ROUTE - December / January 2022

ROUTE THE MAGAZINE THAT CELEBRATES ROAD TRAVEL, VINTAGE AMERICANA AND ROUTE 66

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December/January 2022 $5.99

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DISCOVER SOME OF ROUTE 66’S MOST UNIQUE DESTINATIONS THE GHOST TOWN OF SPENCER: THE FULL STORY

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Let’s Hit the Road!

The Heart of Historic Route 66 VisitAmarillo.com

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BN AWE

IN BLOOMINGTONNORMAL, IL

800.433.8226 \ VisitBN.org

On Museum Square in Downtown Bloomington, the Cruisin’ with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center is located on the ground floor of the nationally accredited McLean County Museum of History.

The Visitors Center serves as a Route 66 gateway. Discover Route 66 history through an interpretive exhibit, and shop for unique local gift items, maps, and publications. A travel kiosk allows visitors to explore all the things to see and do in the area as well as plan their next stop on Route 66. You can even get “Busted on 66” with a photo op in the old county jail at the center!

CRUISIN’ WITH LINCOLN ON 66 VISITORS CENTER Open Monday–Saturday 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–2 p.m. (May through September) 200 North Main Street, Bloomington, Illinois 61701 • 1.309.827.0428 • CruisinwithLincolnon66.org *10% off gift purchases

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CONTENTS

Paul Bunyan muffler man at night in Atlanta, Illinois. Photograph by Astur.

26 The Ghost Town That

Refused to Die…Twice!

By JD Mahoney Few Route 66 ghost towns have exhibited the resilience and determination of the quiet town of Spencer, Missouri. Tucked nicely along an older stretch of Missouri’s Mother Road, this serene spot still has some life, even after all these years.

34 Tucumcari’s Tee Pee

By Nick Gerlich How does a Pixar movie inspire a Midwest native to move to a small town in New Mexico? For the love of Route 66, of course, along with a rare opportunity. Take a step through the large teepee entryway and find out the fascinating story of the Tee Pee Curio shop, shining bright (literally) over the town of Tucumcari.

found up and down the road, but now one spot in Springfield, Illinois, is taking the lead in its passion for an era that still remains in the hearts of many.

56 The Bluebird is Born

By Raymond Joseph Many things can inspire us to alter our careers and life choices, but in Julie Bonner’s case, a fun, relaxed trip with friends would result in something much bigger. Inspired to play a role in Elk City, Oklahoma, her new path has brought some fresh life to the Route 66 town via the Bluebird Inn.

40 A Moment of Peace

By Olivia Miller Just east of Amarillo, Texas, travelers can spot a giant rainbow peace sign standing out amongst dry brown farmlands. An eccentric piece of art and perpetual mystery to many, finally uncover the heartwarming truth behind the Richard Daniel Peace Park.

44 Hooked on Nostalgia

By Cheryl Eichar Jett America’s Main Street has always represented a passion for deep felt nostalgia and fast automobiles. Tributes can be 10 ROUTE Magazine

ON THE COVER Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, AZ. Photograph by Efren Lopez/ Route66Images.

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EDITORIAL From most accounts, 2021 has been an amazing year for road travel. Businesses up and down Route 66 have been blessed to welcome a huge number of travelers. And what is even more interesting, the majority have been domestic tourists. Generally, Mother Road tourists tend to lean a bit heavy on the international side, but with global travel restrictions, 2021 has been a year for local travel. Unsurprisingly, this turned out to have a positive outcome. The situation provided Americans with an opportunity to put international trips on hold and to head out in mass numbers to (re)discover their country. I am deeply encouraged by the incredibly positive feedback that I’ve been hearing all year. Travelers from coast to coast have been realizing just how beautiful, fascinating, and impacting American travel can be, especially when hopping in the vehicle and heading out for their own great American road trip. It really is such a personal experience. With 2022 on the horizon, I would love to see an even greater increase in local travel, and hope that you will be inspired to explore America’s backroads for yourself.

With this final issue of the year, we are excited to bring you a carload full of stories about some of the most impactful spots along the Mother Road. These are museums and attractions, eateries, and curio shops that have both a great story attached to them and a truly memorable vibe. Route 66 has a bounty of great places to stop, but these are some that may not be on your radar, and even if they are, you may not know their story.

In this issue, we take a deep dive into one of the most serene ghost towns in Missouri: Spencer. Little is written or known about this peaceful site, but writer JD Mahoney is about to change that. This is an important story, as it reminds us of the spirit to which America was born. At the turn of the century, where once there was only a piece of land, a man saw opportunities, and set to work building a town.

It died along the way, more than once, but has been brought back to life, in one manner or another, several times since its birth. Today, the dream that was Spencer continues. But this town is not alone, and its story is a reminiscent theme. America’s Main Street has hundreds, thousands of towns that have simply refused to die.

And thanks to local residents, many of them are not merely holding on, they are indeed thriving.

But for much of the rest of the world, although many folks may not realize it, this is not a reality. The American road trip is a unique concept that most other nations may not comprehend. Travel across much of the world is literally all about “getting there”. It is an A to B equation—as fast as a traveler can manage. However, in America, it’s the small towns that color the path between the larger, more dynamic ones, making the journey itself so affecting. Their locally owned small businesses and attractions create the web of memories that knit together our travel story. It is not something to be taken for granted.

If you haven’t yet, make sure to spend some time with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and plan to stay abreast of news, information, and unique content that can only be found on our social media platforms and website.

If you have not yet subscribed, consider doing so and never miss another exciting issue. 2022 is going to be a great year, filled with loads more stories, celebrity interviews, and imagery found nowhere else. And when you do get out on the road, make sure to show some love to the businesses that we showcase in the magazine.

Our advertising partners are some of the very best destinations available today, and they would love to welcome you.

As we prepare to end the year, all of us at ROUTE want to thank you for spending it with us. We appreciate your involvement and enthusiasm more than you know.

We would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful end of 2021.

Blessings, Brennen Matthews Editor

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ROUTE PUBLISHER Thin Tread Media EDITOR Brennen Matthews DEPUTY EDITOR Kate Wambui ASSOCIATE EDITOR Cheryl Eichar Jett EDITOR-AT-LARGE Nick Gerlich LEAD EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHER David J. Schwartz LAYOUT AND DESIGN Tom Heffron EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Lillie Richards Olivia Miller DIGITAL Matheus Alves ILLUSTRATOR Jennifer Mallon CONTRIBUTORS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS Arizona Historical Society Astur Chandler O’Leary Efren Lopez Go Lake Havasu JD Mahoney Joe Sonderman John Smith Mia Goulart National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Raymond Joseph Rhys Martin

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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hroughout the 1920s, many areas in the western part of the United States witnessed huge increases in population as people sought new lives beyond the Mississippi. One of these areas was what would become Oklahoma City. After Oklahoma was admitted into the Union in 1907, Oklahoma City’s population skyrocketed, more than doubling within a decade. There were many factors that played into it, but nothing more uniquely contributed than the construction of Lake Overholser Bridge and Route 66.

In 1923, levee breakages at the western edge of Oklahoma City caused flooding that washed away every bridge that crossed Lake Overholser, as well as the only highway leading out of the city. During those days, there were few roads for people to travel on. There were more railroads in Oklahoma than paved ones, and there were no other ways to cross the serene water of Lake Overholser. For two years ferries were used, but they weren’t very efficient in getting people and goods to the western side of the lake. Finally, a new bridge was commissioned, and work began on what would soon become a crowning jewel of Oklahoma City.

In 1924, engineers set to work combining multiple types of trusses using new steel technology to create an elegant but sturdy design. Compared to the usual wood, the ability to use steel created stronger and more reliable bridges that would last for many years to come. Clocking in at almost 750 feet long, the impressive Lake Overholser Bridge quickly became an important landmark for the locals of The Big Friendly, OKC’s well deserved nickname.

“What makes this bridge so memorable is the through truss and camelback design that you actually get to drive through,” said Lynda Ozan, the Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer for the Oklahoma Historical Society. “The visual component is what makes the bridge so appealing. It just crosses an inlet of the lake, so it didn’t have to be anything fancy or eye catching, but they designed it that way.”

Not long after the completion of the bridge’s construction in 1925, even more exciting news broke. A new, comprehensive

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national highway system was being built, and old Highway 3 was going to be incorporated into the new Route 66. There was no way of knowing if the new interstate system would be a success, but the engineers hoped that it would.

“They designed it specifically to carry more traffic volume than what would be normal for bridges in those days,” said Ozan. “They had the foresight to build something that, like Route 66, embodies the spirit of progress and expansion.

Here’s this bridge that’s been constructed, it’s much larger than anything around it, and we need it to carry a load that we’re not sure is even going to develop, but we’re going to build it anyway. They were smart enough to think that through.”

Luckily, the interstate system was a success, and the bridge’s design held up even better than everyone had hoped.

A growing trucking industry used the new route and bridge, rivaling the railroads. People heading west to find a better life would pass over Lake Overholser while marveling at this new feat of engineering. And, thanks to the Mother Road, many people stopped in Oklahoma City and stayed there, settling down and making their lives in this up-and-coming city.

Today, Lake Overholser Bridge no longer carries heavy traffic. It was replaced by a four-lane bridge in the 1950s in an effort to break up the bottlenecks that began happening on the smaller bridge. But that doesn’t diminish the importance of the historic structure. The Mother Road has always represented travel and adventure, going somewhere. And all across the 2,448 miles that proudly represent America’s Highway, structures like Lake Overholser Bridge stand as a testament to the creativity and ingenuity of the men and women who built and explored America.

“It’s an excellent example of transportation resources,” Ozan said. “In a state where we talk about building better, building new, this is that embodiment of what we were and what we could be back then. It embodies this great history lesson of what transportation has been and could be in Oklahoma.”

Image by Rhys Martin.

B r i d g e O v e r C a l m Wa t e r

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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merica is a country steeped in unique history. It is a nation that has been attracting international visitors for more than six decades and luring domestic road travelers into its towns for longer.

For many, they are on a quest to experience “the real America.” It is a drive into the past. It is a stroll through the halcyon years of the Mid-Century. And one Route 66 town in Illinois has taken steps to satisfy that nostalgic yearning.

In tiny Lexington, Illinois, there rests a quiet one-mile stretch of original 1920s highway, a bit unassuming yet charming, called Memory Lane. But on the Mother Road, it fits right in. Lined with 1940s signs and billboards, leafy trees, and weathered, original pavement that once carried motorists on their way to St. Louis from Chicago, this old road has a story.

What is today’s Memory Lane began as Illinois Route 4, built in the early 1920s when transportation was shifting from railroads to the automobile. When the eight states’ roads were joined in 1926 into one contiguous national highway designated US 66, the individual states were not yet all paved. But eventually, drivers could travel much more quickly and conveniently across the country.

By the mid-1940s, road travel had greatly increased, and WWIIera traffic had damaged the highway, demanding both rebuilt and additional lanes. A new four-lane version of US 66 skirted the western edge of Lexington, with the roadway now known as Memory Lane abandoned.

But after US 66 was completely decommissioned in 1985, Route 66 came to be recognized as a national treasure and a taste for nostalgia began to grow. That’s when a Lexington father-and-son team realized what a special relic the city held. The creator of the locally famous Taste of Country Fair, Charles Wright, along with his son Chuck, had an idea.

“It was kind of a no-man’s land. The state technically owned that ground and [they] weren’t doing anything with it. So, my dad and I convinced the State of Illinois to deed that property over to the city in the ‘80s. Our plan was to make this little old half-mile stretch into a nostalgic little lane that people [could] drive down and see some old signs, and be on part of the original concrete,” said Chuck.

In the ‘90s, the Wrights, along with the Taste of Country Fair committee, cleaned up the deserted and overgrown road segment. They lined the street with old paper billboards, such 16 ROUTE Magazine

as Coca-Cola and Coppertone Sunscreen, that Chuck had found during a home restoration for a local man who had once owned an advertising company. As expected, the paper billboards were too fragile to last more than five years. They were soon replaced with smaller signs designed as replicas of advertisements from Route 66’s heyday, such as Burma Shave, created by local high school art students and volunteers.

Although the Taste of Country Fair came to an end a decade ago, Memory Lane is now open to vehicles yearround since the city removed the gates to allow visitors to drive it as a short tour. Before that, it was considered an interpretive walking and cycling trail, with driving admittance only on special occasions or by appointment with the city. Adorned with a large billboard at the north entrance stating, “Welcome to Lexington’s Memory Lane,” the sweet small stretch of beloved attraction greets drivers upon their arrival.

Lexington continued to re-vitalize their special history— through the continued effort of the Wright family—via Chuck’s restoration of an old tool wagon from the 1860s. The wagon was originally used as a thresherman’s wagon in the Civil War, and later, to build the roadway in 1924.

Chuck loaned it to the city for display at the northern entrance of Memory Lane in the early 2000s; however, Mother Nature was not kind to the antique wagon sitting outside, and Chuck re-obtained possession of it in 2011.

“To appreciate its full effect [of Memory Lane] you need to take it in on a sunny afternoon when birds create the music, a breeze blows through the trees, with sunshine on the billboards, and a train rushes past just a few feet away, as you marvel in the fact that men toiled with wheelbarrows and horse-pulled wagons of gravel and concrete to make this well-worn path nearly a hundred years ago,” said Jan Heuer, Secretary of the Lexington Genealogical and Historical Society. “The eventual goal is to connect the many small towns along the way to allow people to ride the Mother Road again.”

It’s because of towns like Lexington that we can continue to visit pieces of preserved history that transport us to a simpler period. Future generations can see what past times were like and those who lived through them enjoy reminiscing about treasured memories. One of life’s simple pleasures is travel, and destinations like Lexington’s Memory Lane offer a catalyst to those journeys.

Image by David J. Schwartz – Pics On Route 66.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

WHERE T HE MO T HER ROAD BEGINS

Route 66 defined a remarkable era in our nation’s history – and it lives on today in Illinois’ Route 66’s many roadside attractions, museums, and restaurants – it’s the shining ribbon of blacktop we call ‘The Mother Road’.

SPE N D SOME T IME ON T HE I L L I N O I S R O U T E 6 6 S C E N I C B Y WA Y A N D DI S C OV E R ROU T E 6 6 Start planning your trip now at www.illinoisroute66.org. Request a visitor’s guide by emailing info@illinoisroute66.org and make sure to check out our mobile app by searching for ‘Explore Illinois Route 66’ in the App Store and Google Play, to help with all of your Route 66 Illinois planning.

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In McLean, Illinois, sits what was once a long-haul truckers dream and an icon along an Illinois highway. A sign with yellow wings shone out onto the paved road advertising a “trucker’s home,” accompanied by a 24-hour restaurant with a home-cooked buffet, a place to fill up, and, if you could find a parking spot, a place to rest. Akin to many other businesses along Route 66, the truck stop has had a tumultuous history of survival. From a sandwich stand to a multiple-location corporation, the Dixie Family Restaurant and Truck Stop has gone through many changes over the years, yet, in its newest iteration, continues to serve up a hot meal to truckers and travelers alike.

Fulfilling an early need along the Mother Road, J.P. Walters and his son-in-law John Geske began by opening filling stations around Bloomington, Illinois. In 1926, they created Shirley Oil and Supply Company, coining their product “Dixie Gas,” until 1928 when the company had grown into a small, six-stool-counter sandwich stand in a truck mechanic’s garage. Located halfway between Chicago and St. Louis, the stand was expanded into a restaurant and truck stop in 1930 and named “Dixie Trucker’s Home.”

A grease fire in the kitchen burned down the original building in 1965, yet the venue persisted and was back up and running within 24 hours out of one of the surviving cabins that had been used as accommodation for long-haul truckers.

Family patriarch and original owner John Geske passed away in 2003 and left the business to his children and eventually, his grandchildren. Geske’s daughter Charlotte (C.J.) and her husband, Chuck Beeler, ran the Dixie for a period of time before passing it down to their son, Mark Beeler, and his wife, Kathy. The Dixie had expanded into four locations, three in Illinois and one in Pennsylvania, all owned by Dixie Management Group, also headed by Mark Beeler. Sadly, business declined over the years along with the economy, and in 2001, the Dixie Management Group was forced to file for bankruptcy by creditors. All four locations were purchased in the same year by Quantum Management Group out of Charleston, South Carolina, marking the first owners outside of the Geske family since its opening 75 years prior.

The truck stop, renamed “Dixie Travel Plaza,” was sold in 2003, and again in 2009 to travel-center chain Road Ranger.

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The Dixie continued to suffer financially and in 2009, veteran restaurateurs Tom and Elaine Kapatos took over operation of the restaurants. After owning several truck stop restaurants off of the interstate, the Kapatos had known about the Dixie and decided to lease and operate the restaurant side of the truck stop at all three Illinois locations.

“A friend of ours had a company that supplied fuel to [the Dixie]. We wanted to keep the [Dixie] restaurants open as a favor to him. We took over all three [locations in Illinois] for short periods of time but the other two [Tuscola and Effingham locations] are demolished now,” said Elaine.

“Having similar restaurants on the interstates, we were aware of the traffic and the truckers. We changed some seating, made some updates to the kitchen, and cleaned a lot. Tom is there every single day. Being a family-owned business, we know that we have to be there. Hence, no managers, just Tom and I.” Today, the restaurant still holds true to its original design with a ‘50s aesthetic, including signage and trucking paraphernalia gracing the walls. It now boasts of itself as “America’s oldest truck stop.”

“When we took it over, it actually had one side that was for truckers only. I guess that was to expedite [service]. We consider ourselves more of a family restaurant. Truckers are probably 80% of our business, but it’s [no longer] like the truck stop atmosphere. It’s more comfortable, homier, and kind of like everyone knows your name,” said Elaine.

The loss of family ownership was disheartening for some boosters of the Dixie, but the Kapatos strive to provide that same feeling through a new lineage. Tom and Elaine’s five children have all worked at the Dixie at one point or another.

Their daughter Eva even competed on a “Truck Stop Stars” episode of Chopped for the homemade meals that they serve at the Dixie. With all five children out of the house, the Kapatos have sold all of their other restaurants and have chosen to focus on the original McLean Dixie, where Tom is Executive Chef, and Elaine is semi-retired, but always in the front of the house, eager to greet customers.

At one time in America’s history truckers ruled the highways.

Today, they continue to play a vital role in keeping the economy moving. And thankfully, iconic roadside stops like the Dixie are still a short-term home to anyone heading down America’s Main Street and in need of a good hot meal.

Image courtesy of Joe Sonderman.

DIXIE

Dec/Jan 22

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THE FIRST COWGIRL owboys inundate western culture. Most traditional western movies, media, and legendary stories tell a tale of a masculine, rugged man riding horses and lassoing any threat in sight. During the turn of the century, women with a passion for roping and riding had to find a balance between practicing the masculine-viewed sport of rodeo and maintaining a feminine appearance to the public.

Lucille Mulhall, “the first cowgirl of the United States,” was one of the first to show that doing both was possible.

Recognized as being “born in the saddle” in 1885, Mulhall moved from St. Louis to Oklahoma at four years old. She was raised on the family ranch near what is now Mulhall, Oklahoma. Learning to rope and ride in her youth, Mulhall was destined for the rodeo. She would ride horses around the family’s 160-acre ranch all day with help from her dad teaching her the ins-and-outs of roping and riding. Coming from an authentic ranching background, she quickly became a pioneer for other western women with a love of riding.

Mulhall was allegedly recognized by Theodore Roosevelt as the “first cowgirl in the United States.” As the legend goes, Mulhall performed for Roosevelt in Oklahoma City. After seeing her talent, Roosevelt told her if she could rope him a wolf, she could come to his inaugural parade. Mulhall caught the wolf within hours, sending the pelt to Roosevelt and gaining her legendary recognition. The former President mentioned to her father, Colonel Zack Mulhall, that his daughter had a bright future as a performer. The Colonel took this advice to heart and created his own Wild West Show called “Mulhall’s Congress of Rough Riders and Ropers.”

Along with legendary rodeo stars Tom Mix and Will Rogers and her siblings, Mulhall traveled all over the United States performing as the show’s star. Much of her popularity was gained not only through her skill, but the precise timing of her rope, a rare balance on her horse, and her feminine manner in which she performed these traditionally masculine traits. She discreetly broke traditional gender roles through riding astride instead of side saddle, but still doing so in a divided riding skirt, maintaining her ladylike demeanor.

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Weighing only 90 pounds, Mulhall could reportedly lasso 500 yards away, showing the public that women could even outride the men.

She once told a reporter in 1902, “I feel sorry for the girls who never lived on a cattle ranch and have to attend so many teas, and be indoors so much, with never anything but artificiality about them.”

After performing in her father’s Wild West show, the Miller Brothers’ 101 Ranch Wild West show, and her vaudeville road show, Mulhall had created her own rodeo in 1916, called “Lucille Mulhall’s Big Round-Up.” She showcased bucking horses and hosted roping contests, paving the way for other cowgirls by offering them employment and a competition to show their talents. Women in rodeo were no longer a novelty.

“Most people don’t realize that women in the first part of the last century performed in rodeos doing all the same events that the men did, so [Mulhall] was considered one of the greatest horsewomen in America,” states Michael R. Grauer, the Curator of Cowboy Collections and Western Art at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. “She gives rise, ultimately, to what the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Fort Worth is. It’s her legacy that’s all part of that.”

By 1922, Mulhall had retired to the family ranch, but not before earning the title of “Champion Lady Steer Roper of the World” at the Calgary Stampede. Mulhall married twice and had two children, Margaret A. Mulhall and William Logan van Bergen. On December 22, 1940, Mulhall was killed in a car accident. Her casket was pulled by a plow horse as the roads were too muddy for a hearse. The Daily Oklahoman reported, “A machine killed Lucille Mulhall, but horses brought her to her final resting place.”

Posthumously, Mulhall was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1977 and into the National Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1975, “long before anybody had recognized women of the west like that,” said Grauer. Despite all the recognition and awards, Mulhall leaves a legacy not only as being one of the best wild west performers in history, but as a pioneer for putting women into male-dominated territory.

Unknown photographer, circa 1910. Image courtesy of National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

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Pioneer Museum he beauty of Route 66 is that it not only connects a myriad of cities and towns from the Midwest to the Pacific, but that it also brings travelers within minutes of many educational and historic locations along the way. It’s easy to develop tunnel vision while motoring west in the modern era, focusing only on what is curbside.

In picturesque Flagstaff, where 66 hugs the railroad most of the way through town, the depot, the adjacent downtown, and numerous cafes and breweries along the oldest alignment still lure travelers, but there’s always more to behold if we’re not in a hurry.

The Pioneer Museum, which opened in 1960, is a perfect example of this. Located only a few minutes northwest of downtown on Fort Valley Road (US 180, the most direct route to the Grand Canyon), this 1908 structure enshrines all that is worth preserving and remembering about this Mother Road city.

The two-story structure is about as homegrown as one could construct, using rock from nearby Mount Elden. The mountain erupted about 500,000 years ago, distributing sturdy building materials in its wake.

The building functioned as the Coconino County Hospital for the Indigent until 1938.

It had taken 17 years, from 1891 to 1908, for county officials to act upon a growing sentiment among residents for a permanent hospital to care for the poorest members of the community. While the hospital per se was created in 1891, with J.F. Hawks running it from the back of the Hawks Hotel, it proved to be too little to address the growing need.

The new structure was built on tillable land, meaning that patients could farm and provide for themselves, at least in small measure. It also allowed for the federal designation of “poor farm,” a name that caught on among Flagstaff residents.

It was in 1938 that the hospital closed, primarily because state and federal governments started taking over health care from local entities. Federal welfare programs also helped reduce the need for such a hospital. Medical services for the poor were thus merged into the general Flagstaff hospital. If anything, having this facility for the poor opened

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the eyes of local residents, who then embraced the idea of having health care facilities for all.

Today, the Arizona Historical Society oversees the Pioneer Museum in this structure, dedicated to chronicling Flagstaff’s rich history in transportation, logging, ranching, and pioneer life. These are facets that any modern tourist would do well to embrace as they seek a better understanding of the region.

“The building is interesting simply because of its architecture and function,” said Sean Evans, Archivist at Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. “It’s a great place to get lost in artifacts from the region’s physical past with period-correct rooms and materials.” The museum features a 1950s era Iron Lung ventilator, once used to treat polio patients.

Currently the museum is also home to “Resilience: Women in Flagstaff’s Past and Present”, an exhibit highlighting stories of diverse women who have made a significant impact on the Flagstaff community.

“Becoming Flagstaff: Stories of the High Country”, is a new permanent exhibit recently installed in the upstairs gallery.

This exhibit highlights major influences from Flagstaff’s past – the logging industry, Route 66, and local military history.

“The museum even features a giant relic of the region's logging history: a 1929 articulated Baldwin 2-6-6-2 steam locomotive that once plied the twisty and hilly tracks out to timber cut areas and hauled the wood back to the mills in town,” said Evans.

As for Flagstaff, it was founded in 1881, a year before the coming of the railroad. But it was earlier in 1876 that lumberjacks decreed the site to be worthy of a settlement, and on July 4th that year nailed a US flag to the top of a tall ponderosa pine. They called it for what it was: a flag staff.

“The museum is a dynamic part of Flagstaff’s cultural heritage along with the Museum of Northern Arizona, the Coconino Center for the Arts (adjacent to the Pioneer Museum), Lowell Observatory, and Cline Library Special Collections and Archives,” Evans continued.

All of which can be overlooked by simply speeding through town.

Image courtesy of the Arizona Historical Society.

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Experience outdoor fun, incredible attractions, historic Route 66, and so much more. www.experiencewilliams.com ROUTE Magazine 23

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T H E GHOST TOW N T H AT R E F USE D TO DI E …T W IC E!

By JD Mahoney Illustration courtesy of Chandler O’Leary 26 ROUTE Magazine

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midst southern Missouri’s gently rolling Ozark hills, sparsely populated with farms and ranches, the modest restored remnants of a once-thriving community’s business district silently endure.

Within a stone’s throw from a 1923 truss bridge spanning the Johnson Creek, the original alignment of two-lane Route 66 stretches past Spencer, Missouri. A lonely row comprised of fieldstone and brick tin-roofed buildings is all that remains of the main street that twice thrived and has become a ghost town once again.

Utilizing the spring fed creek, soon named after him, Oliver Johnson built a mill in the 1860s to process the area’s local grain production. Known informally as Johnson’s Mill, the area became a popular stopping place for travelers and drew enough population to support a general store and to justify a post office appointment in 1868. Named after homesteader Benjamin Spencer, the fledgling town, consisting of two churches, a schoolhouse, and a blacksmith, had a short-lived success into the turn of the century.

With no bridge across the seasonally fluctuating ravine, the dirt road—a victim of deferred maintenance—servicing Spencer continually degraded to the point where it was impassable by 1912. As a result, the dwindling commerce through the first few years of the century resulted in the closure of the Spencer post office in 1907, with full abandonment of the town shortly after.

Route 66 to the Rescue Pre-dating the federal highway system, the Ozark Trail, an arrangement of locally maintained roads, was organized by the Ozark Trails Association, established in 1913. The southwestern Missouri section, once a dirt stagecoach road that connected Springfield to Carthage, was developed in 1915 as automobiles became more common. Utilized as the new alignment of Route 66 in 1926, the old Ozark Trail hosted the recently paved federally funded highway.

But storekeeper Sydney Casey had a vision for the forgotten hamlet, which had languished for over twenty years as a ghost town. It would benefit from the conversion of the Ozark Trail to the proposed development of a route connecting Chicago and Los Angeles. Bridges constructed in 1923 crossing three creeks in the area, including Johnson Creek, ensured that future access to Spencer would not be impeded.

“He and my grandmother were presently operating a general store in the Jenkins area. Somehow, some way, he got word that there was a big highway coming through this area and that there was an opportunity for a general store, and there was a vacant building. On that information, pretty adventurous, he just took off!” said Sydney Casey’s grandson Kent Casey. To reach the site, thirty miles due north of Jenkins, Sydney walked and hitched wagon rides along the way.

ROUTE Magazine 27

Committed to his vision, Sydney Casey located the owner, Frank Johnson, and purchased the remnants of the store and two acres of land for the asking price of $500, with a $50 down payment in March of 1925. Packing up his wife, Mary, and sons, Carl, Albert, and Johnnie, he headed toward what remained of Spencer. Living in a tent, a modest two-room home was built while the old store was stocked and opened for business. The following year, Route 66 was indeed constructed in front of the Spencer store.

Acknowledged to be one of only four remaining original stretches of Mother Road pavement, the pristine slab at Spencer has never been repaved or widened.

“They used a huge circular vat, and they had a horse that went around and around in a circle that stirred the cement.

Then they dumped it into horse drawn sleds, or skids, pulled it out, and dumped it. Dad said he could remember, what he estimates to be about 50 men on either side of the poured cement, and they were hand-troweling the concrete!” said Kent.

As business began to flourish, Sydney added on to the store and continued to build a row of three distinctly

different store fronts that included a barber shop, cafe, and gas station.

“There was nothing else in Spencer except my grandfather’s business. That was Spencer! My grandfather ran it and my grandmother helped him,” Kent said. “There was a lot of traffic coming through. People were going cross country, Route 66, that was the Mother Road. People from all over the United States and other countries. You could hear different dialects, different languages.”

In addition to pumping gasoline, the traveler’s oasis, a modern equivalent of a gas station mini market, sold sandwiches, cold drinks, and snacks. Initially leased to the local gas and oil distributor for $20 per month, gas was sold from glass cylinder gravity pumps for seven and ten cents a gallon for regular and ethyl. Bulk oil was pumped from an iron barrel into one-quart bottles for ten cents.

In addition to activity in the village due to its designation as a Greyhound bus stop, the surrounding community also hosted Saturday night dances. Adjacent to the row of businesses, an ad hoc dance floor appeared. “It was a homemade, wooden dance platform, only elevated about a foot or so off the ground. It was built by locals for something to do on Saturday nights,” said Kent. “They had to make their own entertainment. This was really out in the country. Still is! People off the highway would see what was happening and join in.”

Francis Ryan.

28 ROUTE Magazine

Ironically, the hilly landscape that funneled traffic into Spencer contributed to its second demise. Cobbled together from existing roads, following the path of least resistance from the east, a broad sweeping curve in the road following the base of a hill concluded with a treacherous turn into the very narrow Johnson Creek bridge. The short straight-away in front of Casey’s enterprise greatly benefitted from the slowed traffic that Route 66 funneled past the Spencer Store.

However, after 35 years, the lone ribbon of road that had supported the success of Sydney Casey’s dream, now cruelly contributed to its second abandonment. As the new highway, Missouri Route 96, was constructed to straighten out Route 66’s dangerous curves, the steady flow of slowed motorists that once fed commerce in Spencer disappeared over night. Sydney Casey ran the store until he closed it in the early 1960s, continuing to live on the property until he passed away several years later in 1963.

Hidden in the Ozark hills behind a thicket of woods and stripped of its Route 66 designation by the new highway, Spencer was relegated to the same fate of other bypassed Mother Road alignments. Unceremoniously reassigned the designation of Lawrence County Road 2062 for the last six decades, the location of the tiny settlement would now be best described as just west of Highway N over the Johnson Creek bridge.

Succumbing to the decay of time, Spencer’s once proud row of store fronts fell into disrepair. Posts and beams supporting the leaky roofs of the buildings began to yield to the elements. With windows removed and boarded up, Spencer once again became a silent ghost town. A forgotten vestige of a past era, visited primarily by faithful Route 66 purists seeking out original alignments, the decaying edifice has served as little more than a nostalgic photo backdrop for classic car and motorcycle clubs.

Image by David J. Schwartz – Pics On Route 66.

Abandonment Issues

The bridge over Johnson Creek in Spencer, Missouri.

Rebuilding the Dream Hot rod and gas station buff Quentin Stockham had moved to the Missouri Ozarks with his wife, Cathy, to build their dream home on acreage just a few miles south of Spencer in 2004. “That’s how we found out about it. We took pictures of our hot rods in front of the building,” said Quentin.

Fascinated with the buildings, he noticed that while the lawn was always mowed, no one appeared to live there. “It was pretty dilapidated. It was all boarded up and most of the windows had been taken out of it. The roofs were caved in from rot. It was a pretty big mess. I asked some people about it, and they told me it used to be a little town.”

Often rerouting his travels, Quentin would go out of his way to drive by the forgotten buildings hoping to catch someone that was connected to the property. Driving by one day, Quentin spotted someone riding a lawnmower. It turned out to be Kent Casey. “I asked [him] if he was interested in selling the place, and he said, ‘Oh, no! My grandpa lived here, my uncle lived here, and my dad lived here.’”

But that was not the end of the discussion. After consulting his wife about selling the property that had been in his family through three generations, the Caseys reconsidered the offer and came to the difficult decision to sell. “It was getting to the point where it needed to be torn down or rebuilt. I did not have the resources to put into

it, and we felt that it would be better for us, and better for Spencer,” said Kent.

Although willing to put in the work, Quentin and his wife quickly determined that they could not commit the financial resources that the extensive restoration would require.

Quentin turned to his hot rod friend of over 40 years, Francis Ryan. “I called Ryan up and told him about what I had found. I said, ‘It’s right up your alley,’ because we both [used to] to collect gas pumps and old gas and oil signs.”

Familiar with Spencer, Francis and Mary Lynn Ryan of Salina, Kansas, had used the distinct, boarded-up Missouri fieldstone gas station and garage as a backdrop for photographing one of their prized hot rods. “My husband and I, [along with] Cathy and Quentin used to stop there, at Spencer, and take pictures of our hot rods,” Mary Lynn fondly recalled.

Francis Ryan, a retired diesel mechanic who prefers to be addressed by his surname, Ryan, had pursued his passion of building, collecting, and displaying his cars. “We used to do a lot of out of state [car] shows. I had a ’34 Chevy Coupe and put 48,000 miles on it in eight years going to hot rod shows.

We had a lot of fun… still do,” said Francis.

Excited about the prospect, after making the five-hour journey from their home in Salina to Spencer, the Ryans met with Kent Casey at the property. After assessing the property’s potential and the work involved, Francis credited ROUTE Magazine 29

Outside of the restored gas station in Spencer.

Mary Lynn’s encouragement for the decision to commit to the extensive restoration. “My wife and I looked at it. On the way home she said, ‘That looks like fun.’”

“We both knew that it was going to be a lot of work. My husband enjoys history, and he enjoys renovating things.

He has always had an interest in Route 66. I thought it was important for him to do something that he thoroughly enjoys. We decided to go for it,” Mary Lynn said.

The couples purchased the small town of Spencer in May 2008.

Restoration Vacations After cleaning up the mobile home behind the stores for living quarters, the Ryans and the Stockhams spent extensive restoration vacations together for the next three years, rehabilitating the remnants of Sydney Casey’s legacy. Obtaining original photos from Kent Casey, the two couples were able to restore the buildings close to their original appearance.

“The roofs on three of the buildings—the feed store, cafe, and grocery store—were all falling in. The rafters were halfway laying on the floor and it was just a disaster, but the walls were pretty solid,” Francis said, assessing the onset of the project. “We cleaned everything out and stripped the wood roofs off of all of them.”

After carefully scaling dimensions off of the window and door openings depicted in the reference photographs, Quentin and Francis Ryan were able to reconstruct the missing gently-arched awning over the gas pump island. “We tried to make everything just like it was back in the day. It’s really, really, close to what the pictures show,” said Quentin.

Originally a Tydol gas station, the last known brand sold at the Spencer Garage was Phillips 66. Named after Route 66, 30 ROUTE Magazine

the Phillips Petroleum logo borrowed the distinctive black outline of the highway’s shield. Replacing the badge’s white background with a brilliant attention-demanding orange, the slanted pair of sixes evoked the perpetual motion of the evolving motoring culture. Restored to the stations early period, the Ryans added a Phillips pole sign and a pair of vintage electric gas pumps to the service island.

Proclaiming Welcome to Spencer Missouri, est.1896, a sign commissioned by the Ryans utilizes the original pole and hoop found on the property that once advertised the station’s petroleum brand.

Found supporting a TV antenna, the repurposed pole was returned to its original location, easily identified by a pipe in the ground that the pole fit in. The arm, with the curly Qs on it, was found down by the creek.

“The windows were all boarded up. They had saved the glass from the feed store, put it in a plywood slip. We put the wavy glass back in there like it was,” Francis added. Hiring a sign-painting artist for the finishing touch, the window signs identifying “Spencer Feed & Seed, Cafe” and advertising “Cold Drinks, Lunches, Cigarettes & Cigars,” the Ryans have added authenticity to the once-thriving collection of businesses.

Searching for a Future A lovingly restored niche in the continuing history of the main street connecting America’s heartland with the west coast, the Ryans have given a breath of life to what must still be considered the ghost town that is Spencer. “It’s just the love of the old gas stations, pumps, and signs... we’ve done pretty much all of the work ourselves. It was a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun,” added Francis.

Grandson of the visionary Sydney Casey who rekindled the spirit of the abandoned town the first time, Kent Casey applauds their efforts. “They have done so much, have really brought the thing back to life. Shored it up, put new roofs on it, and did a wonderful job. I am so glad they got it! They are just wonderful people.”

Once a bustling multifaceted enterprise and community focal point, the now tranquil rural setting clings to the possibility of a new economic viability and a state historic site designation. Preservationist and President of the Missouri Route 66 Association, Roamin’ Rich Dinkela, marveled, “It’s just life straight out of a Norman Rockwell picture. You can just sit there and listen to the birds and the bugs and the wind… and just like, wow man! I’m here in 1926.”

SAINT ROBERT, MO

Today 1:35 PM

“Be back Monday.

Lunch meeting is running long!”

CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULE. GET TO PULASKI COUNTY, MO! Ready for a slower pace? Skip the interstate and take a trip down historic Route 66 in Pulaski County! Our 33-mile stretch of classic Americana is filled with delightful diners, delicious dishes, and dozens of stops that you don’t want to miss. The Mother Road is calling, so book your stay and explore!

Plan your trip at pulaskicountyusa.com.

ROUTE Magazine 31

t was July of 1950. As Highway 66 continued to nourish a multitude of family-owned businesses along its path, as their post-retirement project, Clinton, Oklahoma, residents, Chester and Gladys Glancy, opened the Glancy Downtown Courts next to Edwin ‘Pop’ Hicks’ 1936 Pop Hicks Restaurant. With details of premium furnishings and Italian-tiled bathrooms, tourists were sold on sight. Over 3,000 visitors came to admire the ultra-modern stopping-place during opening week, and all 14 units were quickly filled.

Downtown Courts was a hit for nearly a decade, but with a determined spirit to be the best in the biz, the Glancys were unsettled. In 1959, the couple decided to demolish the original project little by little, and rebuild, operating with a combination of new and old rooms as they went. By 1961, an impressive two-story display was constructed around a full-sized swimming pool.

Perhaps the most iconic addition? A flashy neon sign, reintroducing itself to Mother Road travelers as none other than the Glancy Motor Hotel.

But it soon proved difficult to sell the notyet-remodeled rooms alongside the new, so they got to work once again, this time closing completely. Seventeen additional rooms were added, bringing the total number of units at the Glancy Motel to 66.

“The public wanted the best,” said Chester to Jack Spencer in a 1964 Tourist Court Journal, “and we made up our minds to build something so nice that no matter how many motels are built on Route 66, ours will rank the finest.” After four months, it was time for the big reveal.

Shortly after New Year’s Day in 1964, hundreds of people flooded the property to see for themselves the perfected Glancy, with its luxurious new units and completed office.

Geometric patterns livened the swimming pool fence and canopy rails. Inside of the units were colorful drapes on top of big windows, and each room was designed with exposed beam ceilings, decorative room dividers, and custom-made quilts with “Glancy Motel” stitched in bold letters.

It was an icon of its time, and the Glancys worked hard to make it known. They owned more billboards than any motel in the Southwest, each proudly stamped with the words “Member of The Best Western Motels” alerting roadtrippers of its high status. As an added dose of advertisement, Chester

32 ROUTE Magazine

always had an official “Glancy Motel’’ Thunderbird parked out front.

Those lucky enough to experience the motel in its glory days remember it fondly, especially Kimberly Glancy Johnson, granddaughter of Chester and Gladys. “It was an incredible childhood,” marveled Johnson. “I grew up making new friends every day with somebody passing through, and they were always beside themselves. It [Glancy] was something they’d never seen before. It was the American Dream.”

The lot was her playground, and the Glancy and Pop Hicks remained an unstoppable duo in piquing the interest of anyone who passed for decades to come. But, recognizing the changing times and slowing of traffic after the opening of Interstate 40 in 1968, Chester and Gladys made the decision to sell the Glancy and retire for good. The privately-owned property was passed from owner to owner in the years that followed, and as a final blow, the uninsured Pop Hicks burned down in 1999.

Without the popular restaurant, the Glancy was forever changed, clearing the path toward its eventual bankruptcy.

Tourists continue to flock to the venue, but it’s for reasons much less glamorous than the AllAmerican Road Trip for which it was built. Exposé YouTubers paint a harsh picture of the storied relic, which in recent years has become an eye sore and a home to a less-thansavory type of guest. And in 2019 the property was condemned by the City of Clinton due to code violations. It appeared to be the end of an era for the Glancy Motor Hotel. Until a recent proposal by developer Rick Koch.

The $7.75-million-dollar proposal will restore both the Glancy and Pop Hicks Restaurant to their historical appearance. For David Berrong, Mayor of Clinton, who viewed the project of the Glancy through the lens of “realistic optimism,” the proposal is nothing short of an answered prayer.

“It’s the only thing we could dream of,” said Berrong. “It’s such a positive time here in Clinton. It’s a game-changer, a breakthrough. This has economic implications that will be huge.”

As the resilient Glancy Motor Hotel is again rebirthed into a new decade, the same holds true for the town itself. The story of Chester and Gladys will live on, and those who yearn for a blast from the past will likely find it, once again, under the carnival-like neon sign, in lovely little Clinton.

Words by Mia Goulart. Image by David J. Schwartz – Pics On Route 66.

WO R T H S AV I N G I

TUCUMCARI’S

By Nick Gerlich Photographs by David J. Schwartz - Pics On Route 66 34 ROUTE Magazine

TEE PEE ROUTE Magazine 35

S

omewhere between the 100th and 103rd meridian, a magical thing happens. While scholars and road warriors alike are divided as to the exact location, whether it be where Oklahoma runs smack into Texas, or where Texas dead ends at New Mexico, it is where the Southwest begins.

Goodbye South and its lush greenery. Hello mesas and buttes, earthen hues, and dry, warm air. Trees are over-rated anyway. The Southwest, with all its myth and legend, is what Mother Road travelers have sought for decades, whether along the road of hope during the Dust Bowl, in the postwar urgency to road trip into the great unknown, or in the modern era of nostalgia.

Stir in some Native American trinkets and curiosities, and you have the makings for a delicious stew that is perhaps best enjoyed inside of a teepee.

Curiosities For Everyone Decades ago, during the heyday of Route 66, one of the era’s most successful marketing campaigns between Chicago and Santa Monica was hatched, just 35 miles into the Land of Enchantment. “Tucumcari Tonight,” the billboards and literature cried out. It was extremely effective, because the three pillars of tourism—gas, food, and lodging—were often separated by many miles in the Southwest. Travelers had to be careful to plan their daily mileages, lest they wind up on the side of the road.

It made sense for towns to pull themselves together for the collective good by bundling their services. And once people had set their minds on bedding down in Tucumcari, the fuel and food were soon to follow.

What we know today as Tee Pee Curios opened in 1944 at 924 East Tucumcari Boulevard (then known as Gaynell).

At the time, Route 66 was only a two-lane road funneling travelers from the east and west. From its humble beginnings as a Gulf gas station doing business as Leland’s Groceries, Meats, and Curios, its evolution into purveyor of all things Southwest did not happen until about a decade later. In 1944, there were only a few scattered businesses along this stretch of Route 66. The Blue Swallow had broken ground diagonally to the northwest only a few years earlier in 1939, and a couple of other courts had gone up in the early-40s, but otherwise, this was most definitely the edge of town.

If ever there were an “at the right time,” this was it.

Rationing during the war, though, meant that regardless of being in the right place, the tourism trade was low for the time being. Jack Rittenhouse, in his post-war 1946 A Guide Book To Highway 66, noted that Tucumcari had a population of 6,194, featured “stores; cafes; all accommodations,” and perhaps the best endorsement ever, “Tucumcari is quite a tourist center.” Tucumcari had already started to emerge from the rations and restrictions of the war 36 ROUTE Magazine

era with motorists taking to the road once more.

Yes, times were getting better, and Leland’s was poised to benefit from not only local traffic, but from the growing number of people motoring west after the troops returned home. It was not until 1959, though, when Tucumcari Boulevard was widened, that threat became opportunity. The extra eastbound lane meant that the gas pumps and awning had to go. However, rather than shutter the business, the building was repurposed.

A wide front window was moved west to where the auto repair bay had been located, and then an entirely new entryway was fashioned with the likeness of a larger-than-life teepee as facade.

In that same year, Jene Klaverweiden took over. The shop was then renamed Tee Pee Curios, a name that to some may sound more kitsch than kindred to the area.

Nothing could be farther from the truth, though. While teepees and other artifacts of Native American life have been appropriated by many as commercial tropes far afield from where they originated, the Apache, and later Comanche, did indeed reside in teepees on the high plains of eastern New Mexico.

The Comancheria would approve. This was no trope; it was homage.

Klaverweiden, who died in 1998, was also once mayor of Tucumcari. He installed the iconic neon sign around 1960 (which oddly spells the name “Tepee”), and later sold the business in 1985 to his nephew, Mike Callens, and his wife, Betty. It was during the Callenses’ ownership that Tee Pee Curios was one of three Tucumcari businesses chosen to receive a federal grant to restore their neon signs. Mike rolled up his sleeves and painted it himself.

T is for Tokom It’s easy to know when you’re getting close to Tucumcari, thanks to the likewise-named mesa to the south of town that stands 600 feet taller. As is typical of western towns, a large “T” has been painted on large rocks that were gathered and shaped by local residents.

Founded in 1901 as Ragtown, it marked the coming of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway. But because

Gar Engman and Mike Callens smile behind the counter of the Tee Pee Curio shop.

lawlessness was rampant, it quickly became known as Six Shooter Siding. It wasn’t until 1908 that it was renamed Tucumcari, an opportunistic moment if ever for town promoters.

Rather than simply explain the somewhat clunky anglicization of the Comanche word tukamukaru (which means “to lie in wait”), a delectable yarn was spun in which love and death befall a young Apache couple, Tokom and Kari. While the Apache did have a presence in these parts centuries ago, it is the Comanche for whom the area is best known. Still, it is a great story.

And it’s a story that has almost rivaled “Tucumcari Tonight” for marketability. Too bad the freeway was finished in 1981, because that forever redirected traffic around the other side of town, sending population and commerce on a slow downward spiral.

New Blood at the Tee Pee The Callenses carried on what was then a multi-generational family business until 2013, when Gar Engman and his now ex-wife Heidi arrived from Fort Dodge, Iowa. Looking to start a new chapter in their lives, they had returned to live in a town they had previously fallen in love with, knowing that Mr. Callens was by that time seeking to step down.

They bought the curio shop in a heartbeat, with Gar trading in his commercial painting career for retail, and Heidi handling the social media as she had done at her former job in Iowa. Today, Gar is chief of the business, and has weathered the pandemic much the same as Native American predecessors overcame hardship.

Engman has embraced his role as retailer along the Mother Road, building on what he acquired. Upon passing through ROUTE Magazine 37

the teepee-shaped doorway, it is easy to be overcome with a feeling that this is vintage New Mexico. Hatch chiles, hot air balloons, and popular television shows may paint people’s impressions of the state today, but inside Tee Pee Curios it’s as if 1959 has never ended.

Authentic Native American pottery adorns shelves to the side. Several glass cases with motorized shelves that rotate are filled with silver, turquoise, and other gems and minerals; the shop is packed with New Mexican craftsmanship. Ceramic trivets and other artifacts made in-state aid and abet the effort to craft a truly enchanting retail experience. Elsewhere, common Route 66 souvenirs

The store’s neon sign and teepee entryway.

38 ROUTE Magazine

lie waiting just in case travelers haven’t already purchased them earlier on their trip.

Behind the array of glass display cases, Engman stands smiling, waiting to escort visitors back in time. “Always in the back of my mind, I knew I wanted to do Route 66,” he said. “When the Cars movie came out in 2006, that’s what triggered me. From then on I just fell in love with all of Route 66.”

He just didn’t know that he would wind up owning a piece of it. “In the past as a younger child and adult, I did see and admire some cross sections of Route 66 in Illinois and Missouri. I saw a little in California as a nine-yearyear old,” Engman recalled. “The inspiration to finally travel Route 66 came from the movie.”

This propelled Engman to take annual odysseys along 66. “I did Route 66 every year after that. It was such a blessing not to be on a time frame.” He traveled alone without an agenda, other than following all the old road that he could. In the process, he fell in love with the desert in the Southwest.

“I was taken away by Route 66 on my very first trip. I play no favorites!” he related with relish. “It was all exciting to me. I visited as many museums, relics, and landmarks as I could on a 10-day trip.”

Interestingly, Engman had not gotten to know Callens until 2012. One day on that year’s trip, he dropped in and found Callens at the shop. The two got talking and Callens, then 65, shared that he was wanting to retire. “So, it’s for sale?”

Engman asked.

Callens replied, “Yep.” Engman gave him his business card, and before leaving town, said, “I’m interested.” The Tee Pee was one iconic stop that he could never catch open. He had visited other icons, like the Jack Rabbit Trading Post in Arizona, so he set his sights on landing a similar landmark along the highway.

Suddenly, his dream was in reach.

A year later in June 2013, when Engman returned to Tucumcari with his then-bride, he stopped by to see Callens and follow up. Callens remembered him.

“You gave me your card,” he said. From there the pair talked more, and by August 1st the deal was complete.

The Callens were helpful in the transition period, offering help and information as needed. “I fell in love with meeting customers and hearing their stories,” Engman continued. “I came here and saw the potential.”

It was a bit different coming to Tucumcari from the north, but not too challenging of a change. “The history and the diversity down here… I just love it. It has been a very pleasant change from life in the Midwest.”

Besides, Tucumcari was somewhat of a step up for Engman. “I grew up in a small town of only 1,000 people. So, this wasn’t a big adjustment.

Tucumcari actually had more amenities,” he said with a laugh.

Career changes can often be difficult, especially one that involves leaving the predictability of a steady trade for the ambiguities and uncertainties of retail.

Engman may have been a consumer his entire life, but he knew nothing about having to serve them.

Fortunately, though, all he had to do was show up and be willing to learn.

“I walked into a turnkey operation. I didn’t have to Gar Engman welcomes customers into his shop, along with his furry friend. start from scratch.”

“The teepee facade, murals on the building, and the monstrous skeleton standing Eight and Counting on a truck bed also make for some great photo/selfie Although Engman has only been in Tucumcari for eight opportunities,” said David Brenner, owner of Roadrunner years, he has quickly become a proud local. He’ll show you a Lodge across the street, attesting to the fact that many of the framed photo of the station taken in the 1940s and bring out local businesses benefit from the shop’s unique offerings. a binder full of vintage postcards of Tucumcari motels. He But for Engman, it is all part of the visitor experience. “I has made not only the curio shop his, but the town as well. put the kitschy stuff outside like the skeleton on the truck.

They’re both in his blood now.

People stop and want to see what’s going on. I have a lot of Engman, too, has become a big part of the brand that is people come in and say, ‘We’ve been to a lot of gift shops, Tee Pee Curios. Often, people stop to see him as much as and they’re all the same. But when we walk into yours, it’s they do to look at the souvenirs. different. You have stuff that nobody else has.’”

During his eight years managing the shop, he has witnessed Tucumcari’s story is not unlike that of many other towns a revival in Tucumcari as well as among nostalgia-hungry along Route 66. After the coming of the freeway, businesses travelers. Tucumcari still has its challenges, like most other along 66 often died a swift, painful death. But while the small towns along 66, but it continues to do well in spite of town has its share of vacant properties, it is also a microcosm these. of hope.

More important than the changes Engman has seen around A small but resilient nucleus of business owners along the him, is how 66 and Tucumcari have changed him. Here’s Boulevard have not only survived, they’ve even thrived in a man who had a well-established career but gave it up to the era of Mother Road nostalgia. Tee Pee Curios is a vital respond to an opportunity far outside his comfort zone and part of that group, and Connie Loveland, Director of the geographic roots.

Tucumcari Main Street Program, is quick to point out the “Tucumcari has made me more laid back,” Engman symbiotic relationship her downtown organization has with the reflected, “and it has some wonderful people. It was an businesses along 66. By promoting both parts of town, the goal adjustment, of course, but there’s a lot more people starting is to get people to stay a little longer and spend a little more. to work together. We can all relate and help each other.”

“Tucumcari seems to be coming around,” Engman It took seven years from the release of the Cars movie, affirmed. taking annual pilgrimages up and down 66, and ultimately “It seems to me that Mr. Callens, along with many other buying Tee Pee Curios, for everything to come together in business owners, were doing everything they could to hang the present. It has all sunk in now for Engman, and he can on,” said Loveland. But now many businesses in town are wistfully look back in the rear-view mirror to see where the doing well, including the Tee Pee. “They have made their road led him. businesses into destinations in their own right,” Loveland “In the long run it’s made me happier. Now that I’m continued. on it [66], I’m loving it,” said Engman. The magic of the “A few more people will pull off the highway and drive Southwest, it turns out, is still there. And for many visitors through town than if it [the curio shop] wasn’t there, for and residents alike, it’s 1959 once more. sure,” said Brenner. “And when they do, they see some of the other fantastic shops, restaurants, and classic accommodations in Tucumcari.”

ROUTE Magazine 39

A MOMENT Photograph by Efren Lopez/Route66Images

40 ROUTE Magazine

OF PEACE

ROUTE Magazine 41

I

n the southernmost state that the Mother Road passes through sits the fortunate town of Amarillo, Texas.

Unlike many cities along Route 66, Amarillo was never bypassed during several decades of change in transportation. From cows being herded through, to the construction of the railroad, and the formation of Route 66 and Interstate 40, Amarillo remained a valued stop along the way.

“Amarillo is in the perfect spot geographically,” said Braley Beck, the Amarillo Convention and Visitors Bureau Director of Finance. “We were lucky enough to get Route 66 and that really is when you started seeing the city grow. I think Route 66 has brought in a lot of the quirky atmosphere that we have here.”

Undeniably famous for being the home of Cadillac Ranch and the quirky Big Texan, there is another lesser-known treasure that has become a destination of sorts in more recent days. Standing amongst barren farmland on the north side of old Route 66 rests a large rainbow peace sign.

Actually, it’s a 13-foot-tall metal peace sign, within another peace sign, all within another peace sign that is 350-feet in diameter embedded into the farmland. Could it be any more “peaceful”? This roadside attraction is a mystery to many, but is actually an (eventual) “glorified graveyard” for a local Amarillo farmer.

The Richard Daniel Baker Peace Park was created about seven years ago by Amarillo native Richard Daniel Baker, who grew up on the land that hosts the park. Baker was born in 1951 in Fort Worth before being adopted into a farming family in Amarillo. He joined the family occupation himself, alongside working for the local phone company for 35 years. The farmland where Baker’s Peace Park is located has been in the family since 1889, when his grandfather first homesteaded the land. Baker had maintained the spot for years before finally deciding to turn it into the creation it is today.

“We had a drought for three years up here where we couldn’t grow any crops. So, I thought I might as well just make a graveyard for myself, and my hired hand kept wanting to learn how to weld. So, I thought, shoot, I’ll get you into welding. We’ll just make some signs and stuff.

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I’ll make it into a giant peace sign,” said Baker. “I just put up signs and I thought, I’ll ask all my friends to come up with dates, and if I like those dates, I’ll plasma cut those dates and let people guess what the dates are.”

Colorful metal signs coated in layers of graffiti line the Peace Park. The signs cover a variety of subjects, all of which are important to Baker. Important dates in American history are carved into some, such as the date John Lennon was killed (December 8, 1980) and when four Kent State students were killed by the National Guard in Ohio (May 4, 1970). Others exhibit the silhouette of a marijuana leaf, the emblems of military branches, a thank you to their spouses, and some of Baker’s favorite quotes. While the front half of the park represents Baker’s hippie era, the latter half displays his religious beliefs with a large cross and the ten commandments. Notes of love and thanks from Baker’s neighbors are carved into the concrete that lays in the center. It is a surreal, serene place that seems to create space for reflection.

With the help of several friends, Baker’s park is a continued work in progress, eventually serving as his final resting place. A four-inch pipe is buried beneath the middle of the park, which will one day hold the ashes of the park’s creator.

“Whenever I pass away, I want them to take everything that they can use out of my body to give away... and the rest, just cremate me. I told my neighbor to drill a little hole there in that cap [of the pipe] and pour some of my ashes in there,” said Baker. “We have a weed here called vine weed, it’s invasive and kills crops. We’ve been fighting it for the last 50 years and I said, ‘Just go pour the rest of me on some of those vine weeds. I’ve spent my whole life trying to get rid of them, maybe my ashes will help.’”

But the most important sign sits at the front of the peace sign. It reads Baker’s name, birth date, and the words “to all my friends and family, it has been a trip and it has been my honor,” along with a blank space after his birthday, awaiting the date of his final day on Earth. Whenever that day may be, Baker’s legacy and beloved roadside attraction will continue far beyond, providing travelers with a peaceful spot to stop on their way to or from Amarillo.

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ROUTE Magazine 43

HOOKED ON

By Cheryl Eichar Jett Photographs by David J. Schwartz - Pics On Route 66 44 ROUTE Magazine

NOSTALGIA ROUTE Magazine 45

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otorhead: a car, truck, or motorcycle enthusiast, according to Urban Dictionary.

But the common meaning – that of a vehicle aficionado – just isn’t strong enough, nor colorful enough, and definitely not fun enough to describe the founder, operator, restaurateur, collector, and ringmaster of the fabulously successful Route 66 Motorheads Bar, Grill, and Museum just south of Springfield, Illinois. And just who is this ringmaster? That would be Ron Metzger, a self-acknowledged “car guy” and “Springfield guy,” who also is part of the Springfield “Living Legends on Route 66” local entrepreneurs tour. “I was born here, and I just hang out here,” he said proudly.

Beginning in the 1990s, Metzger operated his own businesses in Springfield. Operating several car lots as RPM Car company, Metzger deviated from the vehicle theme for a while with his Metzger Flooring Company. Through the years, he also hunted down Springfield business memorabilia, collected cars and signs, and honed his commercial skills, just to be ready, it would seem, for his current role and chapter.

Spanning decades, his incredibly vast memorabilia collection includes gas pumps, cars, and signs from the Central Illinois area. Metzger’s vintage collectibles reflect many of Springfield’s past restaurants, gas stations, motels, and car dealerships, while treasured photos of Springfield auto racing legends and a 100-year-old race car commemorate his hometown’s iconic but often little-known motor racing scene.

(The “Springfield Mile” at the Illinois State Fairgrounds is one of the oldest and fastest tracks in the US.)

The Camaro That Started It All If you’ve been to Motorheads, you just might have noticed a vintage Camaro hanging over your head. That sleek silver vehicle, now beautifully restored and “chromed out,” long ago lit the fire of Metzger’s lifelong love affair with the automobile.

“I’ve been a car guy since I bought my first car when I was sixteen, and I never quit,” said Metzger. “I’ve had hundreds of old cars. I bought that car in 1973 and drove it all over the country. A 1969 Camaro. That’s the one that’s hanging up in the ceiling now. I think I’ve had that for 48 years.”

Son of car enthusiasts George and Dorthea Metzger, who enjoyed cruising in their own Camaro with the top down, Metzger filled up several warehouses with his treasures as the decades passed. His passion for hanging on to local history grew along with his collections as he watched local landmarks like the Orpheum Theatre downtown, Shea’s Gas Station on the Peoria Road/Ninth Street alignment of Route 66, and the Bel-Aire Motel on South Sixth Street (notable for its neon, sputnik, and concrete seal fountain) all close down. (Shea’s building still stands, with some prospects to reopen, while sadly, the Orpheum and the Bel-Aire are long gone).

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“Cars and gas pumps and old signs go hand in hand, and any old signs that have to do with Springfield, I really have tried to find, just because they’re Springfield signs. Problem is, they’re all going away, so [I’m] trying to find them. [But] I don’t care who owns them, if I own them, or whoever owns them, [if] they’re back in Springfield, where the public can see them.”

Metzger’s favorite sign, which happens to be the one that he’s had the longest, is the porcelain sign from the Abe Lincoln Motel that once stood alongside the original Cozy Dog location on the south side of town. “Every time I’ve moved warehouses or anything, I’ve taken that sign,” he said. “I’ve moved that sign 50 times! It’s so dang big.”

With warehouses full of collectibles, at one point Metzger sold some of his collection (but later bought most of it back) before he began to think of a new plan to house them somewhere where the public could enjoy them.

“He [had] all of the original items that he’d been storing for some 40 years, in three or four different warehouses. His wife asked him, ‘What are you doing with all this stuff?’ And Ron said, ‘Well, I think I have an idea.’ And that’s when he looked at the old Stuckey’s building,” said Scott Dahl, President of Visit Springfield. “It was in disarray. I know they put in a ton of work just to get the doors open.”

Motorheads Opens That old Stuckey’s building, occupied by a pizzeria and a boat dealership since Stuckey’s closed sometime in the 1980s, was the perfect building in a great location for Metzger’s new venture. Repurposing historic buildings along Route 66 has been a hallmark of its evolution for darn near a century now. And if you’re going to repurpose a building to fill it with Americana memorabilia, why not choose one that once housed a company that represented the very spirit of American roadside business? And so, Motorheads Bar, Grill, and Museum began its life in a former Stuckey’s store.

Inside of Motorheads.

“This was actually built in 1970 when 66 was still here and [Interstate] 55 was opening. So, the Stuckey family was building at interstate ramps,” said Metzger. “He [Billy Stuckey] was a pretty sharp guy, he thought about the real estate as well.”

Motorheads opened its doors to the public on Memorial Day weekend in May 2018. In what could only be called an overnight success, Metzger found his parking lot full and his building packed beginning with that first weekend. Opening with the bar plus snack food, the full kitchen opened later in the summer, offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a bartender on duty all day.

Metzger took the car theme to extremes, and his supporters loved him for it. Beer is tapped out of automobile trunks mounted on the wall. The menu has an “owner’s manual”

theme and offers classic bar and grill food with a new spin.

Burgers and sandwiches are named after cars, such as the Firebird (buffalo chicken) and the Thunderbird (bourbon burger). Then there’s Super Birds (chicken wings) and Lug Nuts (Wisconsin cheese curds) and Ball Bearings (cordon blue bites). An average of 60 to 70 employees each week keep the food cooking and the drinks flowing. “It’s not an easy place to operate,” Metzger quipped.

In an ironic homecoming of sorts, an original Stuckey’s sign found its way out of a chicken coop to come “home” to roost in Motorheads’ beer garden in the summer of 2019.

The highway sign had touted Stuckey’s original Springfieldarea store in nearby New Berlin, located about 20 miles away on old Route 54. John and Diane Craig, the new owners of a New Berlin farm home, had discovered the sign in a chicken ROUTE Magazine 47

coop, where the farm’s original owner had tucked it away after the New Berlin Stuckey’s closed.

“I got the oldest Stuckey’s sign in existence, a billboard, it’s 10 foot by 30 foot, and the reason I know that is, it’s on the Stuckey’s corporation website,” said Metzger.

Motorhead’s location didn’t hurt anything, either, as it’s easy-on and easy-off from Interstate 55 at the Toronto exit to access the hot spot. And now, Metzger’s giant sign, iconic Stuckey’s roofline, and minor traffic jam getting into the parking lot are all indicative that you’ve found the right place.

“All roads lead south as you’re traveling towards Motorheads, and when you get there, there’s this top-fuel dragster on the roof. That tells you that this place is different.

That tells you that you’re probably somewhere that you haven’t been before,” said Dahl.

Stuckey’s 60-foot-tall sign poles. As he sketched out a design for the sign one night inside the venue, Dennis Bringuet, third generation of Springfield’s four-generation Ace Sign Company, was watching.

“I’d known Ron, we were in high school together, so I’ve known [him] for a long time. He’s been collecting signs for a long time and we [Ace Sign Company] have as well, so we trade things back and forth. I took Ron’s drawing, his conceptual ideas, and shared those with our team,” explained Bringuet.

Two years later, Ace Sign Company made Metzger’s design a 32-foot-by-32-foot reality, and an eagerly awaited event took place on August 14, 2020. The Ace Sign Company crew hoisted the huge sign onto the historic Stuckey’s poles as the “sign sequins” – small pieces of shiny metal – shimmered in the sunshine. Reporters and photographers showed up World’s Largest Route 66 Emblem to document the installation, while a little later in the day, roadies, fans, and the curious, packed the big parking lot just In 2018, as Metzger was opening Motorheads, he dreamt off I-55 for the official dedication. “The biggest Route 66 of a gigantic Route 66 shield being mounted on the original emblem in the world,” as Metzger calls it, is said to eclipse the former world record of the giant shield in front of the Route 66 Museum in Elk City, Oklahoma.

A few weeks previous to the installation, Metzger readied those poles by painting them himself, six stories in the air, from a lift borrowed from Steve Sheppard of Sheppard Auto Sales and Salvage.

“Ron’s put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into that place,” said Bringuet. Then, on the historic day of lifting the sign, Ace Sign Company crews first had to weld specially-made brackets onto the poles to hold the giant sign. The top and bottom halves of the sign had to be assembled before the exciting sight of it being lifted up onto the poles could please the assembled crowd.

Springfield, Illinois, has become known in the last several years as a place that preserves historic signs, which started with the City purchasing the iconic Sonrise Donuts sign in 2018, followed by cooperation among the City, Ace Sign Company, and Ron Metzger, when it came to saving and preserving iconic local business signs. But then, Springfield’s business history is full of inexplicable ties, odd coincidences, and the satisfaction of bringing a Metzger’s self-acclaimed “Biggest Route 66 Emblem in the World”. story “full circle.”

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For instance, Ace Sign Company, who fabricated the giant Route 66 shield in 2019, had been on the Motorheads property back in 1970 to install the 60-foot poles for Stuckey’s opening. “[My] father installed the poles. I recall my father telling stories about those poles needing some extra welding on them, because they had a little different alloy in them,” said Bringuet.

A New Addition Metzger’s newest addition to Motorheads in July 2021 was a big one – a 5,000-squarefoot building, bumping the venue’s presence to nearly 15,000 square Metzger admiring his prized possession, Motorheads. feet on four acres of land. The new space holds an entertainment stage, Metzger’s rarest neon signs, A People’s Place and a Watchfire Jumbotron. “It’s probably one of the finer Visitors to Motorheads are sometimes overwhelmed at the attractions in his new area. It’s in there so they can watch sheer amount of memorabilia packed into the venue. A visit ball games and automobile races; that’s the largest television will literally take you on a tour of Springfield’s restaurant screen in Central Illinois,” Bringuet said. Upstairs, there’s a history. And it’s truly eye candy for car guys, sign collectors, loft area for private parties.

Route 66 fans, and, back to that niche, Springfield carOn the outside stands the 8,000-pound concrete seal racing enthusiasts. For many, one visit just isn’t enough to fountain saved from the Bel-Aire Motel, the landmark even begin to take in the vast collection, especially if one is lodging that was razed in 2015, as well as its sign. Half of attempting to also eat a meal or have a conversation with the Sonrise Donut sign – an iconic sight on the Ninth Street friends.

Route 66 alignment for nearly 70 years – is also there.

“I have been there 40 times and I still see something new “We work with Ron and trade things back and forth,” every time,” said Dahl. “He’s not going to slow down as explained Bringuet, whose company also restored the iconic far as the collecting. I think it’s in his blood. It truly means Tropics Restaurant sign not far away in Lincoln, Illinois. something to him. This isn’t someone that just ran into some “There’s a sign that we just corralled – the Sixth Street Car money and decided to buy some Route 66 memorabilia or Wash – which is on Route 66 here in Springfield. We’re going motorhead items. This is someone that truly has a passion for to give him half, he’ll have one side, just like the Arch Motel, the motorhead side and the Route 66 side and has showed it just like [the] Sonrise Donuts [sign]. We refurbished it, and over the last 40 years.” helped Ron install one side at his place.”

As Route 66 and other revered historic highways have In the meantime, Motorheads’ 6,000-square-foot beer garden evolved during the modern era, businesses have closed, also packs in the customers during car shows and charity events buildings have been razed, and signs have sometimes to enjoy the retro Shell Gas Station décor. Metzger’s passion for disappeared. The new attractions that preserve and display preserving Springfield Route 66 history led him to purchase so beloved and familiar remnants of times gone by undeniably many items at the auction of Bill Shea’s Route 66 Gas Station have a leg up in becoming a crowd favorite. And Ron Museum back in 2015 that he’s been able to recreate the front Metzger and his Motorheads Bar, Grill and Museum have facade of Shea’s famous attraction at Motorheads. done just that – in spades.

“I’ve got a lot of stuff that I haven’t put up yet that’s still in Wearing many hats on a busy day at Motorheads, Metzger the garage. So, within the next month-and-a-half, I’m going seems to be everywhere, directing everything and greeting to have every sign I own displayed, and then we’re going to everyone. Just like a good ringmaster, he keeps the show do a video inventory, for insurance purposes, and just to going smoothly and makes everything look easy. know exactly what we’ve got,” Metzger said thoughtfully.

“We’ve got everything from a 1915 race car to a 66 sign, some of everything, it just doesn’t quit.”

ROUTE Magazine 49

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ROUTE Magazine 51

52 ROUTE Magazine

a Travel Center of America to sleepy Santa Rosa, adding to his rather legendary status in the close-knit Hispanic community.

After Friggie’s death in 2017 at the age of 88, the City issued a resolution honoring three of its mayors, including Friggie.

On July 22, 2015, a sudden storm blew up over Santa Rosa —and owner-operator Patricia Velasquez’ Route 66 eatery.

A lightning strike destroyed the restaurant’s electrical box and ignited a kitchen fire. The damage was severe enough to result in a temporary closing during the year’s tourist season, but on the evening of July 30, just eight days after the damaging lightning bolt, Patricia and her staff surprisingly reopened.

However, life in the restaurant business is difficult and on Saturday evening, September 14, 2019, the Route 66 Restaurant served its last meal before closing its doors for good. One of the operators, Mary Velasquez, turned the key in the lock, a paper sign on a window announcing, “Closed For Ever.” The news soon spread that Community 1st Bank in Las Vegas, New Mexico, had foreclosed on the building.

This Santa Rosa restaurant is one of those Mother Road businesses that was easily identified and is still fondly remembered. Even two years after its demise, Route 66ers bemoan its closure. “As for the [Route 66] in Santa Rosa, I ate there many times and was very sad to see it go,” said Melissa Lea Beasley-Lee, President of the New Mexico Route 66 Association. Missed as well is the ambiance within the cafe, with its aromas of authentic local cuisine being served up, not to mention its homey comfort.

“Right now, we have five restaurants [still] serving our community. But back in 1973, there were over 20 restaurants, [and] gas stations, motels, a bunch of bars… and then that interstate came in, the bypass, it just rolled in like you wouldn’t believe it,” said current Santa Rosa Mayor Nelson Kotiar.

Turn-over in restaurants and change in ownership and operation is all part of the evolution of the American highway.

But that doesn’t mean that fans forget the sights, smells, and tastes of their favorite eateries. Legendary restaurants live on in the memories of travelers and Route 66 enthusiasts alike, while the local icons also lodge in the hearts of their customers and friends.

Image by David J. Schwartz – Pics On Route 66.

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p and down the “Main Street of America,” businesses are simply identified as “Route 66”— Route 66 Motel, Route 66 Station, or Route 66 Restaurant. This moniker undeniably affirms its status as a Mother Road business, practically guaranteeing that travelers will show up at its door. But many years of this straightforward naming process can lessen the memory of the operators, except perhaps for its local customers, who remember their area legends.

The Route 66 Restaurant in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, known also as the Shawford Cafe and then Lettie’s, was one of those eateries. The Mid-Century building still stands— empty now—on the east side of town, overlooking the small city and the valley beyond. The cafe nestled near the highway, while behind it stood the Shawford Motel. After a major remodel, it is still operating as an Econo Lodge Inn and Suites.

When local man Albert Elfego “Friggie” Campos and his wife, Ida Jo, opened in the building sometime in the 1960s, he named it for his daughter—Lettie’s. “Friggie,” the nickname by which he was known for most of his life, opened other Santa Rosa restaurants with family members during his thirty-five years in the restaurant business, including the nowclosed Adobe Inn, and La Fiesta Cafe, which transitioned into Joseph’s Bar and Grill in the 1980s and is still operated by the Campos family.

In 1986, the Velasquez family took over operation of Lettie’s as Friggie moved on to other projects, and by 2007, it had been renamed the Route 66 Restaurant. The name change matched the Mid-Century building and cemented the eatery in the hearts of Route 66 enthusiasts. Leaving a lasting impression with its iconic Googie-style signage, the letters of the word “restaurant” were displayed on yellow diamond shapes along the roofline with the words “Route 66” in a separate circular sign. Even Bob Waldmire, the late artist, free spirit, and consummate Route 66 traveler known for his detailed drawings of Route 66 venues, made a print of the cafe.

Friggie contributed to his community as well as feeding it by serving as city councilman and mayor and working to attract

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ROUTE Magazine 53

BOON E’S L IC K

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immigration from the southern states, and many sympathizers settled along the general east-west path of the Missouri River in the region known as “Boonslick” or “Little Dixie.”

“There is actually still a street in St. Charles called Boone’s Lick Road,” noted Dickey. Not surprisingly, the road’s eastern terminus is near the Missouri River’s shore. And there, near the riverfront, stands a very special inn, a handsome red brick Federal-style building tucked neatly amid the Historic District.

“For more than 175 years the Carter-Rice building has stood its ground along the Missouri River. And now it is home to the historic Boone’s Lick Trail Inn, representing early America on S. Main Street,” said Dan Krankeola, Director of Discover St. Charles. Constructed in 1843, the Federal-style building once housed a confectionary, a dry goods store, and a saddlery and harness business, all in its earlier years. But by the 1970s, it had deteriorated to endangered status; that’s when Paul and V’Anne Mydler discovered it. “[My parents] bought the building in 1981 off the auction block; it was going to be torn down. [They] had to sit on it for a while because they were trying to get funding and figure out what to do with it, and interest rates were 18-20% at the time,” explained Venetia McEntire, daughter of the Mydlers and second-generation innkeeper along with her husband, Steve Powell. “My mother had traveled consistently in Europe and England, so had stayed in many hostels and inns and came back [wanting] to do a bed and breakfast. It opened in 1987.” As the inn’s restoration neared completion, the St. Charles Historic District National Register boundary was increased to include 1000 South Main Street, home of the inn and former Carter-Rice building.

Although the historic inn, the interpretive exhibits at Boone’s Lick State Historic Site, and several large fragments of early Boone’s Lick Trail in St. Charles, in Columbia, and elsewhere, are significant reminders of the area’s history, much of the original trail has been sadly lost or abandoned. History buffs and intrigued visitors, however, should remember that the Boone’s Lick Road was once a significant early American highway that helped develop a young growing nation. For those on the lookout for a taste of true Americana, the City of St. Charles really is the perfect place to spend some time.

Image by David J. Schwartz – Pics On Route 66.

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k

rom a humble “salt lick,” combined with the surname of a legendary American frontiersman, came the name of the first major road to the interior of Missouri. “The Boone’s Lick Road was a major path of westward travel that started in St. Charles and followed a high ridge over to Howard County, Missouri,” said Mike Dickey, Historic Site Administrator of Boone’s Lick State Historic Site. “It was a major trail route out to Central Missouri, and from there you picked up the Osage Trace, [which] later became the Santa Fe Trail.” For over a century, that road served as the very path of American history.

French-Canadian explorer Louis Blanchette settled along the west side of the Missouri River in 1769 and founded what would become the City of St. Charles. Thirty years later, frontiersman Daniel Boone, his wife Rebecca, and their grown sons Nathan Boone and Daniel Morgan Boone arrived in the area from Kentucky.

As St. Charles grew, Nathan and Daniel Morgan Boone explored westward along the Missouri River.

They discovered a significant saltwater spring, which attracted wildlife, about 100 miles west of St. Charles in what would become Howard County.

The Boone brothers commercialized the lick by boiling the saltwater, leaving the precious commodity of crystalized salt.

The old trace that the Boone brothers followed soon became known as Boone's Lick Road. “In 1808, Nathan Boone led [Captain] William Clark and the St. Charles Militia overland to Fort Osage, and they blazed a path across northern Missouri,” explained Dickey. “And that trail stayed in use for settlers beginning around 1810.” Small settlements near the salt licks sprang up along the north bank of the Missouri River in what would become the State of Missouri in 1821.

Captain William Becknell of Franklin, a village in the Boone’s Lick area, led the first caravan of pack mules west from Franklin in 1821 on the Santa Fe Trail. The important link from St. Charles to Franklin, in making the previously unthinkable journey west, was the Boone’s Lick Road.

As debate over slavery escalated in the country and the Missouri Compromise of 1821 allowed slavery in the new state of Missouri, the general region of Boone’s Lick Road once again defined an era. Missouri's status triggered a flood of

THE BLUEBIR

By Raymond Joseph Photographs by David J. Schwartz - Pics On Route 66 56 ROUTE Magazine

RD IS BORN ROUTE Magazine 57

D

ecades have passed since there was lodging in downtown Elk City. This small city— which rides the boom-and-bust cycle that is oil—has been witness to Route 66 throughout the existence of the Mother Road, as well as the earlier Ozark Trail.

It’s just that the modern era saw commerce and hospitality migrate to other parts of town. The historic and luxurious Casa Grande Hotel building, located at the northeast corner of Main Street and 66, hasn’t hosted guests in decades. It was built in 1908 but saw its importance fade shortly after the designation of Route 66 in the 1920s.

But now one woman has taken it upon herself to bring tourists back to the heart of town and provide a genuine Route 66 experience that Elk City has been lacking. And the educator that she was, is now getting schooled in an entirely new career path in the hospitality industry. The result is the Bluebird Inn, a boutique property waiting mere feet off the old road.

Girls Weekend Out Julie Bonner toiled 18 years in secondary education.

Trained as an Elementary Education specialist, she wound up somehow at the high school level. Only one year out of her 18 did she actually teach at the level for which she had trained.

But a few years ago, she grew weary of the day-to-day for nine months each year, along with all of the requisite meetings, after-school events, and other responsibilities. The life of an educator is never as easy as some believe, and she began entertaining ideas for a second act, something she could do in the town in which she was born, raised, and lived her entire life.

“I would see businesses come in and go out,” she said.

The regular churn of commerce was a cautionary tale, one to which she paid heed. But it was a girls’ weekend out that proved to be the impetus needed to get the ball rolling.

“My girlfriends and I were in a book club,” said Bonner.

“We went on a trip to Tishomingo, Oklahoma,” where they stayed at a small downtown inn that had once been a retail business.

“I turned to my friend who is my realtor and said, ‘This is exactly what Elk City needs.’”

Inspired and able to see more clearly once she was away, as is often the case, she returned to Elk City with an idea firmly in hand. The only problem was that she needed to convince her husband, Kenneth.

“This is the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard. Who is going to stay in Elk City?” he asked. An oil man, he knew all too well the highs and lows that Elk City has experienced on the petroleum rollercoaster.

Not discouraged in the least however, Bonner countered.

“We have six or seven hotels in Elk City. People stay here.”

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She then went to her banker, who said it was a great idea. That was enough to get Kenneth on board.

“I never looked back. I got the ball rolling, and it just happened so easily for me.”

The Backdrop Like most cities and towns in the west, Elk City came about because of the railroad. It was founded in 1901 with the arrival of the Choctaw, Oklahoma, and Gulf Railroad. White settlers had arrived in 1892 as a result of a treaty with the Cheyenne-Arapahoe in what was then the Oklahoma Territory.

The city was named for being at the head of Elk Creek, which was coined because of evidence of this large deer’s presence south of town in the Washita Mountains. Elk are not known to populate western Oklahoma today, though, but the name has survived, and the nearly 12,000 people who call it home don’t seem to mind.

But it had existed for many years prior as a stopover on the Great Western Cattle Trail, which ran from Texas to Dodge City, Kansas. It is even rumored that Coronado wandered through the area in 1541 while searching for Quivira. He didn’t find it.

On the west end of town, the National Route 66 Museum beckons tourists and historians alike to view indoor and outdoor exhibits capturing the legend and lore of the Mother Road in Oklahoma. The grounds also feature separate smaller museums that document various aspects of the farming and ranching history of the area.

Today, the downtown district, which runs north-south along Main Street, and primarily south of Route 66, is enjoying a bit of a renaissance.

Everything’s Waiting for You Petula Clark lyrically extolled the virtues of downtown nearly 60 years ago, and her words are no less true today, at least for Bonner. She had already long had her eye on a former retail establishment on Broadway, only one block off Route 66. She just didn’t know what she would do with it right away.

Like many Mother Road locales, Elk City once had a teeming downtown district. And like those other locales, Elk City witnessed its primary commercial district shift to the interstate.

It can be a blessing and a curse at the same time.

But people like Bonner see the future in the past, the wealth of opportunity that still exists in those old buildings that weren’t built in a day using a crane and pre-fab panels.

The trip to Tishomingo etched on her mind, it had become apparent that what she must do was duplicate that experience in her hometown.

Julie Bonner inside the Bluebird Inn.

She settled on the 1600-square-foot rectangular shop at 118 West Broadway and enlisted a cousin who researches the genealogy of buildings to unearth its past. It turned out that it had burned down once, but like a Phoenix, had been rebuilt and rose from the ashes in 1905. “The earliest we can find is a record store and electronics. When I was a kid, it was a shoe store,” said Bonner. “More recently it was a shop that sold farmhouse interior decor,” attesting to the varied tenants that the building has enjoyed throughout its history.

Thanks to being a life-long resident in Elk City, she knew the previous owner. “It had been on the market for a little while. I bet it sat [there] for six months before I made a move on it.”

Fortunately for Bonner, the previous owner had gutted it, refurbished the ceiling, and installed new heat and air.

It was almost a turnkey operation, except that Bonner had something else in mind that was far from retail. “I knew that of all the buildings downtown, it was the one I would have to put the least amount of work into,” she said.

Instead, she envisioned a quaint little inn just like the one

she and her girlfriends had visited that weekend in southeast Oklahoma. It would take some work, of course, to convert a retail shop into private sleeping quarters, but a variety of contractors were able to frame three spacious rooms, a hallway, and a lobby so that guests could spend the night. A shallow basement made it easy for retrofitting plumbing for each room, as well as for running conduit to carry electricity.

What started with a flurry of activity in the fall of 2020 became reality six months later. Everything was done in a timely manner. “The budget was $5 off from what we thought it would be. And now we have bookings, so that is a good thing,” Bonner beamed.

But she wasn’t looking to be chained to her new venture.

While she proudly boasts that Bluebird Inn is a reflection of her, and in particular, a close duplicate interior-wise of the new house she and Kenneth had recently built, she wasn’t quite ready to spend her days in the lobby.

“I didn’t want a business I was going to be physically married to all the time. I’m a mom first,” she said. Her ROUTE Magazine 59

A look inside of the cozy Bluebird Inn.

website handles reservations so that she can be there as needed. Guests are invited to stroll over to either of two coffee shops one block away to grab breakfast. On Sundays, when those are closed, she delivers homemade baked goods to each room.

And, in a nod to that quaint inn that she and her friends visited, her building was nearly identical in shape and size.

Serendipity works that way.

What’s In a Name?

While bluebirds may be one of the most popular birds in Oklahoma, they weren’t the inspiration for the naming of this small inn. Instead, that honor goes to Bonner’s late maternal grandmother, affectionately known as Nana among her six children and 17 grandkids.

“She was our constant. She was the matriarch of the family,” Bonner explained. That’s not all that atypical in these parts, where homesteaders sank their own tap roots and started their families more than a century ago. To be an elder was to be respected.

But Nana took ill when Bonner was in the 6th grade, a time that she knows well from her academic training is very critical in a young person’s life. It’s when physical and mental changes ensue, and the transition to adulthood begins.

Bonner recalls the impact of her Nana’s death.

“It had a big effect on me. Her passing happened at such a tender time,” she said, holding back emotion. With nearly two dozen other close family members to divide their matriarch’s possessions, there wasn’t much for each person.

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But Bonner wound up with a little bluebird figurine, a memento that has come to inspire her in this project.

“Looking back, I think that’s why my Nana has been part of my story,” she explained. While she and her husband have moved numerous times across Elk City, that little figurine has stayed with her.

Leaving the Light On Bonner’s transformation from education to hospitality has been a smooth one. “I wanted something that was not hotels.” She wanted guests to feel as if they were in her home.

To that end, she has accomplished just that. Her threeroom inn is not in the same category as the shiny new motels along the freeway, nor the older properties along 66. Instead, she has positioned herself as an alternative for travelers, those wanting the small/downtown experience with modern amenities, but not the crowds. Given its proximity to the iconic highway and the historic downtown district, guests can still feel like they are practically on the Mother Road, even if they’re technically not curbside.

Meanwhile, Kenneth has become a firm believer in his wife’s dream; a vision that did not become crystal clear until a group of women took a weekend getaway to the hills of southeast Oklahoma.

As for Nana, her legacy continues, albeit in a way that no one in the family could have predicted, even Bonner. Elk City really is the perfect town for her memory to live on. Along the Mother Road.

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 61

IT’S REAL Photograph by David J. Schwartz - Pics On Route 66 62 ROUTE Magazine

LLY BIG! ROUTE Magazine 63

C

hances are, if you’ve driven the lovely rolling stretch of Missouri’s green countryside between Springfield and Lebanon, a ball-capped cartoonish mascot on 50 colorful roadside signs (both westand eastbound) has tempted you to stop for gifts or candy at the Phillipsburg exit. The mascot, “Mr. R.,” has a way with words as he shouts “welcome” (in a speech balloon, of course) with arms extended into perpetual “jazz hands.”

The travel complex founded by John and Sharon Redmon is a bit reminiscent of the Mid-Century era’s spate of gift shops, information centers, and tourist traps found along American highways, just waiting to tempt travelers. The elements are all in place—candy, souvenirs, gasoline, snacks, restrooms— and just like so many of the 1950s-60s gift emporiums, the theme is important. For the Redmons’ travel stop, the sweet shop is called the Candy Factory; the retail merchandise shop was dubbed the World’s Largest Gift Store. Some shops had a gimmick – live animals, reptiles, or an outrageous or tasteless exhibit. But here at Redmon’s, handmade local crafts or questionable displays in a quaint shop are supplanted with a conscientiously clean and family-oriented experience.

“Recently, we did a remodel of the candy store, and we upgraded the restrooms so that they are phenomenal—now it’s like the best stop on the whole highway,” said Jennifer Redmon, daughter of the founders and manager of the World’s Largest Gift Store. “There’s chandeliers in them.

They’re really a nice family stop now because we take pride in how clean they are, they’re completely gorgeous. All the walls are marble. We really are upgrading everything; it was a big project, and it took a while. But they’re very nice and clean for families that stop and they’re huge.”

In 1995, real estate agent John Redmon and his wife, flight attendant Sharon Redmon, traded in their careers to purchase a defunct Nickerson Farms restaurant building just outside of Phillipsburg, Missouri, one of a chain of 80 restaurants scattered through the mid-section of the US, including several on Missouri’s Route 66 corridor. “They’ve been dreaming together ever since,” Jennifer said about her parents. The Redmons gutted the building, added gas pumps, and began selling cheese in addition to the normal array of snacks and travel accessories.

“It kind of evolved into the candy store. We started making homemade fudge and kept adding on and adding on, all kinds of sweets, and now, we have our own recipes. We now have two kitchens; there’s a main kitchen in the front and, part of the new addition, there’s a huge kitchen in the back where we make tons of our homemade chocolates. Full-time, there’s a kitchen staff back there. They make everything, every day,” Jennifer explained. These days, the candy store boasts 70 flavors of saltwater taffy, 20 flavors of homemade fudge, and 70 flavors of bulk candy.

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But next door to Redmon’s Candy Factory is the real sweet treat—a 30,000-square-foot building erected by John and Sharon Redmon in 2005, filled to the brim with meticulouslyarranged gifts. “It’s a great place to take a break from your road trip and pick up any kind of gift that you would want to give that would be completely out of the normal. And that is one of the things that I love about it... I’m fairly sure that I can’t find it anywhere else,” said Rebecca Rupard, Tourism Director for the City of Lebanon. “They are just so unique and fun and so incredibly organized and clean. It is definitely worth pulling off the highway.” Although the Redmons constructed this building as an antique mall, when good vintage merchandise became harder to obtain and antiques became less popular, the inventory was gradually replaced with gifts and toys. (Ironically, in its previous iteration as a Nickerson Farms restaurant, the Redmons’ Candy Factory had also once held a gift shop. Nickerson’s gimmick featured plexiglass beehives to get his customers thinking about honey, which, unsurprisingly, was a featured product.)

At the Redmons’ travel and shopping center, the elements of infinite variety and a family atmosphere are the lure for vast numbers of shoppers (two million so far according to their website), especially during the holidays. The World’s Largest Gift Store is a popular Christmas shopping spot each year, because independent toy stores are almost a thing of the past. “I try to buy things that you can’t buy in a Walmart.

Almost half of our store now is novelty toys and puzzles, but also souvenirs and home décor, so there’s a wide variety for everyone,” said Jennifer.

A staff of thirty-five employees between the two businesses help to keep everything running smoothly, but Jennifer’s twin brother Jeff does the accounting and other business tasks along with their father, while mother Sharon still oversees the candy factory. “It’s fun to be involved. We all work as a team,” said Jennifer. “We’ve been raised around the store, my whole life basically. So, it’s just all four of us working there—we love it!”

“It is definitely a popular stop. When traveling on I-44, you can’t miss it,” added Rupard. “They do a fantastic job of advertising it, all along I-44, so everybody knows their logo and their mascot, their little man mascot that they put on everything.”

Driving down that pretty, undulating highway through the placid Ozarks country can lull a motorist right into contentment. So, when the brightly painted signs with Mr. R touting gifts and sweets begin to appear along the roadside, snapping your senses back to life, don’t fight the urge on your southwestern Missouri journey. Just wait until you catch sight of the warehouse-sized store awaiting you just outside of Phillipsburg. It’s the great American roadside experience that no traveler wants to miss. As Jennifer said, “We just have fun with it.”

TH E BI RTH PL ACE O F RO UTE 66

R A IL H AV EN MOTEL

Experience history in comfort and style at the Best Western Rail Haven Motel, located in the birthplace of Route 66, Springfield, Missouri. Just a short distance from the city’s vibrant downtown, you’ve got the classic neon of the Mother Road right at your door and the heart of the Ozarks right at your fi ngertips.

Built in 1937 and welcoming visitors since, come and experience Route 66 at the motel that defi nes the warmth and hospitality that a trip down America’s Main Street has always been known to offer.

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ROUTE Magazine 67

S

ixty miles south of the official start of Route 66 in Chicago, the road passes through tiny Wilmington, a historic town nestled on the banks of the Kankakee River. In recent years the town has developed quite a reputation for its charming antique shops along River Street, and it’s Mother Road gems—the Launching Pad restaurant, Gemini Giant Muffler Man, and the 1836 Eagle Hotel—have been attracting visitors for decades. But, there is another staple of the community, nearly as old as the highway itself, that has been serving locals since it opened in 1937.

Built by the Butcher brothers of Wilmington, the MAR Theater—the acronym thought to be based on the brothers’ mother’s initials—was state-of-the-art and extremely luxurious for the times. Constructed on the tail end of the Great Depression, at a staggering cost of $50,000, the MAR was an engineering marvel.

Designed with safety in mind, the yellow brick structure was reinforced with riveted structural steel and the basement wall, floors, and ceilings were solid concrete. The projection room, often the place where flames began due to the combustibility of celluloid, was also fire proofed with concrete while four escape exits provided additional safeguards. No comfort was spared either. The Butcher brothers provided top-of-the-line Heywood Wakefield seats, plus the luxury of steam heat during the winter and air conditioning in the summer. Plush curtains, an ornately detailed ceiling, and lit decorative signs added to the ambiance.

Two small business rentals balanced the front facade made up of a large triangular-shaped marquee atop of which were the initials MAR in huge neon lights. It was impressive.

The theater went through decades of on-and-off owners and it had been closed for several years and in disrepair when current owner, Rick Smith, and partners took it over in 2000.

“The show really begins on the street,” Smith emphasized, “The look of the building, the smell of the popcorn, the enjoyment of a community gathering. All of this is vital in selling the movie-going experience.”

Some remodeling was necessary; the original seats, nearly sixty-four years old, were replaced, and the ticket booth was moved to a more convenient area. Everything else—the signage, hardware, proscenium, draping, large marquee, and deep stage—stayed as the Butcher brothers built it. All alterations were sympathetic to the original construction and Art Deco 68 ROUTE Magazine

design, and it was back in business by Christmas 2000.

The MAR has hosted more than movies. In the past twenty years, the stage has hosted live bands, meetings, both the Miss Catfish and Baby Miss Catfish competitions, school plays, and even the wedding of Smith and his wife.

“Everyone in Wilmington has a MAR story. It was the site of their first date, or first kiss or first competition or first job. We have kids working for us today that are maybe 5th generation of MAR workers,” said Smith.

The MAR has always been a first run theater. Movies are shown for three weeks, initially in the lower auditorium, which seats 315 people, and the last week in the upper theater, with sixty-five seats. Route 66 provides little theater traffic as most people drive through Wilmington in the daytime. However, RVers and campers who stay in the area will come to see a show and enjoy the last independent theater in the area.

“Multiplexes de-humanize the movie experience. Many multiplexes have sixteen screens, but only seat a small number of people. They are cold and impersonal.”

The MAR routinely hosts multi-generational gatherings, making memories for each family member. “You cannot synthesize that. No multiplex can do that in the same way,” continued Smith.

Longevity in the fickle movie industry is tricky. Pressure to find additional ways to entertain is demanded of every movie [theater] owner. But the MAR has stayed true to itself, no video games, no theater food except popcorn, no grand announcements of upcoming movies.

“The MAR’s future is as good as the whole industry,” Smith said optimistically. He related many current movies are a ‘dayin-date’ release, meaning they are released to movie theaters and streaming services on the same day. “It is difficult to compete against that,” he noted. Still, movie theaters have survived.

Today, the MAR continues to be a part of Wilmington’s regular routine. Billed the community’s cheapest babysitter, the manager knows everyone and keeps an eye on children while parents have an evening out. Little Wilmington, so close to cosmopolitan Chicago, offers a sensation of stepping back in time, to a less generic, and simpler period. The MAR with its flashy marquee is the perfect spot to soak in this small chunk of classic Americana.

Image by David J. Schwartz – Pics On Route 66.

WIL MINGTON’S HOTSPOT

Chicago

Willowbrook

Romeoville

Joilet

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Wilmington

Braidwood

Dwight

Pontiac

Pontiac

www.TheFirstHundredMiles.com

ROUTE Magazine 69

QUEEN of the LAKE

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The Dixie Belle offered narration tours on the history of the London Bridge and Lake Havasu across Bridgewater Channel well into the 2000s. “Over time, the boat simply deteriorated.

There was not enough maintenance given to [it],” said Delasantos. In 2010, the hull was no longer sound, and the Coast Guard could not approve it for operation. “At a certain point, the boat was finally pulled out of the water, and it was dried off. It was in severe damage.” That year, Keith Fernung, who knew the Herculean effort that it would take to get it back to water-ready, expressed interest in the boat.

“Fernung purchased the boat, knowing that he would have to replace the entire hull,” Delasantos said. But that was only one part of the transformation. Damaged wood needed to be replaced and everything needed to be repainted. “The boat has lathe-spun posts all the way around it that hold the decks up on the outside,” explained Delasantos. “Those had to be custom made with a carpenter’s lathe and replaced, which is in itself a daunting task.” The work took hundreds of thousands of dollars. “The last five [years] have been about rebuilding.

And [that] is when volunteers came in, the Coast Guard had to be alerted, and several tests had to be accomplished.

That’s probably where the biggest challenge has been, is to pass the testing.”

Over a hundred volunteers assisted, from the Lake Havasu City Side

by Side Association to people like Delasantos, who works as the spokesperson, local historian, and marketer. In March 2021, after being dry docked for a decade, a trailer from Lake Powell was brought down to launch the Dixie Belle back into the water at Windsor Beach. “There was probably a thousand people on London Bridge. People that have gotten married on the boat, you name it, they were all waiting for us.”

Enjoying the welcome celebration were Dixie Belle owners Keith and his dad Rick Fernung, and their partner, engineer Aaron Ashbaugh, who steered the boat through its grueling renovations.

With so much history behind this iconic Lake Havasu mascot, and as the only paddle wheeler on the lake, it’s no wonder that people are already waiting to begin celebrating onboard. Couples who were married on board want to renew their vows, and new couples want to begin their lives together on this evocative vessel. The Belle is once again ready to set sail into its rightful prominence and continue to keep the river tradition alive.

Image courtesy Go Lake Havasu.

B

m

efore the advent of railways or roadways, early pioneers relied upon paddle wheelers to cross waterways. These riverboats, flat bottomed and wide, were designed to float across the surface of the water and boasted of dining areas, a bar, observation decks and in some, private cabins. Those that still remain today have become historic elements of the evolution of boats and water transportation across America.

Out on Lake Havasu in Arizona, the Dixie Belle, a 68 ton, 32-foot-tall double decker iconic replica paddle wheeler, rides at anchor, patiently waiting to sail freely once again, bringing the grand tradition of Mississippi riverboats back for its adoring fans.

Built by commercial fisherman Todd Miller, the Dixie Belle was originally known as the River Queen. Miller, whose grandfather was a Mississippi River steamboat captain, began the construction project in 1981. “[He] came up with the idea, [and] he shipped a barge in from San Pedro, California,” said Dan Delasantos, spokesperson for the Dixie Belle. “I believe it was May of 1983, when the boat [first] went into the water.

Todd had exhausted everything he had, every asset, to get his boat finished.”

Originally, the craft was meant to be a shuttle for the casino on the California side of the lake. “[When] that fell through, he decided to put the paddle wheel on it and make it look like an old Mississippi steam paddle wheeler,” Delasantos added.

The River Queen, captained by Miller, would set sail from under the famed London Bridge in English Village, offering day cruises through scenic coves, Copper Canyon, Pilot Rock, and Friendly Island, as well as sunset cruises complimented by live entertainment with a grand finale of Lake Havasu’s spectacular sunset.

In a curious turn of events, the River Queen disappeared from its berth on Lake Havasu on the night of March 19, 1986. Todd Miller had sold the boat to developer Al Wulfeck— owner of the Inn at Tamarisk in Lake Havasu – but Wulfeck, according to family spokesman Randy Miller, had defaulted on the purchase agreement. Miller thus acquired a large trailer, performed his own repossession, and was found to be hanging out aboard the River Queen at an undisclosed California cove. The dispute was eventually settled, and the boat returned to Lake Havasu.

The River Queen went through multiple owners until the London Bridge Resort bought it and renamed it the Dixie Belle.

“The Last Sunrise of Summer on Old Route 66”, near Nilwood, Il

ROUTE Magazine 71

PARTING SHOT

Crystal HOWARD

What is the most memorable place you’ve visited on Illinois Route 66 (besides BN)? Route 66 Museum in Pontiac. What did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be a teacher, but the hospitality industry is the best career choice I could have made.

Most famous or noteworthy person you have ever met? President Ronald Reagan. What characteristic do you respect the most in others? Honesty. Dislike in others? Narcissism. What characteristic do you dislike in yourself? I tend to be cautious and conservative.

Who would you want to play you in a film based on your life? Kate Winslet. She tends to play headstrong and complicated women.

Talent that you WISH you had? I wish I could play the piano. Best part about getting older? Having grandchildren that love you unconditionally. What would the title of your memoir be? Oops, I Did It Again! First music concert ever attended? The Temptations. What makes a visit to BloomingtonNormal worthwhile? Our attractions, festivals, restaurants, and entertainment are diverse so there is something for everyone! What is the weirdest roadside attraction you’ve ever seen? Those Volkswagen Spider sculptures you see in several states.

Coolest Muffler Man on Route 66?

Carl the Ice Cream Muffler Man in Normal, IL. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I would do more: charity, family, church, work, community.

What do you consider your greatest achievement? Making the move to Bloomington-Normal as the new CEO of the Bloomington-Normal Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Most memorable gift you were ever given? A white Ford Mustang, when I was 16. What is the secret to a happy life? Having a positive outlook, believing in God, honesty.

What breaks your heart? Children and 72 ROUTE Magazine

animals not being taken care of. What is the last TV show you binge watched? Yellowstone with Kevin Costner. What is still on your bucket list? Visiting Yellowstone National Park. What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives? Drink Tequila. What fad or trend do you hope comes back?

Bangs. What movie title best describes your life? Shining Through.

Ghost town or big city person? A ghost town within distance of a big city. Lake or ocean person? Lake. What does a perfect day look like to you? Coffee, lunch or dinner with friends, shopping or visiting an attraction with my granddaughters. What is your favorite place on Route 66? Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup, it’s interesting to see the maple sirup come from the trees. What is the most unexpected surprise about Bloomington-Normal? The diversity of our community is a pleasant surprise. What would your spirit animal be? A pink flamingo.

Which historical figure — alive or dead — would you most like to meet? Abraham Lincoln.

If you won the lottery, what is the first item you would buy? A vacation home for my family. What meal can you not live without?

Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn.

Bizarre talent that you have that most people don’t know about? I am very good at playing flippy cup. What surprises you most about people?

Selfishness. What makes you laugh?

Playing games. Most unknown (but should be) stop in Illinois? Green Gables restaurant for their cheeseburgers.

What do you think is the most important life lesson for someone to learn? Don’t depend on others to make you happy.

Depend on yourself. What is one thing you have always wanted to try, but have been too afraid to? Zip lining. What do you want to be remembered for?

Integrity, humor and contributions to the tourism industry in Illinois.

Illustration: Jennifer Mallon.

Placed perfectly between Chicago and St. Louis, Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, is the perfect blend of old and new. Right along Old Route 66, the bustling downtown of Bloomington and reinvigorated uptown of Normal are great places to stop and spend a few days. The area is home to several historic sites like the McLean County Museum of History and a ton of great Route 66 stops. Alongside award-winning art festivals, fabulous restaurants, and unique shops, there’s something there for everyone. Working hard behind the scenes is a woman who is passionate about her city and works to uphold and promote the unique and diverse nature of the area. Meet Crystal Howard.

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.®