history of our business, for 8 Million Ways to Die. There was a part for the antagonist, and Lynn wouldn’t see me because he had seen me in The Mean Season and thought I was more like a diplomat’s son and they were looking for an urban tough guy. My agent pushed and I went there in character and I got the part. And I got a lot of attention for it. I got some heat, as they used to say. ROUTE Magazine 35
don’t come prepared to do your thing, and you don’t get your character down, no matter who you are, the people who have their character down are gonna run circles around you. Sean’s ready all the time! I know it’s my responsibility to be ready all the time. So, we met as actors … I mean, the tremendous amount of respect that I have for him, and I’m pretty laid back when it comes to [letting] the man who needs the focus and the respect have it. But when it’s time to do the work, then it’s time to do the work.
I’ve read in several places that in 1990, when you were doing Internal Affairs, that you and Richard Gere actually didn’t get along, and that some of the fight scenes were actually based on a lot of the antagonism that you guys had towards each other. Is that true? No, I liked Richard very much. But Richard was just looking after his character and I was looking after mine.
So each brought intensity to it?
[Afterward], Lynn was casting for The Untouchables. We got a call from him saying that they were interested in me playing the role of Frank Nitti, who was Capone’s killer. I got the script and I read it and I said, “No, I want to go after the role of George Stone.” I met with De Palma, and he wanted to know why George Stone. It became a whole process. I ended up reading for the part of George Stone and then I got it. I [share] that story because it was not like I was sitting at home and got a call for The Untouchables. It’s all connected. One thing leads to another to another. I mean, prior to all that I was a waiter for many years at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in the banquet room. I worked at the roadway docks loading trucks, 40 foot trucks or stripping them down with Bryan Cranston. I put shingles on roofs … you do whatever.
That is surreal, though, to go from doing whatever to pay the rent and then acting opposite Sean Connery. What was it like to finally meet him and work with him? It was a privilege to be there. That’s why I wanted to play George Stone, because I wanted to work with [Connery]. Sean was … he was one of my heroes growing up, he was James Bond. That’s who I used to go to the matinees to see the double features of. I’d sit through them twice in the day and spend the entire day in the theater. So, it was a great privilege. And Sean was great, you know, but at the end of the day, you have to be responsible for why you’re there. Once the work starts … you know, the boards is the great equalizer. If you 36 ROUTE Magazine
Yeah, that was it, you know. So if [he] pushed a button, I’d have a response. And that just went on every day, as you see [in] the movie. It’s nothing personal to me, it’s nothing personal to Richard, at all. I’m looking after the character, I’m showing up, and I’m ready to go, and if you want to mess with me off book, or you want to improvise, then you also have to understand that there will be a response. That’s the nature of it. I’ve never disliked Richard as a person. We went to dinner. He’s my friend. There’s a different thing about the exploration of the material, and I learned this a lot when I worked with Jeff Bridges, in 8 Million Ways to Die. There was a very antagonistic relationship that we had. But me and Jeff, from day one, we held hands together through the whole process. The first thing that Jeff said to me was, “Hey man, you know, if you see anything I should be doing that’ll help, just let me know, alright?” And I said, “Likewise.” And I think there was so much love and respect for one another, that we became very good friends during the course of this antagonism that we went into it together. So, basically what happens is, the greater the love and respect, and generosity, the deeper you can go into the antagonism. Because you can permit each other to do things that, if you said, “I really don’t like you as a person, I really don’t like you as an actor,” then it stifles the exploration, because you’re not in a creative process together. So, I think that maybe people saw the energy that Richard and I created with one another on the set, or in a rehearsal or something, and they might have said, “Boy, those guys really don’t like each other.”
Afterwards you were offered a key role in Godfather III. Were you a fan of the previous films? Oh, I would say that the reason I decided to become an actor was when I saw Godfather I.
Which is the best of the trilogy? One, because one is number one. And I don’t think there’s ever been a better sequel to a movie than Godfather II. That’s a hard one to pick, but one is one.
Were you very nervous about entering such an iconic franchise and being a lead in the film? You know, I felt like I had been preparing for that part all my life. God gave me the stamina and opportunity to fulfill my dream. I was loading trucks [when] they announced that they were going [to] do this movie, and that there was a young part in it, and I thought to myself, that’s my part. That’s my part. But I didn’t have anything to show for that part, nor did I have an agent to submit me for that part, but I got lucky that the thing was delayed for 10 years, and then by the time it came back around, I had done The Untouchables, Dead Again, Black Rain, Internal Affairs. [During] Internal Affairs, Mr. Mancuso Sr.—the father of Frank Mancuso Jr.—was producing the movie, came to the set and said, “What are you doing in September? I want [you to] talk to Francis [Ford Coppola]. I want you to play Vincent.” I told him I’ll check my schedule and get back to him. (Laughs) And then it became a process. It was in May. And it became a process of meeting Francis. I think I met him in August. And then I was the last person to screen test on a Thursday, and I got a call on Saturday that I got the part. Rehearsals started on Monday. I don’t know man, I just … that was my part.
When you were doing the reading for it, did you know that De Niro and Stallone were also lobbying for the role? There were a lot of people, everybody wanted that part, you know? I’m sure Francis tested many actors. Listen, all those actors could play that part. I had met Al many times socially prior through Steven Bauer because they had done Scarface and Steven introduced me. We used to play paddle tennis together and throughout my life I’ve always gotten, “You know, you have a resemblance to Al Pacino? You remind me of Al Pacino.” And I said, “Yeah, I get that a lot.” Sometimes I would get Dustin Hoffman and sometimes I’d get Robert De Niro, you know, because it was like an urban sort. So I knew that physically, I could fit in the family. That’s important. If you don’t have that, then no matter how great of an actor you are, if you don’t fit in the visual frame of reference, then that’s working against you. In my case, that helped.
You received an Oscar nod for Godfather III. What was your life like once you found out that you were being nominated? Well, I took my mother and my father to the Oscars, he was in a wheelchair at the time. So, that was amazing. You know, I have nobody in the entertainment business in my family. It’s not like my daughters, who are two actresses and a model. They know the pitfalls, they know what it takes or not to, you know, they understand because they grew up in the industry. I think about what my father’s process was … it was harder for him. My mother was like, “You have wings, go. If you break a wing and you have to come back to mend it, come back, but you got to go.” My father was [more], “What are you doing?” I can [imagine] his thought process was like, “He wants to be an actor. I love my son, but he’s not Humphrey Bogart.” They didn’t know that there’s an industry, that there are people around Humphrey Bogart. So, for him to be at the Oscars, that was pretty wild for him. It was kind of completely surreal, you know, for me too, but the onslaught of fame that comes with that kind of thing … my choice, looking back, was to retreat from it. You know,
to not get caught up in the hype of it. I felt that someone was going to chew me up and spit me out, and the next guy would come, you know? So, I tried to keep a low profile, limit the amount of interviews I did, just concentrate on the work.
What was the first big purchase you made once you started making some real money? I had already bought a house in Sherman Oaks. So, that was the first thing that we bought when we had the money to invest. And we’re talking about a house, it costs $185,000, which I still have. My daughter’s living in it now. We were raising a family. I already had two kids. Once we were able to garner some investment money, we bought the house that I’m living in now, which you see, so everything was real estate for the family. The only indulgence was my instruments. I bought this little Steinway Upright from the turn of the century, which I have here. And then when I was doing Night Falls on Manhattan, I bought a Steinway B at the Steinway house in New York, you know, a grand piano. I don’t drive Bentley’s around. (Laughs)
You and your wife Marivi have been married for almost 40 years. Yeah, we started dating around ‘75 and we got married in ‘82.
You proposed to her the same night you met her? Yes. I didn’t have a ring or anything. I said, “Would you marry me?” And she said, “Yes.” So, I mean, that’s about as real as it gets. (Laughs)
How did you know so quickly? Oh, I knew, right away. I just saw her. I just knew. You know, everything lined up right away. It was like, Michael Corleone seeing Apollonia.
I know there’s no set recipe, but what do you attribute your success and longevity as a couple to? Well, you make a commitment to each other, and we have a commitment to our family and our children. And you live your life in respect to that commitment, and any disagreements or anything, you work them out. It’s kind of like a religious commitment, not that you have to be religious, but it takes that kind of focus. And respect, you need to make sure that you don’t disrespect the family.
You have always chosen not to do love scenes. Have you gotten a lot of pushback in your career when you would ask for love scenes to be removed? Most of the time, [love scenes] are written into scripts in more of a gratuitous manner. And then they would say, “Okay, how will you want to do it?” and then we would adapt it and say, “We’ll show the foreplay, and then you’re out.” I mean, people know what happened. To me, it’s about the repartee and the moments leading up to it. That is where the romance is. I don’t need to see two people groping each other. It’s not my style as a filmmaker even, and it’s not what I would do, even if I was making the movie. So, they have seemed to work around that over the years. And if the movie was too overt, I would just say no. ROUTE Magazine 37
You’re a father to four kids. They’re all pretty much grown. The youngest is 18. Yep, off to college.
An empty nest very soon. Yeah. Just when we remodeled the house. (Laughs)
Are you looking forward to that? No, I’m not looking forward to it.
What lessons have you learned from your father that you apply to being a dad? Work ethic, commitment to the family, unconditional love. Certainly his personality has rubbed off on me, as has my mother’s. You become a sponge. Like a magpie, you gather stuff—as actors, we gather stuff to it to put in our creative nest, you know? And as you grow up, your parents become part of that thing you emulate. Some kids have bad experiences with it and other people rebel from it. I don’t want to be anything like that, you know? In my case, I had nothing to rebel against because they were great role models.
You’ve managed to be a relevant leading actor but kept the family together and away from falling into all of the distractions and pitfalls that come with being famous. It’s intentional. I wake up in the morning as a father, I don’t wake up as a celebrity actor. I wake up as a father, my duties as a father are first and foremost, my choices as an actor are first and foremost to provide for my family. Within that, you know, I try to make the creative choices that suit my sensibilities. There’s been many movies that I would have made if I was willing to leave for eight weeks to work and leave my family behind - because the kids were in school - and, you know, I would choose to say, no, I’m not gonna go for eight weeks and leave my [family]. So, there’s been those kind of choices, but it’s okay. It is what it is. So, that’s the commitment. It’s my responsibility to have a positive influence and set a positive example for my kids like my parents did for me.
In 2005, you directed a film that was near and dear to your heart called The Lost City. It focused on the turbulent sociopolitical upheaval brought to Cuba by the transition from the dictatorial regime of Batista to the Marxist revolution led by Fidel Castro in the 1950s. It was a great picture and you attracted some Hollywood heavyweights like Bill Murray and Dustin Hoffman. How did that come about? I’ll tell you that story, it’s very funny. We were playing golf in a tournament at Pebble Beach, a program that we hadn’t played in for many years. In this particular year, we were in the same foursome for three days, and Bill said to me, “Hey, you know, we should work together,” and I said, “Bill, I’d be so honored to work with you. In fact, after 16 years of my life, I finally got the money to do this movie about Cuba and the revolution, and there’s a part in it that I couldn’t think of nobody else that could play it. I mean, that’s the part for you and me to do.” And he said, “Send it to me.” 38 ROUTE Magazine
So, that was February, and about the last week in March, I was in Florida, I get a call on my cell phone. I go, “Hello?” he says, “Andy Garcia?” I go, “Yes.” He says, “Bill Murray.”And I go, “Hey, Bill, how are you?” “I’m fine. Enough with the small talk. I’ve read your script, it’s one of the most interesting scripts I’ve ever read. No one’s going to see this movie, but I’d like to be in it.” Only Bill Murray can deliver that line. I went on and said, “Well, like you know, Bill, we’re all working for scale. I can only pay your scale. It’s two weeks work.” He said, “Scale. What’s that?” I said, “I think it’s about, like, five grand a week. So, maybe ten grand and 10% for whoever you want here, because you don’t have an agent.” And he said, “Honey, he says there’s two weeks in the Dominican Republic. At scale.” She said, “Do it. He’s a good guy.” And he said, “I’m in,” and he hung up. And then—this shows you how great of a prince he was—we were getting the banking together, so I call him on his 800 number.
He has an 800 number? Yeah! And you have to leave a message and maybe he calls you back, maybe he doesn’t. It’s a whole process. And I said, “Bill, you know, you have to sign your contract. Because if not, I can’t close the bank loan. It’s because you’re an essential element now in the movie, you need to have your contract signed.” And he said, “Likely story.” (Laughs) I said, “No, I’m serious, Bill.” He says, “Are you by a fax machine? Send me the signature page and wait.” I send the signature page of this document, and it’s like 30 pages long. And I send it off and I wait five or 10 minutes. And the page comes out with his signature on it. He never read the contract. He’s a prince. He was a prince to me. And we became, what I believe to be, close friends. I love the man. He was brilliant in the film. And then to complete it, Dustin Hoffman, there was a part of Meyer Lansky in the picture. And I said to Dustin at a Laker’s game, “Dustin, I’m doing this film. There’s two days of work as Meyer Lansky, it’s a movie about Cuba. I’d be honored if you would consider it.” We had worked together on Hero. So you know, we had our friendship. “[I’ll be] directing also, but you’d be doing those scenes with me.” And he said, “If I’m available, I’ll do it. Only on one condition.” I go, “What?” He says, “You have to come to my daughter’s wedding.” And I said, “I’m in.” Okay, so we started doing the movie. He’s in, his daughter’s wedding is on a Saturday in Los Angeles. And we’re wrapping on the following Tuesday. He works in the Dominican Republic on Monday and Tuesday. So I wrapped on Friday, track my way down back to LA. I go to the wedding. At the wedding, he says, “You see that gentleman over there? He has a private plane. If we give him a role in the movie, he’ll take us to the Dominican tomorrow.” And I said, “He can play one of your bodyguards.” So he tries to negotiate, but that didn’t work out. So we got on a plane on Sunday, flew back together, you know, commercial. Did work for two days with him and me and Bill, the three of us in the scene. And we wrapped and he said to me at the end, at the wrap party, “I haven’t had as much fun in the movie in a long, long time.” So those are my two heroes in that movie. They came to support the film, and they were two princes. Check out Andy Garcia in Words on Bathroom Walls (2020), Ana (2020) and the upcoming movie Big Gold Brick.
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An Unexpected Visitor A M E L I A E A R H A RT ’ S V I SI T TO C U BA , MO he year was 1937, the tail end of the Great Depression, when famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart, one of the most famous women of her day, disappeared at age 39 without a trace, along with her navigator, Fred Noonan, and her Lockheed Electra 10E aircraft. It was an ill-fated attempt to become the first woman to fly around the world as close to the equator as possible. The search for Earhart has continued for over 80 years, now focused on Nikumaroro, a tiny uninhabited atoll in Kiribati, about 2,100 miles from Honolulu, Hawaii, where Earhart and Noonan are believed to have crash-landed and died as castaways. Since then, her fame has grown tremendously. Earhart’s name has been honored with streets, airports, schools, a U.S. commemorative postage stamp, a Barbie doll, a theatrical film starring Hilary Swank, more than 50 books, and over a dozen songs. But as famous as her legend has become, few know of her fleeting brush with another icon, Route 66. In the year 1928, just after the creation of the famous highway, Earhart was flying en route to Los Angeles, on a leg of her journey from Scott Field in Belleville, Illinois, to Muskogee, Oklahoma. Flying her two-seater, British-made 1927 Avro monoplane, Friendship, Earhart developed mechanical problems and was forced to do an emergency landing in a country field just outside of Cuba, Missouri, now a long-time Route 66 favorite, about 85 miles outside of St. Louis. “I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way,” Earhart told a Belleville Daily Advocate reporter as she sat down in front of her controls, preparing for her departure. “I’m just a tramp flier now and have no particular destination. I’m not seeking publicity.” And with that, Earhart powered up her single-engine aircraft and took off, only to be forced down a short while later outside of Cuba. No damage was reported from the unscheduled stop, and she continued her journey. It was only an overnight stay, and very little is known about her time in the quaint town, but her stay had a lasting impression on townsfolk. The historic village of Cuba, since nicknamed “Route 66 Mural City,” is a town of colorful, hand-painted murals, proudly displaying 14 at last count, each one celebrating 40 ROUTE Magazine
local history. There are murals commemorating the local bank president, a visit by film star Bette Davis, Osage Native Americans meeting French settlers, apple picking, Civil War battles, and native Missourian and future president Harry S. Truman. Inspired by the scant coverage of Earhart’s emergency stop, in 2002, professional artist Shelly Steiger and her artist partner Julie Brand completed a 28-foot by 16-foot mural of the famed aviatrix. For accuracy, they consulted the internet, historic photos, and other records dating back to that unexpected visit. The public art project depicts the brave flyer standing in a grassy field not unlike the one she landed in, looking off into the distance, with the plane seemingly coming right out of the building. The image is drawn with acrylic house paint on concrete Hardie board placed on the side of a car wash. The unplanned visit to Cuba, named after the island nation, was just three months after Earhart, at age 31, made headlines as the first woman passenger to cross the Atlantic Ocean. She was a member of a three-person crew tasked with maintaining the flight log for the 20 hours and 40-minute journey. In 1932, she topped that feat by becoming the first woman, and the second person after Charles Lindbergh, to fly nonstop and solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Then she vanished. Today, Earhart’s 1937 disappearance is the grandfather of cold cases. Various expeditions, including those led by the nonprofit The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, have been chasing clues for decades. The team has worked with drones, ground-penetrating radar, forensic dogs, multibeam and side scan sonar, UV lamps, historic photos and film, radio reception patterns, and a remotely operated vehicle. So far, no luck locating the bodies of Earhart or her aircraft. Of Earhart’s lasting legacy, Cuba mural artist Shelly Steiger believes, “She was a pioneer. As a woman, she opened the door for the rest of us to dream big and do wonderful things. I don’t believe in glass ceilings. I also have two daughters and want them to know they can do anything they want, just as Amelia did.” Next time that you are in Cuba, take a moment to soak in the town’s quiet atmosphere and remember that you are likely standing in a spot where Amelia Earhart once explored.
Mural painting created by Alise O’Brien.
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By Jeff Blumenfeld
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efore social media promoted quick and easy marketing by putting pop-up ads at our fingertips, mom and pop shops up and down Route 66 brainstormed one-of-a-kind, larger-than-life attractions to drum up business. The road trippers that flooded the Mother Road in the 1950s rode into small towns across America on a wave of innovation, the desire for novel family fun, and were greeted by a hodgepodge of bizarre and breathtaking oddities. In Flagstaff, Arizona, then a quaint stopover for travelers taking Route 66 to the Grand Canyon, the main drag became a stomping ground for an array of technicolor giants, the most famous of these denizens being the twin muffler men, the first of their kind and the last standing in Flagstaff. For over fifty years, the Lumberjacks have stood watch over Route 66. They have watched businesses and film crews come and go, the same families return year after year, vandals take a stab at the city’s legacy, and the blazing neon of their hometown’s main drag simmer down to a warm, nostalgic shimmer. They even watched their own Lumberjack Cafe close its doors after the interstate bypassed Route 66 in the 1970s. Still, they continue to tower above the road as proud emblems of the city’s history. This couple of lumberjacks’ journey actually started in Los Angeles, where the serendipity that so often plays a hand in encounters on Route 66 brought boat builder Steve Dashew in contact with a visionary fiberglass sculptor and cowboy, Bob Prewitt. Steve’s business savvy and Bob’s craftsmanship formed the basis of Fiberglass International, which Steve founded after buying Bob’s fiberglass business in 1963. “I had a little boat building competition in Los Angeles,” Steve said. “I met a guy by the name of Bob Prewitt who was in horse trailers and sponsored rodeo riders and competitions. Bob, as part of his horse trailer business, built fiberglass parts for trains and somehow got into the fiberglass display industry. He was the one that actually built the first Paul Bunyan for the restaurant in 1966.” Paul Bunyan, the legendary woodsman of Midwestern lore with his giant blue ox, Babe, was the inspiration behind the first model, with its cheery blue-and-red lumberjack garb, doublesided axe, and dark beard. It was actually commissioned by a diner in the Pacific Northwest, where it probably would have fit right in. However, before the sale was completed, the restaurant owner decided that he did not actually need a twenty-foot-tall statue. Undiscouraged, Bill Becker, the Fiberglass International salesman in charge of the deal, got in his car, threw the Lumberjack in a trailer, and decided to cruise down Route 66 42 ROUTE Magazine
from Los Angeles until he found a buyer for the “monstrosity”. He made it as far as Flagstaff before the Lumberjack Cafe, a family diner nestled among the glittering neon of Main Street, caught his eye. He made a U-turn, pulled into the parking lot, and sold the statue on the spot. The owners liked the statue so much that they ordered a second one soon after. This one was similar to the first, with the signature lumberjack garb, axe, and toothy grin, but by that time Fiberglass International had already put a few finishing touches on the design. The new giant had a slightly different aesthetic and fewer parts, as Dashew had perfected a system by which the figurines could be broken down and ferried to gas stations, restaurants, and other businesses. The first was the true original but the second is the one whose likeness now dots the landscape of old Route 66, sometimes with a spacesuit, cowboy hat, or Native American headdress. There are as many variations on the mold as there are facets of Route 66. For years, the Lumberjacks greeted motorists coming down Flagstaff’s Route 66 with matching two-foot-wide grins. They even made a cameo in the 1969 movie Easy Rider. When the Lumberjack Cafe closed down in 1973, the Lumberjacks’ fate was thrown into question. Soon they joined a host of lumberjack mascots at Northern Arizona University, standing at either end zone of the school’s football field. When the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome was completed in 1977, Lumberjack #2 remained on the field while Lumberjack #1 became a greeter, looming against the stadium’s exterior. Guarding the entrance to NAU Athletics Facility, Lumberjack #1 has had more than one brush with vandals. “One night in the 80s, [Lumberjack #1] was vandalized,” NAU archivist Sean Evans explained. “He was pushed over and his legs were broken at the ankles. That took eons to fix.” This was part of a long-standing tradition of Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University pilfering each other’s mascots. Knowingly or not, NAU gave a home to two relics of Route 66’s first wave of wacky, much-loved advertising. Evans, who watched the road evolve in the 1960s on “what can charitably be called the prototype for National Lampoon’s Family Vacation,” sees the Lumberjacks as the beginning of an era. “It was a transitional period,” Evans said. “These were actually mass-produced but they still fall into that category of pretty wacky. If you think about the Blue Whale of Catoosa, that was something someone had to craft. The muffler men were just kind of an easy answer to the question of ‘How do I draw people in?’”
Image by John Smith.
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PULA’ SAFE ONE. Packed with open air attractions and far enough off-grid you’re away from the crowds, Pulaski County, Missouri’s iconic stretch of Route 66 is one trip that is made for slowing down and taking it all in. Grab turn-byturn directions and travel safety tips at our Visitors Center or online via our interactive map at SeeRt66.com.
Masks are available at our Visitors Center. ROUTE Magazine 43
AMERICA
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N GIANTS By Nick Gerlich Photographs courtesy of Joel Baker
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M
arketers have long tried to raise their voice above the din. From the smallest mom-andpops to the biggest corporate conglomerates, it has always been about cutting through the clutter and being heard or seen. From the retina-burning neon, swooping arrows, and flashing chaser bulbs that reached their zenith in the 1950s, to television ads that make us laugh or pull at our heart strings in the 21st Century, the message is implicitly the same: “Look at me! Look at me!” As the 1950s turned into the 1960s, though, a new, louder, different voice was needed, because it seemed that everyone Opening Spread: The first Muffler Man at the Lumberjack Cafe.
A junked Phillips 66 cowboy. 46 ROUTE Magazine
had mounted a roadside sign to try to divert traffic. While modern day sign geeks love chasing neon and the remnants of a bygone era, those signs became banal and common enough that International Fiberglass saw an opportunity to take outdoor marketing to a new level, one that stood 20-feet tall, and would cause people not only to pay attention, but also to pull over for a photograph. You just didn’t have that happening with neon signs back then. For about a decade, American streets and highways became populated with hundreds of roadside giants that we know collectively today as Muffler Men, if only because of the figures produced for a muffler chain. Many have disappeared, but nostalgia being what it is, there is movement afoot today not only to restore and preserve the figures remaining, but also to craft new ones.
Out of the Mold “The origins of these giants started with a guy named Bob Prewitt. He was trying to sell fiberglass trailers and made an awful looking papier-mâché horse to stand in it,” said
The Snerd was also known as a “half-wit,” and looked strikingly similar to Mad magazine’s Alfred E. Neuman. Most statues were 20-feet tall, although there were also 14-foot variations. While most had the trademark hands, one cupped, the other reversed, the vast majority never held mufflers or, as originally released, axes. The generic “Muffler Man” name stuck, though. A tipping point was reached in months. “Steve started marketing and before long he had contracts with major oil giants who were all interested in having a huge statue at their filling station,” Baker added. The result was the Texaco Big Friend, Phillips 66 Cowboy, and Uniroyal Girl, all made possible by making minor variations in the original mold. “The year 1965 saw dozens of these giants being shipped out along with many other famous figures that we still see and collect today, like the A&W Root Beer Family, Sinclair Dinos, and Bob’s Big Boy.”
Marketing Genius
Bob Prewitt.
Joel Baker, founder of American Giants. Prewitt soon made contact with a sculptor, who designed a more realistic model and hit paydirt. “In January 1961, he took it to the Denver Fat Stock Show, and got 16 orders for the horse and two for the trailer.” And an era was born. “Later that same year he got an order from a businessman in Sacramento for a 20-foot Paul Bunyan, and so the first ‘Muffler Man’ was built,” Baker continued. And a fiberglass mold was made from the original sculpture in case copies would ever be desired. The deal fell through for unknown reasons, though, and Prewitt hit the road to look for a customer. He found it on Route 66 at the Paul Bunyan Cafe in Flagstaff, Arizona. It was a match made in fiberglass heaven. Louie the Lumberjack was an instant hit. When they changed their name to the Lumberjack Café, they purchased a second statue. Fiberglass, which has been used as insulation for years, found its stride in 1953 with the first Corvette containing fiberglass reinforced plastic body parts. From there, builders realized that it could be used for practically anything, which prompted Prewitt to build his horse trailers. While Prewitt wasn’t the first to build fiberglass animals, he is the one remembered for running with the idea, even if it wasn’t all that intentional. “The Paul Bunyan statue was just an extra for someone who wanted one. Then everyone had to have one,” Baker laughed. What started as a one-off wound up launching a nationwide craze. Prewitt had hardly started down this new path when he sold most of his molds to Stanley Dashew, an inventor and businessman. Dashew established International Fiberglass for his son, Steve, to run as a way to offset the slow season in their primary product line, fiberglass boats. However, the 20-foot Bunyan was an instant success. In short order, “Steve had a few versions of the statue made, like a cowboy, Indian, and the Mortimer Snerd,” continued Baker.
Mark Cline, of Enchanted Castle Studios in Waynesboro, Virginia, recognizes the marketing value of Muffler Men and their variants, and why they became so popular in the 1960s. He is known nationwide for his work with theme parks and municipalities, and is one of two fiberglass artists in the country who has made molds of the various models to be able to do restorations and create new statues. “It’s not just one thing. You have to think about the time and what was going on back then. The climate of entertainment, the political climate, the availability of travel, all factored in. People were fascinated with the look. I don’t think it would have worked in the ‘40s,” said Cline. Societal change and marketing advances played off of each other. Citizens fell in love with whatever was new, and saw
Joel Baker with Pahrump Big Friend. ROUTE Magazine 47
The last two Muffler Men made. 1973.
it as an indicator of their savviness in a consumer-driven economy. Marketers obliged them by offering them ever bigger, bolder, and more colorful products. Thus, people wanted to be spoken to in the language they understood. They wanted to be marketed to, and Muffler Men became part of that lexicon by virtue of their sheer size. Neon signs may have screamed for attention, but 20-foot-tall roadside giants were an extravaganza writ large. “If you think about America in 1959, you have Cadillac with their biggest car, with the biggest fins, and every other car manufacturer going completely over the top. The late ‘50s was also the highlight of neon signs. You had amazing neon signs in little towns in every state. It was a continuation of that complete sensory overload,” said Jeff Kunkle, co-founder of Vintage Roadside. 48 ROUTE Magazine
Even today, more than 50 years after their installation, business owners are finding their Muffler Men to be valuable components of their operations. Holly Barker and Tully Garrett, owners of the Launching Pad in Wilmington, Illinois, bought the then-shuttered business in October 2017, which still had the towering Gemini Giant outside. Their innocent day of antiquing led them into new careers as restaurateurs and merchandisers. “There were a number of people there in the parking lot, taking photos. We knew then that this place had stopping power,” Garrett said. Only two of the three spacemen model ever made remain today, and each was unique, certainly contributing to the popularity of the Gemini Giant. The duo has launched (pun intended) a complete product line featuring the Gemini Giant, from t-shirts and hoodies to
magnets and coffee mugs. But it is the bobblehead that put their enterprise in orbit. “It has built relationships, and it has connected with people,” Holly beamed.
The End of an Era By the late ‘60s, the beginning of the end for Muffler Men was becoming apparent. “The giants and figures were getting harder to ship with new trucking laws. The gas crisis also spiked the cost of resin,” Baker said. Dashew’s focus moved to industrial products, and he changed the name of the company to Interform. They stopped making animals around 1972 and began sub-contracting manufacturing of Muffle Men to a former employee’s firm, Premier Recreational. “In 1973, the last Snerd was painted, and a final Paul Bunyan was molded. Those were the last two Muffler Men made.” Interform shut down in 1978 and sold its animal molds back to Prewitt, who continued making them until 2005. As for everything else, including corporate records, most was sent to the landfill, effectively burying a short-lived roadside phenomenon. Even the original molds were destroyed. “By that time, Muffler Men were no longer considered cool, and were becoming an eyesore. Dozens were torn down and disposed of,” said Baker. “Business owners are always looking for something new. [But] this was getting to be old news. The ravages of time were taking their toll. By the ‘70s, the public was seeing Muffler Men differently.” Just as quickly as the roadside giants rose to popularity, they fell into disfavor, and outdoor advertising started a slow evolution into more mundane signage. Muffler Men, like neon signs before them, became gaudy and gauche. Simple backlit plastic signs became the new norm. Brian Butko, author of Roadside Giants, noted the social shift toward darker colors. “Color and fun and whimsy were not only out of fashion, but planning commissions and beautification boards were mandating limits on height and style.”
giants made by International Fiberglass, but also serves as a facilitator and matchmaker to help make things happen. It was Baker who steered two Route 66 businesses to Cline in the last few years, the result being two new Muffler Men adorning the iconic highway. Buck Atoms in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Route 66 Food Truck Park in Springfield, Missouri, are the new homes of these towering retro masterpieces, bringing the total of Route 66 Muffler Men to no fewer than 10. “Originally, I talked to Joel Baker, and he was going to loan me one of his Phillips 66 cowboys. And then as time went on, he said, ‘Wait a second, you need your own Muffler Man!’ And that is when he introduced me to Mark [Cline],” said Mary Beth Babcock, owner of Buck Atoms. Her new statue stands 21-feet tall, if only because of his large cowboy hat. While Cline made Buck, Baker organized for his transport cross-country. As further evidence of the collaborative spirit, Tulsa artist Chris Wollard designed the rocket in Buck’s hands. “I like to celebrate the past, but still show that you can do stuff for the future. I want to honor the past, the original form,” said Babcock. Two hours east, in Springfield, Kirk Wheeler had become enamored with Muffler Men on a Route 66 road trip, and a seed was planted. “I discovered Muffler Men on that trip. I was developing this idea for a food truck park, and decided then that it needed a Muffler Man,” he recalled.
Blessed Revival Today, America’s fascination with nostalgia is driving a resurgence in Muffler Men interest, be it restoration or even new reproductions. In the last decade, Baker has emerged as not just a leading authority on the various roadside
A Muffler Man cowboy being installed at a business. ROUTE Magazine 49
A former Chicago Bunyan.
Along the way, he became acquainted with Baker, who pointed him to Cline, and found himself in early 2020 towing a long trailer from Virginia to Missouri with his new buddy, Karl, strapped on tightly. “He’s doing what I expected him to do. I had looked at having a new sign manufactured with high-def screens, and the cost for a Muffler Man was comparable. I thought, with Route 66, Karl would do a better job promoting the whole thing,” Wheeler said. “He’s like a giant billboard. You can’t just drive by and not look at him. I’m pretty nostalgic. It takes you back to a simpler time.” “I think that now, once the word gets out that there is an opportunity to own a piece of history, even if it’s a repro, I think that there’s a good possibility of them coming back in a strong way,” Cline said. “People have a real love for nostalgia, and especially this retro stuff.”
Into the Future Neither Prewitt nor Dashew could ever have predicted that their roadside giants would have second lives in the 21st Century. Like most manufacturers and marketers, they were simply doing something in the moment, not worried about the future. The time was ripe, and they both filled a gap. Nostalgia is a funny thing, though—whimsical, unpredictable fancy of those chasing their fading youth, or an idyllic era that they never even experienced. The past 50 ROUTE Magazine
often seems so serene compared to the present, and it is easy to grow wistful. Muffler Men are giant caricatures with over-stated features, which today evoke memories of halcyon, simpler times, whether you were there to experience them or not. “It’s the nostalgia. Now we look back at them, to a time when everybody [was] fascinated with that look. It’s something that many people have not heard about,” said Baker. “It intrigues them to learn about [giants], and they want to go and see one. They’re still standing beside the road, and we can still stand next to them and take our picture.” Which is precisely what businesses today want us to do. Nostalgia tugs at heartstrings in ways difficult to pin down, but you know it when you see it. Better yet, today we can show those photos with our friends and families in minutes. “Businesses once again look to Muffler Men as an affordable roadside attraction that they can customize much easier than building a coffee-pot shaped café,” Butko interjected. “Also, the oversize human dimensions are perfectly suited for quick, funny social media posts, making both owners and drive-by fans happy.” And at the end of the day and the road trip, it is precisely this feeling that everyone wants to linger, maybe even to the point of wishful albeit unlikely thinking. “If everybody could look outside in the yard in the morning and see a giant holding an ice cream cone, I think the world would be a happier place,” Cline summed up.
INTRODUCING
While the majority of surviving Muffler Men variants are painted and adorned distinctly, some are more unique than others. Big John in Helper, Utah, is among the most unusual of the 200-plus roadside giants still lining American highways, and illustrates that, while International Fiberglass was able to stamp out dozens on short notice, they also did truly custom work to order. Towering 18 feet above the tiny town, Big John is less a roadside advertisement and more a memorial to the coal miners of the area. Helper has a long history of coal mining and the railroad, and the shiny head-to-toe back-in-black color scheme befits the images held of miners at day’s end. The glossy black, strangely enough, reflects the blue skies and puffy white clouds of summer. The miner’s hat, gigantic pickaxe, and distinct belt put Big John in rare company among Muffler Men. Jeff Kunkle, Muffler Man enthusiast and curator of vintage roadside artifacts, says that while there are still many International Fiberglass giants to visit on road trips, it is the special-order models that are much more difficult to find. “I’ve always loved the fact that you could custom order just about any variation of the big guys from International Fiberglass, and the miner is a rare survivor of that program,” he said. Those custom statues are scattered across the US and include pirates and spacemen. While custom work necessarily involved using different molds for the fiberglass, there were some clients willing to pay extra to have something that was truly a one-off, not an off-the-shelf model. “The miner belongs to a small group of unique giants such as the Ocean City, Maryland, pirate, the Gemini Giant in Wilmington, Illinois, and the pirate in Ocean City, New Jersey. It’s wonderful that the owners of these unique statues have cared for them and we all get to continue enjoying them,” Kunkle continued. Big John was ordered and delivered in 1964, making him one of the earliest Muffler Men to be produced. Kunkle says the level of upkeep is praiseworthy, and after more than 45 years of withstanding the extremes of northern Utah summers and winters, he looks as good as the day he was delivered. “The idea to paint him solid black as a tribute to the area coal miners was absolutely genius. I never would have thought a solid color would work on one of these statues, but it makes
such an incredible statement and still brings out all of the details in the statue itself,” Kunkle continued. While the statue came about as part of a broader effort to create the Western Mining Museum in town, Big John actually stands in front of the library, its Streamline Modern architecture providing a striking backdrop. His name was derived from a 1961 tune, “Big Bad John,” which won top honors as Country Song of the Year. The base on which he stands was made of rails, spikes, and plates from a nearby mining tram. Helper, which is known as the Hub of (aptly named) Carbon County, sits along US 6 and US 191, a shortcut from the Salt Lake City area to I-70 and points east. But even the old US highways have undergone modernization, and thus the downtown area has been bypassed. It’s easy to miss the numerous small towns along this high desert stretch, and thus Big John stands in solitude much of the time. While coal has been a mainstay since the late-19th Century, it has not been a smooth ride. Helper, which is named for the “helper” engines that trains need to make it up the steep, 15-mile grade through Price Canyon, has ridden the fortunes and failures of the industry for 130 years. Today, the downtown area for this town of 2,100 features numerous abandoned buildings, and enough rusting old signs to keep neon sign fans busy for an hour or two with their cameras. While other nearby communities could not survive and are now ghost towns, Helper still has a pulse, and Big John is a big part of that. The attraction is free and accessible 24/7, even if it is off the beaten path. That Helper did ride the ups and downs of coal may be due in part to the folks who, back in 1964, saw fit to honor the workers who were the backbone of their economy. Muffler Men became passé by the 1970s, an eyesore to some and – even at their great height – almost invisible to others, but in modern times these giants have experienced a resurgence, a revival and a renewed interest from travelers and businesses. In a time when the generic and expected is around every corner, who wouldn’t fall in love with a jet-black giant who seems to appear as if from nowhere? As we travel across America and find ourselves off the beaten path, it will be encounters with attractions from a bygone era like Big John that will make our time on the road all the more memorable.
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Image by Nick Gerlich.
BIG JOHN
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long with its sister cities in Cibola County, Grants, New Mexico, shares the longest uninterrupted stretch of Route 66 in the state. The town, originally named after three Canadian brothers— Angus, Lewis and John Grant who were contracted by the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad—flourished as a railroad town. As railroad logging declined, an agricultural boom, ignited by the construction of the Bluewater Reservoir followed, giving the town the moniker “Carrot Capital of the United States”. However, Grants’ historical prominence runs much deeper — literally. The town’s story roots itself in the uranium imbedded within the earth of its mountainous terrain. The radioactive element was first discovered near Grants by a Navajo sheep herder named Paddy Martinez, who encountered the yellow rock while prospecting Haystack Mountain in 1950. Martinez’s monumental detection drew nationwide attention, putting into motion a wave of change that would forever alter the physical, cultural, and commercial landscape of the area. Five years after Martinez’s discovery, oil entrepreneur, Stella Dysart, unearthed a well of uranium on her property during a hunt for black gold in the Ambrosia Lake area. While not exactly the treasured resource she originally set out to find, what Dysart did detect made her plenty wealthy; she uncovered the richest deposit of high-grade uranium ore in the world. It wasn’t long after these two historic discoveries that mines began cropping up all around Grants, quickly earning the town the title of “Uranium Capital of the World.” The rapidly growing business prompted the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) to assume control over the industry and institute regulations that helped bring in revenue but failed in creating safe working conditions for Grants’ miners. The AEC neglected to warn laborers of the stark dangers in uranium mining and omitted the establishment of laws to keep miners safe from harm. Many men lost their lives in the mines due to this, but once the AEC’s ownership contract ran its course, the state and federal government, along with the support of activist miners, generated laws to increase worker safety. One of the miners who fought for this safety addendum was Jack Farley, who at 87 years old, maintains an active and lively voice within the mining community as a board member and volunteer tour guide at the New Mexico Mining Museum in Grants. No matter his role, Farley takes his job seriously; he never missed a single day of work during his 43 years of hard labor in the mines — 28 of which were mining uranium. But despite the rigors of his commitment and the demands of his occupation, Farley never lost his signature sense of humor. 52 ROUTE Magazine
From scaring fellow miners with a dead bobcat propped up behind a door to creating a ‘ghost miner’ by dressing up and suspending a coat hanger with a jug for a head, he was never short of pranks. “We played a lot of tricks on each other,” exclaimed Farley. “You didn’t turn your back on nobody underground. They tried to turn their light out and sneak up on you and jump and grab you and finally scare you and all kinds of things.” The last of Grants’ uranium mines closed in the late 1980’s, ending generations of well-earned labor and practical jokes in the process. While most mines in Grants remain derelict, one continues to operate — not for the sake of extracting uranium, but rather to educate and illustrate history through creative and interactive means. “The inspiration for the Museum came [from] a casual conversation between [locals] Marian Barber and Ray Gunderson in 1964,” explained Tammy Legler, Executive Director of the New Mexico Mining Museum. “At some point in the conversation, Marian got the inspiration to create the only simulated uranium mine in the world,” she continued. This idea permeated through local governments, which resulted in the establishment of the Museum and its simulated uranium mine only years after the industry’s boom finally fizzled out. The lobby level of the Museum houses displays of rare artifacts; a plethora of items discovered around Grants such as petrified wood, dinosaur bones, and ancient native crafts. However, this area is only the tip of the iceberg. The truly authentic experience strikes when you enter the Museum’s underground portion via a recreated mineshaft. This immersive portion vividly portrays the sights, sounds, and sensations of a real uranium mine. As you navigate through the different tunnels, complete with ore carts, dynamite drilling, mucking tools, and a mock lunchroom, you get a real sense of what it must have been like to work in a mine. Each of the various sections of the mine has been fitted with information panels where, with a push of a button, visitors get to listen to audio stories from former miners themselves. Listening to their textured voices, it is easy to picture the men, working amongst the dust, radon and diesel fumes, in the confined spaces. It really brings home the risks and hard work that these old-timers encountered. Accompanying the Museum’s absorbing collection is the dedicated staff, which includes Farley, who volunteer their time, teaching all who pass through about the history of uranium mining. So, when you enter the southwestern portion of your next Route 66 road trip, make a point of swinging into historic Grants and head underground for yourself.
Image courtesy of Efrain M. Padró, Padró Images.
Bringing an Underground History to Life
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By Richard Ratay Opening photograph by David J. Schwartz - Pics On Route 66 ROUTE Magazine 55
I
n 1540, Spanish conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado led an expedition into present day New Mexico in search of the fabled “Seven Cities of Gold.” Instead he found only rugged desert and disappointment. He was just a few centuries too early. In more recent times, motorists cruising Route 66 through Gallup have had far better luck uncovering wondrous treasures, especially when their journey leads them to the legendary Richardson Trading Post. True, there’s still not much gold to be found. But you will discover a vast trove of exquisite Native American jewelry and artwork—from intricately crafted silver and turquoise necklaces and handwoven traditional Navajo rugs to meticulously painted pottery and a never-ending array of kachinas, weavings, paintings, baskets and more. Browsing the meandering aisles of the Richardson Trading Post from room to room, you’ll encounter the unusual and unexpected. Turn one corner and you’ll find a collection of immaculately braided and adorned Native American ceremonial headdresses. Round another and you’ll encounter a remarkable covered wagon made by Studebaker from a time long before the company even contemplated making automobiles. Let your guard down and you may even find yourself face-to-face with a fearsome white buffalo, albeit one that was stuffed for display years ago. Upon its birth, the rare non-albino specimen was once considered the fulfillment of a sacred prophecy by many American Indians. If you get the feeling you somehow mistakenly wandered into a museum, it’s perfectly understandable. Occupying a footprint the size of half a city block, the Richardson Trading Post houses one of the most extensive collections of Native American artwork, jewelry and cultural relics found anywhere on the planet. But for more than a century, Richardson has, on a more practical level, served the bustling town of Gallup and surrounding reservations as an active trading post, retail operation, and pawn shop. To truly understand what makes Richardson such a landmark—for locals and Route 66 enthusiasts alike—it’s essential to explore this historic attraction’s roots, which are inextricably intertwined with those of the town in which it blossomed.
“Going to Gallup” Despite the rugged beauty of the region’s towering red rock buttes and cactus-strewn plains, the U.S. government placed little value on the sunbaked lands of America’s Southwest in the latter half of the 19th Century. Largely for this reason huge parcels were signed over to various indigenous tribes as permanent reservations in a series of treaty agreements. Among these was a sprawling territory of nearly 17.5 million acres covering parts of present-day Arizona, Utah and New Mexico officially designated as the “Navajo Nation.” 56 ROUTE Magazine
The American Southwest began to take on greater importance with the commencement of construction of the country’s great transcontinental railroad lines. As workers laid track through the desert for the southern route of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, a headquarters was established at the edge of the Navajo Nation. It’s here that a non-descript paymaster named David Gallup was assigned to conduct his duties. Whenever railroad workers were due to be paid, they’d notify supervisors they were “going to Gallup.” The expression stuck. When a permanent settlement sprung up around the railhead and a town was established in 1881, it became officially known as Gallup. By this time, a handful of intrepid white traders had already begun to establish trading posts to facilitate the exchange of goods with the local indigenous people. Uncomfortable with the idea of paper money, Native Americans preferred to swap wool, cattle and buckskins (buffalo hides) for dry goods, sugar, coffee and other necessities. Among this group of early traders were members of the Richardson clan, who operated trading posts on reservations across the state of Arizona. In the early 1900’s, three Richardson brothers—Hubert, Samuel Irby “S.I.”, and Claude Dick “C.D.” Richardson— pooled their efforts to establish their own chain of trading posts in New Mexico. From the start, the trio earned a reputation for treating the indigenous people of the region fairly and with respect. In time, the youngest of the Richardson brothers would find his way to Gallup.
Route 66 Comes to Town As though gifted with foresight of the good times to come, C.D. Richardson arrived in Gallup in 1913, establishing the Richardson Trading Post at its present location on Main Street. In 1926, the road was officially folded into Route 66, placing the trading post right on the highway that would become the country’s most well-traveled passage to the West Coast. “Gallup was already an important stop for travelers heading west on the railroad,” notes Tammi Moe, Director of the Octavia Fellin Public Library and Historic Rex Museum. “Route 66 brought even more tourists to town. It was a big boon for businesses in Gallup, including the Richardson Trading Post.” Before long, Route 66 wasn’t just bringing visitors to Gallup from the East but also from the West. Lured by the area’s picturesque rugged landscape, Hollywood directors chose Gallup as the backdrop for countless Westerns from the 1940s well into the 1960s.
These film productions brought with them some of the biggest stars of the era—John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Katherine Hepburn, even a slick-haired budding leading man named Ronald Reagan. During shooting for these films, most of these celebrities stayed at the town’s famous El Rancho Hotel, built by the brother of renowned movie director D. W. Griffith. At the time, the El Rancho was celebrated as one of the premier luxury hotels in all of the Southwest. To this day, the El Rancho still draws Route 66 aficionados hoping to spend an evening in the same room where a Hollywood legend once slept. Gallup came across as an authentic Old West setting on film mainly because it remained an authentic Old West town even throughout this era. “Even then, the Indian people were still riding to town on horses and pulling wagons just as they had for decades,” said Larry Fulbright, a longtime employee of Richardson Trading Post. “They’d set up camp right across the street from where we are now. Gallup was the real deal then and in many ways it still is today.” During the town’s heyday, an array of inviting cafés, diners and stores also sprung up along Gallup’s main drag. Most
owners of these establishments decked out their storefronts in the bright colors and neon-trimmed signs for which Route 66 is famous, hoping to lure in their share of customers from the endless parade of automobiles streaming through town. For years, they did. But the good times wouldn’t last. Not long after Congress approved President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “Grand Plan” to build the nation’s system of interstate highways in 1956, I-40 was constructed miles outside Gallup. The robust flow of vehicles once brought to town along Route 66—and the customers local merchants depended on—stopped almost instantly, just as though someone had turned off a spigot. What’s more, as the popularity of westerns began to fade in the 1960s, so did Gallup’s luster as a shooting location. Like a starlet whose looks had faded with age, the town fell on hard times—and so did the Richardson Trading Post. “It was devastating,” said Sue Richardson Keeler, daughter of the trading post’s longtime owner, Bill Richardson. “All of a sudden there just weren’t any customers anymore. I mean, none. My father had to sell some old jewelry he had just to ROUTE Magazine 57
Image by Efren Lopez/Route66Images.
Sue Richardson Keeler displaying some of the Post’s jewelery.
Larry Fulbright tends to some saddles.
keep the doors open. A lot of other businesses around town simply went under.” Considering Gallup is a town surrounded by desert, it’s hardly surprising that the residents proved resilient. Though some moved on to greener pastures over the years, those who remained behind pulled together to help the town survive until better times. Today, Gallup is enjoying a bit of a Renaissance. Jennifer Lazarz, Tourism and Marketing Manager for the City of Gallup, points to several exciting developments around town. “We have a very thriving arts scene now. We’ve had new restaurants open, including one offering Mediterranean cuisine. Things are definitely turning around.” Not long ago, even Hollywood rediscovered the rustic appeal of Gallup and the surrounding landscape. Seeking inspiration for Pixar’s 2006 animated classic “Cars,” the film’s creators began their research with a stay in Gallup. That’s right—it’s fair to say that the Richardson Trading Post and many other vintage attractions of Gallup are located just down Route 66 from Radiator Springs. 58 ROUTE Magazine
From Cattle and Coffee to Jewelry and Pawn Since the early days, the goods traded at Richardson Trading Post and the role it plays in the local community have changed dramatically. Around the time the Richardson Trading Post first opened in Gallup, traders began taking greater interest in the exceptionally well-crafted jewelry and artwork created by the people of the local tribes. They also noticed the appeal these items held for many tourists passing through town, brought first by the railway and later by Route 66. In particular, visitors admired the distinctive handwoven rugs and detailed silver and turquoise jewelry produced by local Native Americans. Because traders valued these handcrafted items more than the typical commodities customers brought to trade, tribe members began to produce even more of them. In time, the wares found inside many trading posts like Richardson came closer to resembling that of art galleries rather than general stores.
The Enduring Legend of Bill Richardson Bill Richardson was born in 1918, the third of four children raised by C.D. and Trula Richardson, the couple who
established the Richardson Trading Post in Gallup five years earlier. After reaching adulthood, Bill became a fixture at his family’s business for more than seven decades, first learning the basics of trading at his father’s side then taking the reins himself as owner. Among the important lessons C.D. imparted to his son was how to treat people, particularly the local tribe members with whom he traded regularly. “Bill believed strongly in being fair and kind to every customer,” said Larry Fulbright. “It was something he stressed to me from the day I started at Richardson. I know he also did so with everyone who worked for him.” Bill’s approach worked. The enduring relationships he built with indigenous artists and customers alike also helped build his business. While many trading posts faded away over the years, the Richardson Trading Post in Gallup continued to expand. “Whenever another building on the same block as ours became available, Bill would buy it and just cut a hole in the wall,” said Fulbright. “Today, we’re in six historic commercial buildings taking up half the block.” For decades, the one constant at the trading post was Bill Richardson himself. Bill would often greet customers visiting the store personally, patiently answering questions about how he acquired various items or sharing stories about the heydays of Gallup and the early days of the trading business. For many tourists, their conversations with Bill became a highlight of their trip. “Just about everyone who came into the post and spoke with my father left with a free souvenir—some great story or interesting bit of history he had to share,” said Sue Richardson Keeler. “He had so many stories I don’t think even I heard them all.” Bill remained an active presence at the post until his passing in 2017 at age 99. Since then, Richardson Keeler has assumed ownership of the business, ensuring it remains in the family. Sue didn’t always believe it was her destiny to carry on in her father’s footsteps. After graduating from the University of New Mexico, she assisted Bill with managing the books for the Post. But after meeting and marrying her husband, Sue followed the path of so many tourists passing through Gallup and moved west to California. There she and her husband settled into their careers—she as a teacher, he as a police officer—and raised two children, both boys. In time, however, the call to return to Gallup proved irresistible. “Even when we lived in California I was still helping out with the books and we were coming back to town so often to visit that, after a while, it just made sense to move back.” Since returning to Gallup in the mid-1980s, Richardson Keeler continued learning about trading from her father, just as Bill had learned about the business from his own father many years earlier. Bill also found a clever way to make sure future generations of Richardsons would remain in Gallup. After both of Sue’s sons graduated from law school at distant universities, Bill set the pair up with office space in a historic building on the same block as the trading post. “It sure makes it easy for me to get legal advice when I need it,” joked Sue. “I also know I have lawyers I can trust.” For well more than a century and a half, the Richardson family has engaged in trading in America’s Southwest. Due in large part to Bill’s efforts, that won’t be changing anytime soon. “Family meant so much to my father,” said Richardson Keeler. “He took great pride in building the business he ROUTE Magazine 59
Image by Efren Lopez/Route66Images.
Over the years, trading posts also evolved to address a vexing problem for local residents. Because the dwellings of many Native Americans in the region lack secure windows and doors, break-ins and thefts have remained a persistent problem. Tribe members needed a safe place to keep their valuables and family heirlooms. Trading posts offered a solution. The arrangement worked like this. Tribe members would pawn their prized possessions at Richardson and other local trading posts, where they would be kept safely locked away. In exchange, the owners of valuables would be paid a small sum, typically a fraction of the item’s actual value. Then, when the owner wanted to retrieve their possession, they paid a nominal fee to the trading post for the service of storing it. In essence, a trading post functioned as a sort of safety deposit box. It’s why even today, in addition to its vast stock of Native American artwork and jewelry, Richardson also houses and displays stunning collections of elegant firearms, ornate saddles, important cultural relics and ceremonial items. However, this pawn system was also largely based on trust—and as many indigenous people learned, not all trading posts were deserving of such faith. According to pawn law, if owners failed to collect their valuables within six months, the items were considered “dead pawn” and could be sold by the pawn holders as deemed necessary. Many trading posts were reluctant to do so, even when owners failed to return for their items long after their pawn dates came due. But at times, especially during the prolonged economic slump of the 1970s, some trading posts did sell their dead pawn. In many cases, priceless heirlooms and cherished keepsakes of indigenous families were lost forever. The Richardson Trading Post, on the other hand, became renowned for its honesty and ethics. “Among trading posts, Richardson is known as the oldest and slowest,” said Jennifer Lazarz. “It’s the oldest continually operating trading post in America and also the slowest to sell off its dead pawn. Folks around here have a lot of faith in Richardson.” How did Richardson Trading Post earn such a celebrated reputation? Mostly it’s due to the man who owned the business for decades—and left a lasting impression on most everyone who met him.
A welcoming Sue.
inherited from his father and our other ancestors. And just like him, we plan on working hard to carry on that legacy.”
A Priceless Experience For customers setting foot inside Richardson Trading Post for the first time, the experience is one they won’t soon forget. In a way, it’s almost like stepping through a portal back in time. You tread across hardwood floors that still echo with the footsteps of the indigenous people and early settlers of the Old West from long ago. You breathe in air swirling with the aroma of aged leather saddles resting patiently on their shelves. But above all, you’re overwhelmed by the sheer volume of striking Native American artwork, jewelry, rugs, handcarved statues and kachinas, pottery, baskets and relics that fill the walls and display cases. “We believe we have the largest collection of Native American rugs, jewelry and other handcrafted pieces anywhere in the world,” said Larry Fulbright. “Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find it here.” In fact, it was a fascination with Navajo rugs that originally led Fulbright himself to New Mexico and, not long after, to the Richardson Trading Post. “I grew up in Montana and when I was 12 years old a Christian missionary from Arizona came to the area selling rugs to raise money for the Navajo people,” explained Fulbright. “I was instantly fascinated by the rugs, how they were made from the wool of sheep raised by the Indians themselves, how the wool was colored using natural dyes. Above all, I was amazed how the weaver of each rug didn’t follow any strict pattern—the design was all in the artist’s head.” 60 ROUTE Magazine
Richard Ratay is a frequent contributor to ROUTE. His acclaimed debut book “Don’t Make Me Pull Over! An Informal History of the Family Road Trip” is available through booksellers everywhere.
Image by Efren Lopez/Route66Images.
Using money he had squirreled away, the young Fulbright bought one of the missionary’s rugs. Over the years, his interest in the rugs and the Navajo artists who created them only grew. In 1995, Fulbright moved to New Mexico specifically to live and work among the Navajo people. Not long after, he met Bill Richardson, who was instantly intrigued by Fulbright’s passion for Navajo rugs. Bill offered the affable newcomer a position at his trading post, where Fulbright has worked ever since. “It’s just been a real honor working here all these years, having the chance to learn from Mr. Richardson and to also work for Sue,” said Fulbright. Like the legendary longtime owner for whom he worked, Fulbright embraces every opportunity he gets to share his knowledge with customers who visit the post. As evidence, Fulbright offers a quick lesson in Navajo rugs. He explains that the rugs are available in 18 basic patterns, each one unique to the tribal community that produces them. One example is the Storm Pattern, a symbolic depiction of the Navajo storm—the four mountains sacred to the Navajo people connected by lightning bolts to a figure in the middle representing the center of the universe. “Every rug tells its own story or shares a belief passed down generation after generation,” explained Fulbright. He also shares a secret of his own. “Would you believe I still have that rug I bought when I was a boy? It means as much to me today as it did back then.” Of course, Navajo rugs aren’t the only items that draw visitors to the Richardson Trading Post. Many customers are also drawn by the establishment’s stunning collection of turquoise jewelry handmade by members of the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni and other regional tribes. Referred to as the “fallen sky stone” because of its mesmerizing blue-green color, turquoise has been polished and shaped into jewelry by Native Americans for perhaps 10,000 years. After adopting silversmithing methods brought to the Southwest by early European arrivals, tribal artists began crafting increasingly intricate settings in which to feature the distinctive stones. Today, these pieces are prized by collectors all over the world—literally. “We have customers come here to visit us from just about every country you can name,” said Richardson Keeler. As she explains it, the reason is simple. “They trust that the items they buy from us are authentic. At the Richardson Trading Post, we sell only artwork and jewelry handmade by local indigenous artists we know and deal with personally—just as we have since my grandfather started the post.” Such artistry and craftsmanship don’t come cheap, however. Depending on the desired pattern and size, Navajo rugs can cost thousands—even tens of thousands—of dollars. The authentic jewelry and other handcrafted Native American artwork on display at the trading post can carry similar price tags. Fortunately, for those tracing the path of historic Route 66 through Gallup, the opportunity to explore and admire the boundless wonders to be found at the Richardson Trading Post is an experience open to all free of charge. “Folks have been coming to the Richardson Trading Post for well more than a hundred years,” said Fulbright. “I imagine we’ll still be here to welcome them for quite a few more.”
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tretching for twenty-five miles on the California side of Lake Havasu—and covering about 32,000 acres—lies the Chemehuevi Reservation, home to 345 members of a Native American tribe that has been in the area for generations. The tribe’s name originates from either a Yuman term meaning “those who play with fish” or from the Chemehuevi phrase “nose-in-the-air-like-a-roadrunner”. The Chemehuevi call themselves Nuwu, meaning “The People”. Historically, the small tribe lived in tight groups due to sparse resources available in their dry desert environment, yet still, they established a presence across much of Arizona, as well as parts of Utah, Nevada, California, and Colorado. Today, along Lake Havasu, the Chemehuevi enjoy a harmonious relationship with other local communities. However, this was not always the case, and both their fortunes and misfortunes have been tied to the creation of the lake itself. There aren’t many historical records written about the Chemehuevi. “People didn’t want to come into the desert at 120 degrees to look for us,” said Charles Wood, chairman of the tribal council. One who did, however, was Father Francisco Garces, a Franciscan friar who encountered the tribe during a 1776 expedition—first in Needles, California, and later in Barstow, California. But the history of the Chemehuevi Reservation begins in 1907, the year of its founding, although even that turns out to be in dispute. “The difficulty for us is that the trust deed was created in 1907, and then misplaced, so we didn’t get the official trust deed until 111 years later,” explained Wood. “The Departments of Land Management and BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) squabbled among themselves to a certain extent about who had the ability to do what.” Regardless, at that time, the reservation’s eastern boundary was marked by the Colorado River. In 1935, Congress authorized the Parker Dam Project to acquire as much of the reservation as possible. As a result, when the floodgates closed in 1940, the river flooded 20% of the reservation, or about 8,000 acres. This forced the Chemehuevi up onto the mesa, and they lost valuable farmland. Consequently, the majority of the remaining tribe left for other locales, where they could earn a living for their families. Over the coming decades, the Chemehuevi struggled to regain control of the shoreline, in an effort to create businesses tied to the manmade lake. By the late 1960s, they finally succeeded. Today, the Chemehuevi Reservation is working to build a stronger relationship with Lake Havasu City, Arizona, which is
part of their original territory. According to Chemehuevi Indian Tribe cultural director Bridget Sandate, in early December of 2019, the Chemehuevi invited the city government to the ribbon cutting of its new casino. Officially opened in February 2020 on the western shore of Lake Havasu, the four-stories-tall casino (part of the Havasu Landing Resort complex) covers 25,000-square feet and boasts 310 gaming machines, as well as a restaurant and lounge. More importantly, it generates much welcome income and jobs. “I definitely would like to strengthen ties with them,” said Sandate. “I like that when people reach out, because they truly want to know…it’s more than a casino. We have a culture that we’re still very involved in.” Aside from the casino, the Reservation also benefits greatly from the ferry boat system. “Oddly enough, we’re probably the third largest employer in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, because those folks use our ferry boat system to come to work,” explained Wood. “We transport 300,000 to 400,000 people per year on the ferry boat system. So, it’s not only given tribal members jobs, it’s given the community jobs, as well.” Ironically, then, although the creation of Lake Havasu once damaged the tribal members’ livelihood, it is also what saved them. Were it not for the lake, they would have maintained their river access, but that would likely not have been nearly as beneficial. Even when there have been severe downturns in gaming, as was the case during the 2008 recession, the reservation has thrived, because people still visit the lake to ski or angle. The Chemehuevi are proud of their culture and invite the public to visit the reservation during the Indian Days Festival in the second week of September and on Native American Day in October. There is an undeniable sense of community these days. “When I came on-board, I told [the surrounding communities], ‘You’re a part of my community. You’re not tribal, you’re not on reservation land, but you’re a part of my community,’” said Wood. And aspects of the Chemehuevi’s culture are still important to them today. “I would say that probably our biggest stronghold is our salt songs, which are funerary songs,” noted Sandate. “We use a gourd rattle and they’re sung all night.” Get over to Lake Havasu and take in some fun in the sun but remember to explore the unique community cultural and historic gems, too. Lake Havasu is packed with them.
A group of Chemehuevi Indians at their camp, ca.1900.
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Image by C.C. (Charles C.) Pierce.
TWO PEOPLES, ONE TRIBE
GREAT EXPERIENCES IN
GALLUP NEW MEXICO
Native culture, western heritage, and Route 66 converge at 6,647 feet. Don’t miss out on the great sights, great native arts, and great memories.
Plan your Route 66 adventures at GallupRealTrue.com ROUTE Magazine 63
In its heyday, Route 66’s hold on America’s imagination produced a wave of architecture unmatched in its outlandishness. Businesses along Route 66 scrambled for ways to use the advertising opportunity the highway provided them and came up with eye-grabbing buildings that looked like the items sold inside. Giant donuts and picnic baskets sprang up across the country. Of all the things the Mother Road has produced, these buildings are perhaps the most striking. These quirky creations belong to a bygone era, but many still stand at the heart of their communities, like the Milk Bottle Grocery in Oklahoma City. For more than seventy years, visitors have been entranced by the whimsical, larger-than-life milk bottle shining atop the tiny triangular building in the heart of Oklahoma City. Milk Bottle Grocery is a central part of Oklahoma City, physically and metaphorically. In 1930, the city erected the 397-square-foot building on the tiny concrete island at the juncture of Classen Boulevard and the old Bell Isle streetcar tracks. The intersection of the major streets gave the building its unique triangular shape. The 11-foot-high milk bottle was added in 1948, a blank space for local dairies to advertise. Today, the milk bottle is a relic from an era when milkmen delivered dairy to the doorsteps of American households. Dairies paid to have their names on the one-of-a-kind structure in foot-high scrawl. “Braums has their name on it right now,” said architect Catherine Montgomery, who helped restore the building in 2014. “It was Townley Dairy in the 1960s and 70s. Before that, in the 1950s, it was Steffen’s Dairy.” The building has been around long enough to see the skyline shift around it. Its interior has seen a rotating array of businesses. From the 1980s to 2014, it was home to the Saigon Baguette sandwich shop. “It was such a unique place,” Montgomery said. “There was hardly any room to stand when you walked in, so you’d stand there and get your sandwiches … the windows were boarded up because they needed space for shelves and paper wrappings, and all the other stuff the little sandwich shop needed to be in operation.” Elise Kilpatrick inherited the building from her father, Oklahoma City community leader John Kilpatrick, when he passed away in 2005. Kilpatrick fell in love with the quirky little building, and after buying it in the 1970s, managed to get it listed on the National Historic Register in 1988. Elise shares 64 ROUTE Magazine
his love for the Milk Bottle Grocery. “The main person at the sandwich shop died [in 2005],” Montgomery said. “They vacated the building and Elise realized it had been a very long time since any work had been done on it. She decided to do a basic overhaul of everything.” As Elise Kilpatrick removed the boards from the windows, she discovered an original transom windowsill from the 1930s. The discovery inspired her to recreate the original interior as faithfully as possible using the state preservation tax credits available for buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. “Elise found it a little bit challenging putting the application together herself, so she came to us,” Montgomery, who owns Preservation and Design Studio, said. “90 percent of our work is historic structures. We’ve done some work on the Gold Dome, including protesting to try and save it back in the early 2000s. An architect in our office did a bunch of restoration on the Round Barn in Arcadia.” Montgomery and Elise Kilpatrick poured themselves into the historic undertaking. All the bricks were repointed, coats of paint chipped away from the windowsills, and the interior completely stripped away and replaced. Slowly, the building began to resemble the old black-and-white photographs from 1930. The little triangle building became the smallest ever to receive state preservation tax credits for a rehabilitation. For Montgomery, it reinforced the enormous potential of even the smallest historic preservation project. “Buildings like this really give a glimpse of what it was like to live [during] the time that Route 66 was traveled the most, when it became the everyday American vacation. [People get to see] what it was like to experience Route 66 and the little kitschy shops along the way.” After the rehabilitation, Elise Kilpatrick wanted to fill the building with something as unique to Oklahoma City as the milk bottle itself; the Prairie Gothic boutique called it home from 2014 to 2016. Until recently, it was a small landscape architecture firm. Now the Milk Bottle Grocery is looking for its next tenant. Still, thousands of people pour into Oklahoma City every year to take a picture with the famous bottle. It stands among its fantastically shaped siblings, a testament to a simpler time, when the novelty of grabbing a bite under a giant milk bottle was as exciting as anything on a TV screen. Visitors will tell you the nostalgic magic remains.
Image by David J. Schwartz – Pics On Route 66.
ROUTE 66 ARCHITECTURE AT ITS FINEST
The perfect pit stop!
Kick back and experience the suite life! Eastland Suites Hotel & Conference Center in Bloomington-Normal, IL is the perfect pit stop for your road trip! So get out, relax, stretch your legs and enjoy everything we have to offer. ■■
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ummer sunshine, a sleek convertible, and an ice-cold milkshake might symbolize to some adventurers the perfect Route 66 road trip, but the savvy travelers who return to the St. Charles’ Christmas Traditions festival year after year know that December is also a magical time, on and just off of the Mother Road. From the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve, the cobbled streets of this Missouri river city’s historic district are invaded by Dickensian carolers and fanciful elves. Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive in a snow-white, horse-drawn carriage during the opening day ceremony. Suddenly, an international cast of over 80 fanciful holiday characters, including an endless variety of Santas, seem to be everywhere. Ballerinas in shimmering costumes pirouette, the voices of carolers ring out, and the aroma of fresh-made treats waft down the street, while wide-eyed children gape at the spectacle. Characters and settings for this extravaganza have sprung from the fertile imagination of Creative Director Ryan Cooper, who for the past fifteen years has delighted festival-goers as the devilish, blue-haired Jack Frost. Cooper began as a volunteer, performing and serving as technical director before becoming the city’s festival director. After proudly being a part of the event for over half of his young life, Cooper greets attendees like old friends. “My favorite thing is seeing the people who come back again and again,” he said. “There are people I met in my early years with the event who were tiny little kids, and now, they’ve graduated high school and college. Some of these people now have kids themselves that they’re bringing to the event.” Today, the annual festival involves the dedication of hundreds of volunteers, performers, and city employees, but the event had simple beginnings. Back in 1974, a group of neighbors gathered in celebration, dragging a Yule log down their street, and then gathering around it to sing Christmas carols. The Main Street merchants were intrigued by the idea and repeated it in 1975, adding a downtown shopping emphasis. About 15 years ago, the city took over the event. By 2014, professional performers were enacting the roles of dozens of international holiday characters, including Ebenezer Scrooge, the Sugar Plum Fairy, Santa Lucia, and, of course, Jack Frost in his blue velvet suit. It’s a local event that draws huge crowds from miles away. “Calling the event Christmas Traditions isn’t just a quirky title. For many people, it really is their holiday season,” said Cooper. 66 ROUTE Magazine
With pretty decorations, shimmering costumes, and oldfashioned treats on every block, the overall effect is sweetly nostalgic, but visitors might be a bit surprised to also encounter some bizarre characters who reflect other worldwide Yuletide legends. “Whereas Santa in the US brings coal to naughty children, many people in Europe have these creepy characters that punish the naughty children,” Cooper explained. “We wanted to find a family-friendly way [to] introduce these really unique characters that wasn’t going to scare people... like Gryla, who is an Icelandic ogre, the Kallikantzaros [European goblins] who cause a lot of mischief, and the Mari Lwyd, which is a skeletal Welsh horse that goes around singing in Welsh tradition. Then, of course, we have Krampus himself who is a traditional Bavarian and Austrian character who is kind of the goat-like friend and partner of Saint Nicholas.” At the Krampus Karnival, a playful blend of Christmas and Halloween aesthetics, Krampus sets up shop in Santa’s North Pole parlor, where whimsical goblins and imps cause mischief. Each legendary character has his own carnival game of skill, such as a quirky version of the popular lawn game Cornhole, where kids toss people-shaped bean bags into Gryla’s hungry mouth. And, St. Charles might be the only place on earth where children can get their photos taken on Krampus’ lap, instead of Santa’s. The Foundry Art Centre, an interactive museum in a historic train car factory, hosts a delegation of legendary giftgivers, including Christkinds, Santa Lucias, Kwanzaa characters, and Hanukkah figures. The magical beings mingle with guests, regale them with stories, and offer treats as carolers sing in their native languages. “We’ve always had these international holiday figures for Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah traditions,” said Cooper. “One of the things that’s so special about Christmas Traditions is that you literally get taken on a world journey and you get to learn about so many other cultures. You don’t need a passport, you just need to meet these characters.” Passport or not, St. Charles’ Christmas Traditions, now in its 46th year, is a sweet, wacky wonderland where visitors can meet Santa Claus, Icelandic imps, and Ebenezer Scrooge on the same street. From the twinkling storefronts to the cobblestone waterfront, interacting with these ghosts of Christmas past is like a child’s dazzlingly imaginative dream. Anyone who has devoted hours to traversing Route 66 in search of Muffler Men or other kitschy roadside attractions will agree that this larger-than-life festival could only have sprung up near America’s most famous highway.
Image by David J. Schwartz – Pics On Route 66.
Christmastime in St. Charles
Welcome to The Turquoise Room Restaurant, located in the world famous La Posada Hotel. O nly a shOrt strOll tO the amazing standin ’ On the C Orner attraCtiOn in WinslOW, a rizOna , and right alOng iCOniC r Oute 66, the turquOise r OOm is One Of the sOuthWest ’s mOst unique restaurants , prOviding a mesmerizing interpretatiOn Of a rizOna fOOd . d isCOver a WOnderful rOad restaurant as yOu travel a rizOna and r Oute 66, and explOre the renOvated fred h arvey WinslOW hOtel – l a pOsada .
The Turquoise Room at La Posada
The Turquoise Room at La Posada 305 East Second Street Winslow, AZ 86047 www.theturquoiseroom.net Email: jjackson@theturquoiseroom.net Phone: (928) 289-2888
ROUTE Magazine 67
PARTING SHOT
Jennifer LAZARZ What is the most memorable place you’ve visited on Route 66? Oklahoma City. Most famous or noteworthy person you have ever met? Placido Domingo. What characteristic do you respect the most in others? Follow-through. I’m a big “actions speak louder than words” person. Dislike in others? Passing the ball. Talent that you WISH you had? Woodworking. Best part about getting older? More perspective. What is your greatest extravagance? Coffee! What is the weirdest roadside attraction in New Mexico? The Musical Highway in Tijeras, NM. Best state to see giant objects? Arizona takes the cake! What makes Gallup, New Mexico, so special to Route 66 enthusiasts? Our stretch of Route 66 isn’t part of Interstate 40, it runs parallel to it. The buildings on that stretch have been around since Gallup started as a mining town, so we still have a sense of unique western charm. Most memorable hotel/ motel that you have stayed at in New Mexico? The Inn and Spa at Loretto in Santa Fe. Last book you’ve read? Driven to Delight. It is the story of how Mercedes Benz changed its Customer Service approach around 2012. What is still on your bucket list to visit? To visit all the National Parks! What movie title best describes your life? A Knight’s Tale. What does a perfect day look like to you? Sleep in, have my favorite meal (any breakfast foods!), go for a hike somewhere. Then drink some coffee. What is your favorite place on Route 66? I used to live near Joliet, IL, and I’m sad I never truly understood the charm of Route 66 when I was there. Strangest stop on Route 66? ‘Standing on a Corner’ in 68 ROUTE Magazine
Winslow, Arizona. All the people who work in the shops at that corner are stuck listening to a never ending Eagles music soundtrack. I’d lose my mind. What would your spirit animal be? A wolf. Which historical figure - alive or dead - would you most like to meet? Hedy Lamarr. She’s not only considered one of the most incredible actresses in film history, but she was a brilliant scientist and inventor. If you won the lottery, what is the first item you would buy? I drive a 2013 Kia Soul that my friends and I affectionately call “The Lawn Mower.” I would get a nice truck. What food item can you not live without? Eggs. I could eat eggs at every meal. Best place to experience Navajo culture? Just north of Gallup is the capital of the Navajo Nation, Window Rock. Bizarre talent that you have that most people don’t know about? Most folks don’t know I had an opera career! I sang professionally for about 14 years. What surprises you most about people? Their unique quirks. I think that there are a lot of entertaining nuances that people have. Most unknown (but shouldn’t be) stop in Gallup? The New Deal/WPA art collection on the 2nd floor of the County Courthouse and at the Octavia Fellin Public Library. What do you think is the most important life lesson for someone to learn? Opinions don’t matter. Facts and hard work do. What is one thing you have always wanted to try, but have been too afraid to? There is a lot of hiking I’ve wanted to do but because I’m a clumsy giraffe I’d prefer not to fall to my death. What do you want to be remembered for? That I care about my community and the people in it.
Illustration: Jenny Mallon.
Jennifer Lazarz may not be a name so well-known by Route 66 enthusiasts, but amongst destination tourism folks, Lazarz is someone to watch. It takes a lot to interest people and to draw them to your destination, even if your town is the romantic western ville of Gallup, New Mexico, but Lazarz has Gallup Real True on the top of many a-list. This year we thought you may like to get to know some of the hardworking people who help ensure that the magic of the Mother Road is ringing loud and clear to those making their way down the historic highway. Meet the City of Gallup’s Tourism and Marketing Manager, Jennifer Lazarz.
L A F O N D A’S G I F T S H O P L A FG OIN L A F O N D A’S F TD A’S S H OGP I F T S H O P
L A F O N D A’S G I F T S H O P L A F O N D A’S G I F T S H O P
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AT S A N F R A N G C IIFSTC AE• N O F PSEP T 9O 8 8M | S MAP GS I FJT. TESW JEW Y SOA • OAO A K A P A R|HE O L 5M0 • H S O• L RDY •ELLD BR O KN S BT• A•RREA L IPL• E5 . • K .IE1 D4 S•0 4K I D C IO AT S A N F R A N C I S C O S T. AD NEDT O OUL R DS AT S A LNATFAOFNE DTAR. A L M| 5 0 5 . 9 8 8 . 1 4 0 4 | M A P 100 E. A SANSFRANCISCO NEW MEXICO 505.988.1404 AN T AOD FESTSTREET EO UMR SE|AT RSANTA C AFE, N CA EI L |19 22 L AH FO NN DT A . CSOI M AT F SR A AT S A N AN N CF IRSACN OC SI ST.C A N DT. OALNDD S O A LNDT AS AF N E T TAR AFIEL T R | 5 0 5 .|9 8580. 15 4. 90848 . 1| 4 0M4A P| A SAN T AWWW.DETOURSATLAFONDA.COM F ET OAM ETROOC AN IN C D ED UR S AT LD ATA F OS . CE O M19 2 2 AH CFN AT F SR A OD ELDM TAR AT S A N AN N CF IRSACN OC SI ST.C A NSEDT. OULNR DS AT S A LND TFASOAFNN E T TAR. A IO | A5I L0 5 .|9 8580. 15 4. 90848 . 1| 4 0M4A P| GIFTS
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With more than 300 days of sunshine a year – and a unique mix of tranquil waters, rugged mountains, and tons of fun – it’s hard to stay inside. Discover Lake Havasu City – just a short drive from Route 66 – and play like you mean it.Ž
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