ROUTE - February / March 2024

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

Magazine

February/March 2024

ODYSSEY: OUR PICKS FOR BEST PLACES TO STAY ON A ROUTE 66 ROAD TRIP

+

THE DUST BOWL TROUBADOUR

$7.99

ROUTE Magazine i

Kick Back on Route 66

Whether it’s classic cars, old fashioned burgers or a museum that brings history to life, you can relive the glory days of Route 66 in its birthplace. We love our city and know the best places to eat, drink and play.

SEE YOU IN SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI

ii ROUTE Magazine

THERE’S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE IN CLAREMORE, OK!

CLAREMORE HAS THE HORSEPOWER SUMMER 2024

LOVE MUSEUMS? THEN COME SEE ‘EM!

Will Rogers Memorial Museum

J.M. Davis Gun Museum

Claremore Museum of History

ROUTE Magazine 1

When exploring Route 66, Oklahoma City is a must-see destination. OKC’s vibrant districts welcome visitors into their diverse local restaurants and shops. Our classic neon signs evoke the nostalgia of the Mother Road and our newly renovated state capitol includes an engaging public art collection that celebrates Oklahoma's history and people.

Start your journey at VisitOKC.com.

ke

La

ng ld i ui lB ito Ca p a om ah kl O

er

n ef

H

ow pt

U n rd

23 ic tr

s Di t

2 ROUTE Magazine

Tulsa is simply a must for any Route 66 trek. Once known as “The Oil Capital of the World,” T-Town is recognized today for countless unique attributes such as a skyline brimming with cherished Art Deco architectural treasures, pivotal art, music and history museums―and of course―a massive collection of Route 66 landmarks along its 28-mile stretch of the Mother Road. Tulsa really is the city of everything you could ask for... and more.

Powered by:

visittulsa.com/route66

CATHEDRAL DISTRICT Known for its historic churches and stunning architecture, the Cathedral District boasts a rich combination of faith, culture, entertainment & dining.

KENDALL WHITTIER MAIN STREET

With a mix of art studios, music venues, restaurants & retail, Kendall Whittier is a hub of Hispanic culture & Tulsa’s unofficial brewery district.

UNIVERSITY DISTRICT Surrounding the University of Tulsa, the district is an eclectic mix of local and chain restaurants, shopping, services, and historic neighborhoods.

WHERE T HE MO T HER ROAD BEGINS

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

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

Tel: (217)-414-9331 • www.illinoisroute66.org

Rivers and routes Discover a new Post Card Mural Trail, a giant pink elephant, the world’s tallest catsup bottle water tower, giant monuments and more along the Last 100 Miles of Route 66 in Illinois. Legends live on this legendary highway.

Learn more at riversandroutes.com

Wildey Theatre Edwardsville, IL

World’s Tallest Catsup Bottle Collinsville, IL

Twistee Treat Diner Livingston, IL

Granite City Mural & Monument Granite City, IL

WHERE MOTHER NATURE AND THE MOTHER ROAD JOIN FORCES.

DEVILS ELBOW, MO Route 66

W

hen two famous moms come together, you know it’s going to be something special. And that’s just what the Mother Road

and Mother Nature have done by creating one of the most beautiful and memorable drives through the heart of the Ozarks. As you make your way along the 33 winding miles of Route 66 in Pulaski County, you’ll be greeted and amazed by the never-ending natural beauty. Plus, there are historical and new stops to make and enjoy. And talk about photo ops.

Selfie aficionados won’t be able to control themselves.

Come Say “Hi” to Mother Nature and the Mother Road.

For more info, visit pulaskicountyusa.com.

CONTENTS

Hackberry General Store, Hackberry, AZ. Photograph by Scott Flanagin.

18 History’s Alive in Bristow

42 A Conversation with Dr. Hook

24 Farm Fresh

58 Route 66 Odyssey

Since their conception in the late 1820s, railroads have played an influential role in paving the way for American transportation and trade. Just as Route 66 brings people together through the love of the open road, Oklahoma’s Bristow Historical Museum and Train Depot reminds travelers of the heyday of the railway.

By Cheryl Eichar Jett Built around a businessman’s inspired epiphany, this restaurant redefines the quality of finely prepared food in BloomingtonNormal one step at a time. Encouraging sustainability through farm-fresh ingredients, Epiphany Farms Restaurant has a story to tell.

By Brennen Matthews The 1970s was blessed with amazing musical talent, and many a colorful personality. But right at the top of the decade was the iconic band, Dr. Hook. Turn on the radio anytime of the day, then and now, and you are sure to be soothed by any one of their numerous catchy hit songs.

Annually, ROUTE curates our list of the best places to stay when journeying down the Mother Road. America’s Main Street has a plethora of wonderful hotels and motels, so how do you choose? Sit back, dive into our hotlist, and make a well-informed selection that will aid your trip of a lifetime.

30 America’s Folk Hero

By Mitchell Brown A folk music revolutionary of his time, Woody Guthrie was an inspiration to a whole generation — both music lovers and societal injustice fighters alike. From finding a name for himself to struggling against censorship, his life certainly is an interesting one worth exploring.

36 Gateway to The City

Hugely rich in history and culture, St. Louis, Missouri, comes alive through the stories circulating within its bustling streets.

As a town, it proudly boasts of many fine hotels, but one truly stands out above the rest. Get to know the journey behind the historical Chase Park Plaza Hotel.

12 ROUTE Magazine

ON THE COVER Tower Theatre, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Photograph by David J. Schwartz - Pics On Route 66.

ROUTE Magazine 13

EDITORIAL I did an interview recently where I was asked my thoughts on modern day Route 66. Specifically, the interviewer wanted to know what stands out to me as I travel the highway. I had to think for a moment — but then it came to me.

Traditionally, since its revival in the 2000s, Route 66 has always meant a step back in time. A return to Mid-Century America. Generally, that is what travelers are looking forward to encountering. They adore refurbished gas stations, neon-laced motels, quirky advertising gimmicks from the ‘50s and ‘60s like Burma-Shave signs and muffler men giants, vintage vehicles, and weird roadside attractions.

Don’t get me wrong, I love it, too. I am a huge enthusiast of everything that Route 66 stands for. It is simply magical, even after 12 full trips down the road.

But what really increasingly stands out to me is how many new restaurants and hotels, cafes and museums, have now taken the brave bid to join in the adventure of the Mother Road. Some people are purists, they prefer to only stay at ma and pa motels — seldom “fancy” hotels — and they certainly seek out the vintage diners and old school cafes, rather than the finer dining side of the road. And we also love these well-established, tenacious businesses that have refused to die over the decades. There is a lot to be said for them and their incredibly important role on America’s most famous highway, but when we dismiss the newer spots, we do ourselves a disservice and miss out on what may be a really nice experience when on a Route 66 road trip.

That is the thing about America’s most beloved highway: it has always been a highway of change. And it has always drawn the daring and the creative to try their hand at life on roadside America. We should do our best to support and promote all businesses along the nation’s most beloved road — vintage and contemporary.

Well, we are starting a brand-new year together. When you read this editorial and issue, we will already be into late January and the year will have started with gusto. I am excited about everything that the new beginning holds in store for all of us and am ready for winter to end and warmer weather to arrive. Mostly I am eager to hit the road again and dive back into the unknown and, of course, the familiar.

In this issue, we feature our annual Odyssey article. It is our hotlist of the very best venues to stay at when on your own Route 66 journey. This list is not exhaustive, but it is tried and tested. Of course, there are many properties that you will not see on this list and some of you will be concerned that your favorite motel did not get included. This has no reflection on our affection or respect for those not included. This list focuses on a combination of factors. We want to introduce you to hotels in towns that may not have the benefit of being home to an iconic motel, but nonetheless, be an important destination to stop for the night. We also want to celebrate venues that will offer a fabulous experience, while other stops will provide a memorable cultural visit.

Also, when you are planning for your trip this year, visit us online — www.routemagazine.us — and check out the hotlist for our top dining picks, too.

You will likely discover a number of gems that will tempt your taste buds. One of these homegrown locations is in historic Bloomington, Illinois. Featured in this issue, discover a restaurant and the team behind it that is shaking things up from a culinary perspective. Their farm-to-table focus is presented within the walls of an old-school firehouse, offering a really memorable experience and one heck of a great story.

And if you love music that sings classic Americana, take the journey with us through the life of Woody Guthrie, a true son of Oklahoma and himself a bona fide American institution.

These and so much more make up our very first issue of the year. Remember to visit us online for unique content and stories and make sure to follow us on social media.

This season as you travel America’s quieter highways, take a moment to slow down and soak it all in. There is so much to see. As the famous saying goes: to know America is to travel its highways.

Blessings, Brennen Matthews Editor 14 ROUTE Magazine

ROUTE PUBLISHER Thin Tread Media EDITOR Brennen Matthews DEPUTY EDITOR Kate Wambui EDITOR-AT-LARGE Nick Gerlich LEAD EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHER David J. Schwartz LAYOUT AND DESIGN Tom Heffron DIGITAL Matheus Alves ILLUSTRATOR Jennifer Mallon EDITORIAL INTERNS Helene Martin Sarah L. Boyd CONTRIBUTORS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS Aaron Garza Aedan Matthews Al Aumulle Chandler O’Leary Cheryl Eichar Jett Efren Lopez Emily Steward Judy Totton Lester Balog Mitchell Brown Scott Flanagin Woody Guthrie Publications

Editorial submissions should be sent to brennen@routemagazine.us To subscribe or purchase available back issues visit us at 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 service contractors. Every effort has been made to maintain the accuracy of the information presented in this publication. No responsibility is assumed for errors, changes or omissions. The Publisher does not take any responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photography.

ROUTE Magazine 15

A

trip down Route 66 is always filled with unbridled excitement. There is an eagerness to hit the road, to dive into the once-in-a-lifetime experience but Chicago, the beginning of the westward jaunt, deserves a little more time than most realize. It, too, has a fascinating history and more than its share of memorable destinations. Amid the sprawling green of Grant Park stands an impressive piece of architecture that has truly stood the test of time, a symbol of love and artistic appreciation that spans across generations — the Buckingham Fountain.

Hailing from a wealthy family whose fortune was built around grain elevators in Zanesville, Ohio, before moving to Chicago in the 1850s, the Buckingham siblings — Kate, Clarence, and Lucy Maud — grew up immersed in the vibrant world of art culture. After the infamous Great Chicago Fire of 1875 turned their first house into smoldering ashes, their father made a life-changing decision to transform the family’s mansion at 2036 S. Prairie Avenue into an impressive private art collection. Inspired, the siblings became devoted philanthropists of the art community, regularly donating to enhance the culture of Chicagoan life.

However, disaster struck on August 28, 1913, when Clarence, who had served as the director for the Art Institute of Chicago, faced an untimely death at 58 years old after returning from the mountain crested small town of Lenox, Massachusetts. As the siblings had never married, they were exceptionally close and, following her beloved brother’s death — later, watching helplessly as her younger sister, Lucy Maud, wasted away on her sickbed on August 4, 1920 — a hole ripped through Kate Buckingham’s heart.

To honor her brother a year later, she donated his entire Japanese woodblock prints collection to the institute.

However, this donation, though worthy, would pale in comparison to the true memorial masterpiece to come: the Buckingham Fountain.

Around this period, leaning over an ink-stained worktable, architect Edward Bennett and his close mentor, Daniel Burnham, carefully crafted blueprints aimed at beautifying Grant Park through French influences — most notably the wedding-cake-tiered architecture of the Art Deco style.

However, in making these plans a reality, the architects sparked conflict regarding building restrictions on the park grounds.

16 ROUTE Magazine

Initiated by Aaron Montgomery Ward, an American entrepreneur whose mailing business was stationed near the park’s lakefront, a series of lawsuits were issued against the architects. “This wasn’t real land; [the park commissioners] filled in the lake so that kind of raw-looking land was like that for years and years because of the lawsuits,” explained Julia Bachrach, a popular blogger who served as Chicago Park District historian for two decades. Sadly, shortly after the lawsuits were resolved, Burnham died, leaving Bennett to continue in his absence. Inspired by the Latona “frog” fountain sitting within the ornate hedged-in Gardens of Versailles, Bennett knew what he wanted to build. All he needed was a sponsor — and the gracious art patron Miss Buckingham fit the bill across the board.

After conducting several meetings with her to coordinate the fountain’s extravagant design, Bennett initially asked for a fund of $300,000. However, as the cost for the materials exceeded the expected amount, Buckingham provided an endowment that still endures to this day. Bestowing $1,000,000 to the project, Buckingham was unsatisfied to leave the architect to his own devices — she got involved.

“This was going to become an important attribute to the city [and] she thought it would be a lovely way to honor her brother. It became one of her most important acts of philanthropy,” continued Bachrach.

An architectural marvel in the 1920s, the technology Bennett incorporated to pump water through the fountain was cutting-edge. Switching between 12-hour shifts for manual maintenance, two engineers operated 134 jets that sprayed approximately 14,100 gallons of water per minute.

And when darkness descended over the park, they conducted 820 spotlights for a spectacular evening light show. “To have a show of water and electricity working together at this level was a completely new idea. I think she might have been worried because she didn’t want it to be garish.”

Through Buckingham’s persuasion, Bennett’s team stylized the lighting to imitate soft moonlight streaming across the rippling water. Combined with the elegant bronze seahorse statues, the experience was like stepping into another world.

Today, even 86 years after Miss Buckingham’s death on December 14, 1937, the fountain has remained strong — homage to a brother and the city she adored, and a wonderful addition to any road trip to the Windy City.

Photograph by Efren Lopez/Route66Images.

Buckin gham Fountain

Chicago

Willowbrook

Romeoville

Joliet

Joliet

Wilmington

Braidwood

Dwight

Pontiac

Pontiac

www.TheFirstHundredMiles.com

ROUTE Magazine 17

HISTORY’S ALIVE Photograph by Emily Steward

18 ROUTE Magazine

E IN BRISTOW

ROUTE Magazine 19

O

klahoma boasts 400 drivable miles of Route 66, more than any other of the eight Mother Road states. Famed for being the land of giants, towns such as Catoosa with its enormous blue whale, Arcadia with its 66-foot soda bottle, and Tulsa with its Golden Driller and sea of restored neon, rightly continue to pull people off the highway. But dozens of quieter towns are no less charming. Located 33 miles west of Tulsa, the town of Bristow is more than worth a visit, and the Bristow Historical Museum and Train Depot is the perfect place to start.

Christened the “Woodland Queen” of the Creek Nation, due to the beauty of the area surrounded by majestic oak trees, Bristow began as a simple trading post. With the establishment of a rail line, a town was developed, named after the U.S. Senator Joseph Little Bristow, and by 1901, was officially platted with a population of just under 700.

“The advent of the railroad marked the beginning of progress in Woodland Queen,” said Joe Trilaget, program director at the Bristow Historical Museum and Train Depot.

“By 1897, the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway started to expand the rail from Sapulpa to Oklahoma City. The rail was completed to a point about two miles northeast of the Woodland Queen settlement in 1898.”

Fast forward nearly a quarter of a century later to 1923, and the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, also known as Frisco, built the Bristow Train Depot, three years before Route 66 was aligned through town. The depot serviced up to six passenger trains a day. Cotton, peanuts, and oil were all shipped from Bristow. However, the rise of the automobile and growth of the airline industry signaled the slow death of railroad travel across the nation, including in Bristow. The last passenger train left Bristow in 1967, while the last freight train departed in 1976. Without purpose, the vacant building fell into disrepair. During the 1980s, the Burlington Northern Railroad, the owner of the building at the time, made plans to bulldoze it. Members of the community and the Bristow Historical Society sounded a rallying cry to save the landmark building. It was eventually sold to the City of Bristow for $1.

20 ROUTE Magazine

With private donations and fundraising through commemorative bricks, the Bristow Historical Society managed to raise an impressive $450,000 for the needed restoration, and now operates as a museum run by knowledgeable volunteers.

“Inside you will see the wooden floor and wood stove found in the lobby, along with a floor plan which closely resembles the 1924 floor plan. The old freight room still maintains the high windows needed to prevent theft, heavy doors that were pulled down at night to secure the depot, and the original loading dock and scales used to weigh and tag all items loaded on the train. One of our favorite items is a beautifully restored freight wagon which was painted by our volunteers and serves as our miniature gift shop,” explained Trilaget.

One of the museum’s standouts is their military display, which features a photo of Bristow native Willard Parrish, who served with the Army in Vietnam in 1965. He was later awarded a Silver Star for gallantry and is a member of the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame. His experience inspired the premise for the 2002 Mel Gibson movie We Were Soldiers. Also popular is the display of western singer, actor, and rodeo performer, Gene Autry. Autry, who was known as the Singing Cowboy, worked at the depot as a telegraph operator during the 1920s before his career in entertainment took off. The piano that Autry learned to play on and a letter that he wrote are displayed at the museum.

In line to also be refurbished with a fresh coat of paint is the Frisco Water Tower. Erected in 1929, it served steam engines that came through Bristow. It stands as one of only two remaining Frisco railway water towers in the whole of the U.S. Today, the one-level, red brick tiled train depot that narrowly missed demolition, sits alongside the quiet tracks, just as it did when it was built 100 years ago. While passenger trains no longer stop at the century-old station anymore, the walls are still holding up strong, the original doors still slide with ease, and pieces of its history — and of the town it calls home — are proudly displayed inside, and will continue to be for generations to come.

persimmonhillstore.com ROUTE Magazine 21

T

he drive along Route 66 through Arizona is a truly special journey packed with views of a vast, dry shrubland, sentineled by distant mountains. Decaying structures dot the road as if acting as waypoints, Two Guns being perhaps the most widely recognized. However, about 35 miles from the sleepy town of Winslow — made famous by the Eagles’ 1972 smash hit Take it Easy — an eyecatching landmark emerges: a pair of giant 25-foot arrows made of wood and telephone poles, planted in the ground diagonally in front of some dilapidated buildings. This is the Twin Arrows Trading Post, the once self-proclaimed “Best Little Stop on I-40.”

The site of the twin arrows started as an empty stretch of land that wouldn’t see any developments until Historic Route 66 — initially aligned along the National Old Trails Road — was realigned along a straighter route that directly crossed the spot in 1937. It still took until about 1950 for the first prospector to seize the opportunity to join other trading posts, like the nearby Toonerville, in drumming up business along this desert stretch of Mother Road. Outfitted with a portable Valentine diner, the Canyon Padre Trading Post emerged, in 1949, as the first incarnation of the facility, named after the gorge due west of it. Initially, business was slow, but inspired by the location — Twin Arrows — and nearby Two Guns, the owners soon changed the name to Twin Arrows Trading Post (1950) and added a service station selling Mobil gas, and business quickly picked up.

“My parents bought the trading post in 1954,” said April Troxell, daughter of William and Jean Troxell.

“They bought it from a gentleman named Ted Griffith. My father was a bit of an adventurer. He already had a couple of retail businesses in Flagstaff — he was a professional photographer. The opportunity came up and he bought it.”

To help mitigate the responsibilities, April’s grandparents moved in to operate the trading post. April spent her summers and weekends at the business and helped pump gas for the tourists.

The Troxell family built the two giant arrow structures to accommodate the business’ new name, quickly bringing

22 ROUTE Magazine

notoriety to it. They also installed a coin-operated telescope to view the San Francisco Peaks to the west, as well as two “bouncy horses” for kids to play on. Over the years they hired a former cowboy named Otis Bartley to manage the gas island, and a girl named Lucille from Jerome, Arizona, and a Navajo woman worked the diner. The trading post’s close proximity to the Navajo Nation made the tribe one of the Troxells’ most regular customers.

During the ‘50s and ‘60s, business was good. Route 66 was busy and there was growing interest in roadside Americana and exploring the West.

However, as the decade drew to a close, things took a sad turn.

Fast-food chains became more prominent and the Valentine Manufacturing Company, responsible for the cute, prefabricated diners that dotted the country, including the one at Twin Arrows, began to lose business and eventually folded. In 1971, Interstate 40 bypassed the trading post, although the stop was thankfully afforded its own exit, Exit 219, allowing motorists easy access. Still, business began to rapidly decline. The aging Troxells eventually sold the trading post in 1985 to new hands who had less luck running it than they did. Finally, in 1998, the last owners of the Twin Arrows, the Riedels, closed the store for good.

The site was abandoned and neglected for a decade before the Hopi tribe purchased the buildings, and in a joint effort with Route 66 enthusiasts, restored the two arrow structures in 2009. For years, visitors continued to stop and visit with the old trading post and arrows. It was a great photo opportunity. However, as the years have passed, the buildings and the iconic arrows have faced continual vandalism and damage from both people and weather.

Both are covered in unsightly graffiti.

In 2022, falling victim to heavy desert winds, one of the arrows broke at the base and fell to the dry earth. After its unexpected demise, the fallen wooden arrow was removed from its roadside location, supposedly for its own protection but little is known about the rescuer. Now, only one arrow remains, a sad reminder of yet another Route 66 destination and business that was forced to close its doors and whose future remains uncertain.

Illustration by Chandler O’Leary.

R EL IC S OF T H E PA S T

E X PLOR E GR A N TS! On the longest drivable stretch of Route 66 in New Mexico!

There is plenty for everyone to see and do in Grants, NM. Cruise, Camp, Hike, Sightsee, Stargaze, Eat, Enjoy, Shop and Stay a while. Experiences here are authentic, from our diverse cultures and distinctive landscapes found nowhere else, to the people who are warmhearted and sincere.

www.cityofgrants.net • 505.287.4802 @ExploreGrants ROUTE Magazine 23

FA R 24 ROUTE Magazine

M FR ESH

By Cheryl Eichar Jett

Photographs by David J. Schwartz - Pics On Route 66 ROUTE Magazine 25

S

ome 20,000 or so years ago, the glacier encroaching down through the northeastern section of what has been known as Illinois for only about 325 years warmed and stopped its march. There, in a graceful arc across the future McLean County, the melting edge of the glacier dropped its load of gravel, sand, and clay. The fertile deposit left a swath of enriched land crowned by a 900-foot-tall moraine.

The richness of this natural area drew indigenous peoples to it, and by the time the Europeans found them, the Kickapoo had made this area home. In the 1800s, more and more white settlers arrived, establishing farms as they, too, discovered the fertile soil.

In this area of prolific farming just southeast of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area, young Ken Myszka’s parents built a large family home on acreage just outside Downs — actually, not far from the legendary Route 66.

There, in their spacious and lovely new home, the family enjoyed entertaining. Ken, just entering high school, discovered he liked helping out in the kitchen for those events almost as much as he liked being outdoors. It was a match practically made in heaven — well, actually, in east-central Illinois, in moraine country. Ken Myszka went on to zigzag across the country from chef school in the East to cooking at five-star establishments in the West before returning to his Illinois roots after having, well, an epiphany. That revelation brought about a major change in his food philosophy, along with a brandnew chapter in the story of his life.

A Budding Chef, A Cooking Career, and a New Food Philosophy Epiphany Farms founder, Ken Myszka, still fondly remembers the one-bedroom apartment his parents started out in followed by the Schaumburg, Illinois, home that he lived in as a child.

But it was the move in 1997 to a grand new house on 70 acres, just outside of the small community of Downs, that really witnessed the sprouting of his passion and eventual career.

His parents, Kenneth C., and Kim Myszka had begun a modest business installing automated guide path systems for warehouses back in 1986, but the business grew rapidly, revolutionizing the industry and enabling the family to move to a more preferred location. Parents Kenneth and Kim liked to entertain, and young Ken found he enjoyed learning to cook dishes and desserts that their guests enjoyed.

“When we moved near Downs, my mom would take us to go work with my dad all over the country in these big warehouses to help with the family business,” explained Myszka. “My parents had built a really nice home on a 70acre estate when I was just going into high school, and I fell in love with the outdoors. All of a sudden, I was living in the country. Employees at my parents’ shop had kids that drove tractors to school. They would do that one day a year and 26 ROUTE Magazine

it was just wild [after living in Chicago]. But I didn’t actually pursue agriculture. I went towards home economics! There was a Future Farmers of America, but I was in Future Homemakers of America, and I was the only boy. I caught a lot of flak for that.”

Although Myszka was an average student in high school, that was where he first heard of the Culinary Institute of America and, aspiring to qualify to get accepted there, his grades shot up to “A”s throughout his senior year. “[Cooking] was like a key to someone’s heart, and I would use it to get to know people around me better. I used it to get myself out of trouble!”

Myszka admitted. “I would cook at all the parties.

I would throw parties [myself]. I think that I really experimented with hospitality and then decided that I wanted to go to school to become a chef.”

And so, the 18-year-old graduate found himself in New York, where he graduated top of his class at the Culinary Institute of America, the Harvard of cooking schools. After graduating from the Culinary Institute, Myszka went to work at the legendary Broadmoor Hotel, a fivediamond resort in Colorado Springs. Next stop was Las Vegas, where he attended the University of Nevada for a Hospitality degree and worked for no less than five high-caliber restaurants, including a French Bistro in Caesar’s Palace. He had put faith in the advice that seeking out the best in the industry and working with top chefs was the path to his own success. But that’s when the concepts of resilience and sustainability really began to creep into his food philosophy.

Getting Back to One’s Roots In 2008, the young chef was chopping vegetables at an elite restaurant when questions popped into his head. Where did these vegetables actually come from? Who grew them and harvested them? Were they grown without pesticides? And why couldn’t he both grow and prepare food himself? It was then that the epiphany descended upon him — a full-blown idea to raise food sustainably and prepare it in his own restaurant. In the middle of the night, he called his mom, Kim, to explain it all to her.

“I kind of fell out of love with the purpose of that restaurant because it was like I was serving the elite. And in all honesty, I felt that as a chef, I was promoting scouring the globe for the rarest resources and serving only the elitist that could pay for it,” explained Myszka. “Once I learned about the industrialization of the food industry, it was game over as a chef. I had a sudden moment of insight and realization that if I wanted to be successful and have an advantage in my restaurants, I needed to focus on sustainability, health, and indigenous local food.”

And so, in early 2009, Myszka loaded his belongings into a truck and moved back to the Bloomington area with his dream and $20,000 in savings, which he used to purchase eight pigs, 100 chickens, and a greenhouse to begin his dream farm on a patch of land rented from his family.

But before he made the trek home, he had spent time selling two friends in Las Vegas on the idea of joining him in the

Ken Myszka and his wife, Nanam, standing in Epiphany Farms Restaurant.

new adventure. Later that year, those two friends, chefs Mike Mustard from Alain Ducasse’s Mix and Stu Hummel from French chef Joel Robuchon’s restaurant, joined Myszka in central Illinois. And after a trip to Seoul, South Korea, his girlfriend, Nanam, who had also been living in Las Vegas, agreed not only to be a partner in the enterprise, but his wife.

And that’s when Epiphany Farms Hospitality Group was born, to turn chefs into “chefarmers.”

The only problem was, they weren’t really farmers yet. And so, Myszka spent time getting to know experienced farmers, both local and farther afield, and devouring everything he could learn from well-respected books such as Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. The group began to learn and began to farm. Realizing all that the farm could become, in 2018 Myszka applied to McLean County for a special-use permit to use the 70-acre Myszka property for “agricultural tourism” — the property where his parents had built their dream house. That move was a wise one, as Myszka and his team began to develop farm tours and special events to draw tourists from Bloomington-Normal, from farther afield, and even from Route 66 itself — as a welcome alternative to the burgers and greasy diner food that signify the Mother Road’s usual menu.

“When you’re traveling Route 66, farm-to-table isn’t something you normally see, so the detour to go see where everything is grown and processed, and then to be able to just make that short trip into downtown Bloomington is a welcome addition to 66,” said Casey Claypool, executive

director of Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway. “While they’re still paying homage to the road and experiencing all the great things that made up the road, you’re getting to experience something that’s new, but still supporting small business. This is a family trying to grow what they’ve started, and they’ve just done such a good job here. It’s still a mom and pop with a little different spin on it.”

A Quartet of Restaurants Three years after establishing his farm, Myszka began his local restaurant career when he was hired to manage the Station 220 restaurant at 220 E. Front Street in downtown Bloomington. But in 2014, Station 220 closed, and Myszka seized the opportunity to open his own restaurant in the historic building. After a brief DIY redo, Myszka opened Epiphany Farms Restaurant that summer. A former firehouse, the old station’s various eatery occupants since the 1970s liked to share the story of a downtown fire that required assistance from firefighters in both Peoria and Springfield and then how Bloomington’s new hook-and-ladder wagon and team couldn’t fit into the old fire station. And that’s why Central Fire Station was built in the early 1900s.

It was a good story, but Myszka’s culinary magic was beginning to work in Central Station, and the story that he preferred to tell was of the local food coming out of Epiphany Farms and his farm-to-table sustainable philosophy. And before long, Epiphany’s delicious cuisine and Myszka’s ROUTE Magazine 27

A peek into the welcoming restaurant.

confidence in his vision and ability brought him control of the establishment, morphing it into Epiphany Farms Restaurant and bringing high praise along the way. But another remodeling of the old station building was long overdue since its conversion to a restaurant in the 1970s. In 2019, Epiphany Farms Restaurant received an all-new kitchen.

Now in 2024, the Epiphany Farms team operates four restaurants within a 10-mile radius of the farm, making the farm-to-table concept realistic. Myszka put to work the philosophy he believes in and now teaches regenerative agriculture, sustainable farm practices, and soil health, with the focus on raising the highest possible quality produce, meat, and dairy for use in all four establishments.

Upstairs over the Epiphany Farms Restaurant is Anju Above, its name stemming from the word “anju” in Korean, meaning food eaten with alcohol. Likewise, at Harmony Korean Bar-B-Que, just off of Veteran’s Parkway aka Route 66, it’s an opportunity to share traditional family recipes from Nanam and her family’s culture, experienced with at-the-table grilling or via ala carte options. And for a little bit of culture and fun there are private karaoke rooms — known authentically as “noraebang”!

The youngest member of the hospitality group, Bakery & Pickle, opened in the fall of 2018 in another early 1900s downtown building. This one had been occupied by Lancaster’s, a fine-dining establishment that had closed four years earlier. Bakery & Pickle’s premise harkens back to 1920s speakeasy days. Each guest is greeted by an official liaison and must produce an email or text to get in. Brown paper covering the tall windows and the absence of any “open” type signs are designed to imply that it’s simply a closed antique shop.

Move along, folks, nothing to see here. But for those with a “password,” this trendy, themed restaurant is far removed from an empty storefront.

At the Farm At the actual farm, over 300 varieties of plants, trees, vegetables, and fruits grow in 18 acres of garden blocks. Myska attempts to use everything on his 70 acres of nature to their advantage, including foraging in the timbered acres, using plants such as stinging nettles to make tea to nourish young plants. Even the 28 ROUTE Magazine

local hawks are put to work. “Well, actually, it’s kind of a partnership,” said Myska. The birds hunt the voles — small rodents that resemble gophers — that dig up the gardens.

Vegetable scraps, plant material, and everything labeled “waste” is composted, including the refuse from visitors’ plates, in an effort to regenerate the soil. The resulting bounty of the farm not only feeds restaurant customers, but local residents who subscribe to Community Supported Agriculture — subscription-based farm shares for their household produce.

The farm always seems to be busy, and not just from the planting and harvesting of crops, but also with the tending of animals and chickens.

Visitors of all sorts gather to attend farm tours and planting or harvesting events, where attendees learn about sustainable and regenerative agricultural methods. In 2022, a new information center opened for visitors to gather for tours and purchase products. Coming soon, the large home that Myszka’s parents built so many years ago will function as a B&B that can accommodate eight to 12 guests at a time. That agribusiness permit has paid off.

“The Route 66 travelers are often focused on Route 66 and its history. And they’re out to see the nostalgia of all the roadside attractions. But there’s another whole group of people that want experiences,” said Claypool. “When I’m done seeing all the cool nostalgic sites, maybe I want to go to a farm and ‘Oh, look, it’s right here right off Route 66.’ That’s one of the things that we’ve started to discover along the Byway. While it’s great to have all of these nostalgic historic stops, it’s also good to start supporting these new small business owners who are bringing something to the [younger] generations that we’re trying to market to.”

Spreading the Gospel of Sustainability Myszka and his team haven’t been shy about engaging with the community and promoting the connection between local food sourcing and “responsible stewardship of the land that nourishes us.” To that end, Myska has been on a local speaking tour for years, although he noted that it may be time for him to step down for a period of self-refining. A collection of his own YouTube videos shows daily life on the farm and touts the farm dinners, farm tours, and educational workshops.

In the tough industry of the restaurant business, Myszka and his epiphany have already outlasted the average new restaurant’s shelf life. His agritourism and sustainable farming mini empire has become one of the foremost in Illinois, and it likely stands a good chance of becoming a legendary, long-time Illinois food business. Chalk it up to Myszka’s epiphany. Or the growing interest in healthy, locally sourced food. Or, in the grand arc of time, the fertile soil left behind by the glaciers.

Route 66 travelers are famous for preferring iconic cafés and greasy spoon diners that have an older story — places with a real history and some color — but in truth, if we give new spots a chance, travelers may quickly discover the beginnings of another great Route 66 tale that is worth sharing.

ROUTE Magazine 29

AMERICA’S 30 ROUTE Magazine

FOLK HERO

By Mitchell Brown Photographs courtesy of Woody Guthrie Publications ROUTE Magazine 31

Where it Began Guthrie’s innate musical talent can be attributed to his upbringing. His parents raised him to communicate through song from a young age. His father taught him western, Indian, and Scottish folk music. His mother would play the 32 ROUTE Magazine

On the Move Down Route 66 Guthrie traveled down the Mother Road toward California, hitchhiking, walking, and even hopping freight trains, taking odd jobs along the way. He would perform in saloons and paint signs, often in exchange for lodging and food. This was a period in time when migrant workers could not afford to be picky. “He didn’t perform much on stages. More so on picket lines, at hootenannies, and at rallies,” said Canoni.

“He performed for those who he felt he could help with his songs, whether on the merchant marine ships or in front of a group of union workers. He wrote so much about people’s struggles and lives that hearing validation in a song was a very profound experience for an audience. He sang so that others could be heard.”

By 1936, Woody made it to California — his family would join him one year later — though he was met with hostility from the locals for being part of the exodus of people who relocated from the Midwest. Eventually, he landed a job at KFVD radio and began singing original and “old-time” music. He gained public recognition for his collaborations with Maxine Crissman, or “Lefty Lou from Ole Mazoo,” a nickname she received for being left-handed and hailing from Kalamazoo, Michigan. During his time at KFVD, Guthrie honed his creative voice for being a compassionate storyteller with music that resonated with the people who left their homes in search of a better life, while injecting social commentary and critiques of American culture. He advocated for truth and justice and even praised famous bank robber Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd, who was considered an outlaw hero. He went on to write a song about “Pretty Boy” and has been quoted as having said, “I love a good man outside the law, just as much as I hate a bad man inside the law.”

He eventually decided to leave the show when the music he was producing began to fall under scrutiny. “Woody experienced the growing censorship that came with popularity when he was on the radio,” said Canoni. “Perhaps it was perceived as being uncomfortable with success, but I think that it was really him trying to retain his integrity to the work and to the people. He loved performing in front of people, but not at the sacrifice of his ideals and his voice.”

He would go on to move to New York City in 1940. There, he would go to do the work that he’s best known for. Most notably, “This Land is Your Land” which he wrote in 1940

Opening spread: Photograph by Lester Balog.

A

black Gibson guitar rests gracefully on the knee of a humble entertainer. His name is Woody Guthrie. With a distinct look, a head of curly hair, and sporting a flannel shirt, the “Dust Bowl Troubadour” strums the instrument lovingly with a pick in his hand. A tag on the soundboard reads, “This machine kills fascists.” From this machine made of wood and string, Guthrie expounds with his music, songs that express stories from the working class’s perspective during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl era. Through folk music, he fights against fascism and advocates for equal rights and freedom of speech. In doing so, his songwriting will make him an inspiration for generations of musicians such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Johnny Cash. But long before the birth of the music, Woody Guthrie’s journey began in Oklahoma.

Born in Okemah, Oklahoma, on July 14, 1912, the singer was named after the soon-to-be president; his full name was Woodrow Wilson Guthrie. However, at the time of Guthrie’s birth, Wilson was still the governor of New Jersey and the Democratic candidate for the presidency. Guthrie was the third son of Charles and Nora Belle Guthrie, preceded by Clara Edna and Roy, and followed by George.

Clara Edna would tragically die from a fire around 13 or 14 years of age in 1919. This would be a precursor to the tragedies that would line Woody Guthrie’s early life, including his mother’s institutionalization and eventual death due to a genetic illness.

“Although they didn’t know it at the time, Nora Belle had inherited Huntington’s disease from her father. She became symptomatic when Woody was just a young boy, but they thought her drastic behavior was due to the hard times and hard luck that the family was having,” said Anna Canoni, vice president of Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc., and Guthrie’s granddaughter. “After some accidents, and her increasingly erratic behavior, she was brought to the Central State Hospital for the Insane in Norman, Oklahoma. It was a very difficult time for Woody and his family. A few decades later, Woody inherited the same illness from her.” To make matters worse, his father moved to Pampa, Texas, to find work to pay off debts and left Woody and his siblings to fend for themselves. When he was 18, Guthrie moved to Pampa in 1929 to be with his father; however, it wouldn’t do him much good considering that Pampa would be one of the areas that the Dust Bowl hit most severely. But, through all of these rough occurrences in his early life, he did have one thing that caused him happiness and to shine: an aptitude for music.

piano and sing Scottish-Irish ballads, which would go on to have a profound effect on his songwriting. “She played long, lonesome songs telling stories of the lives of people,” said Canoni. “As Woody grew older and started writing ballads of his own, you can see the direct threads from his mother’s influence in storytelling through song.”

While in Pampa, Guthrie, age 19, got married to Mary Jennings in 1933, having three kids together: Gwen, Sue, and Bill. Mary was the sister of his friend, Matt Jennings, who was an eventual member alongside Cluster Baker in Guthrie’s first band, The Corn Cob Trio. After his first band, he would eventually join the Pampa Junior Chamber of Commerce band. These would be informative times for the young singer as he learned the joy of performing for a captivated audience.

However, work was scarce following the Dust Bowl, and he had a family to support. So, as many “Okies” or “Dust Bowl refugees” did at that time, Woody Guthrie went west to California in search of work.

A Man with a Voice Throughout the 1940s, Woody Guthrie revolutionized folk music via his collaborations with Alan Lomax — recorded for the Library of Congress — his first commercial album with RCA Victor titled Dust Bowl Ballads (released in July 1940), and his recording of a rendition of “House of the Rising Sun,” which The Animals would famously perform in 1964. The album’s success, along with Guthrie’s success as a

radio host for Model Tobacco’s weekly Pipe Smoking Time, allowed him to move his family into an apartment in uptown Manhattan—a notable change for Guthrie, considering he lived destitute for most of his life.

It didn’t last long due to Guthrie’s artistic integrity and a desire not to have his music censored. He moved his family back to California in 1941, and then to Oregon. Woody and Mary eventually divorced when his work became too intrusive in their lives; the constant traveling and activism created an unrepairable rift between them. This resulted in him moving back to New York in June 1941, where he became involved in the formation of The Almanac Singers, alongside Pete Seeger, Millard Lampell, and Lee Hays, as an activist musical group that sought to fight against fascism and act as a form of political protest while advocating for communist ideals.

Which, once the “Red Scare” occurred, put them under some scrutiny. Regardless, at the time, Guthrie’s work and collaborations with The Almanac Singers would pave the way for the development of folk music in the music industry.

ROUTE Magazine 33

Photograph by Al Aumuller.

but recorded in 1944 with Cisco Houston, a fellow folk singer and songwriter who, along with Guthrie, recorded with Moses Asch’s Folkways Records. Originally titled “God Blessed America for Me,” the song was written in response to “God Bless America” by Irving Berlin. Guthrie heard the song frequently while he was traveling, and it was a constant source of frustration for him considering that he felt it ignored the unbalanced distribution of wealth that he had witnessed his entire life.

Woody Guthrie strumming his iconic guitar.

Following his divorce, Guthrie went on to have a relationship and eventual marriage in 1945 with a dancer from the Martha Graham Dance Company named Marjorie Greenblatt. They would have four children: Cathy, Arlo, Joady, and Nora. The familial bond and encouragement from his relationship with Marjorie would go on to help Guthrie with many creative endeavors, including his first novel in 1943: a semi-autobiographical telling of his experiences during the Dust Bowl era titled Bound for Glory.

When the U.S. became involved in World War II, Guthrie would go on to serve in both the Army and the Merchant Marine in 1943. During that time, he wrote hundreds of songs to rally the troops, which included historical and antiHitler ballads. As a result, he was hired by the army to write songs that were published in brochures, tunes that warned sailors of the dangers of venereal diseases.

After serving his country, Guthrie found himself in Coney Island in 1946, where he lived with his family and began writing children’s songs. He was given further praise as an innovative songwriter since the songs covered subjects that children could relate to while using language that they could understand, with pieces covering topics like friendship, fun, responsibility, and family.

Winding Down At the tail end of the ‘40s, when he was in his late thirties, Woody Guthrie faced critical health problems. His behavior changed; he became aggressive and erratic, and it caused problems at work and home. It’s known now that it was the symptoms of Huntington’s disease, the very same condition 34 ROUTE Magazine

that took his mother’s life, although it wouldn’t be properly diagnosed until much later. With the symptoms taking a toll on him, Guthrie left his family and returned to California, along with his protégé and fellow folk singer-songwriter Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, where he met Anneke Van Kirk, his third and final wife with whom he would have a daughter named Lorina. Around this time, people were becoming blacklisted because of the “Red Scare,” and Guthrie and his activist friends became targeted for their stances. He would formally become blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1948.

To make matters worse, when Guthrie and Anneke returned to New York, his condition became exacerbated, and he was hospitalized several times. After being picked up for vagrancy in 1954, he was admitted to the Greystone Psychiatric Hospital where he was officially diagnosed with Huntington’s. Friends and family treated and visited him during his hospitalization, including Marjorie Guthrie. There also came a resurgence in the popularity of folk music during this time, and an entire generation of musicians emerged from it. “I think it’s his ability to speak truth and honesty in a plain-spoken language that makes him trustworthy as a storyteller,” said Canoni. “The fact that history tends to repeat itself makes his work timeless. It was his bearing witness to humanity.”

Many musicians owed their adoration of the genre to Guthrie, and many came to visit and play for him in the hospital, including The Greenbriar Boys, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan. The latter wrote a song on his debut album, Bob Dylan, in 1962, called “Song to Woody,” where he proclaims his admiration for the artist.

Woody Guthrie died of complications of Huntington’s disease on October 3, 1967, at Creedmoor State Hospital in Queens. He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered on the shore of Coney Island. His first two daughters also sadly passed away from the disease.

Since his death, he has received posthumous inductions into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 1970, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2006. Although he’s been gone for over 55 years, his contributions to the music industry through his songwriting and his effect on counterculture are still felt to this day. His son Arlo would follow in his father’s footsteps in 1967 and become a respected singer-songwriter himself. He announced his retirement in 2020. Woody’s daughter Nora Guthrie and music historian Bob Santelli have published a book of his writings, letters, poems, and art titled Woody Guthrie: Songs and Art • Words and Wisdom. Anna Canoni had several quotes by Woody that are representative of him as an individual, but the one that feels the most reflective of his legacy is in his handwritten poem “Changer”: “I’m a changer, a constant changer, I have to be or die, because anything that isn’t changing is dead, and I am alive.”

Woody Guthrie loved a good story and — in the end, the man, the singer-songwriter, the son of Oklahoma — lived a pretty good one himself. He was truly a musical legend and a true folk hero who certainly makes the Midwest proud.

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 35

GATEWAY 36 ROUTE Magazine

TO THE CITY Photograph by David J. Schwartz - Pics On Route 66 ROUTE Magazine 37

O

verflowing with humming automobiles and clamoring pedestrians, the vibrant metropolis of St. Louis, Missouri, is always abuzz with life.

With its undeniable diversity, fascinating history, and growing foodie culture, the city is a labyrinth worthy of any Route 66 traveler eager to explore. However, despite the city’s many charms, one landmark stands out. Through the countless colorful stories told under its very glamorous roof, the Chase Park Plaza Hotel continues to retain its significance on the meandering road of history.

For this story we go way back to 1921, when Chase Ulman, a local attorney known for promoting and operating hotel complexes, bought property on the corner of Lindell and Kingshighway Boulevard, the pulsing heartbeat of the sprawling neighborhood of the Central West End. The location was significant — right across from Forest Park, an expansive 1,300-acre public park bigger than Central Park in New York. Hiring Peter J. Bradshaw, a St. Louis architect of considerable renown, in 1922, Ulman’s plans were in motion. Later that same year, the nine-story-tall building was completed, totaling a hefty bill of $5 million. Boasting the Italian Renaissance style with its flat roof, swooping cornices, rust-brown brick walls, and stone arches, the hotel — which contained 500 rooms and multiple dining areas including the Palm Room and Roof Garden — was everything Ulman had dreamed of.

But the thing that truly captured local attention was the expeditious pace that construction adopted. “About nine months ago a steam shovel lifted the first dirt in digging the foundations. Today the hotel stands finished, without and within, as a magnificent monument to architectural and designing artistry. The time of nine months, it is said, establishes a record for hotel construction in this country,” read an article in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, published September 29, 1922, to commemorate the day of the venue’s opening.

Adding to the building’s intrigue, the hotel’s earliest years began while the government’s mandated Prohibition law against alcohol consumption was in full swing. However, loopholes ran rampant through the streets, and the Chase Hotel was no exception to this rule. A labyrinth of underground service tunnels snaking beneath the property benefited in trafficking guests — and booze — secretly to and from the premises. Under the watchful eye of the hotel, every day and night rippled with the warmth of laughter and liquor-high spirits.

One fateful night on January 1, 1923, while around 200 carefree guests caroused, toasting to the beginning of a fresh new year, silence draped over the assembly as policemen stormed into the ornate Palm Room, whipping out warrants for a whiskey raid. “The St. Louis police department came into the party to make sure that no one was drinking alcohol,” explained Frederik Houben, director of sales and marketing for the Royal Sonesta Chase Park Plaza Hotel.

“Well, one [policeman] thought that a lady was hiding a flask under her dress, and when he tried to search her, that’s when a full-on brawl broke out – to which the Chase was featured in the news.”

Tables were flipped as the furious crowd swarmed the policemen, the latter drawing their revolvers to defend

38 ROUTE Magazine

themselves and retreat. Gunfire ensued, injuring two men.

The story made front page headlines in The New York Times, becoming a captivating tale to entertain guests throughout the ages. But there was soon more to keep the property top of mind.

At the closing of the 1920s, Sam Koplar, a businessman who had built a fortune surrounding his construction enterprise Koplar Properties, embarked on a three-month vacation to Europe. While spending four days in New York’s dazzling landscape, Koplar had the pleasure of staying at the stunning 33-story Savoy-Plaza Hotel. With its rich velvet furniture and finely dressed ushers, he felt like he was walking in elegance.

Hit with a stroke of inspiration, Koplar hatched a plan and got to work.

In 1929, the roar of construction filled the air as the foundation was established for the Park Plaza, a hotel designed in the Art Deco style with white rectangular walls and clear blue windows. St. Louis was about to have a new skyscraper, right next door to the Chase Hotel and at 28-stories high, it dominated the landscape. However, it was not until 1931 — due to a brief delay during the Great Depression — that the building would be completed in its glory.

“It wasn’t uncommon to lose something you were invested in and that you depended on for tourism [during the Great Depression],” said Candace O’Connor, a former historian of the Missouri History Museum and published author.

“I believe that he took a $6 million dollar loan from a creditor [which he lost during the Depression]. So, he had to go to [Central States Life Insurance Company, who loaned] him money, in order to finish the project. He managed the Park Plaza for several years, but the economy just made it impossible to keep turning a profit.”

Sadly, by 1935, as business rapidly plummeted, the Park Plaza hotel shut down and was eventually sold. Koplar went on to work as a manager at the Chase for a season, but then everything changed again in 1944, when he was able to not only buy back his precious Park Plaza, but also purchase the Chase in 1946. Later, his son, Harold Koplar, went a step further, combining both properties under one umbrella: Chase-Park Plaza in 1961.

For a time, the business ran smoothly, but trouble emerged again as, unable to maintain the buildings due to costly repairs, in 1981, the Koplars sold the hotel to the Chase Hotel Redevelopment Corporation — but this only delayed the inevitable. On September 22, 1989, the Chase Hotel closed its doors to the public, reserving the Park Plaza for apartments.

It wasn’t until June 2, 2017, that the hotel would awaken from its 28 years of slumber under the reins of new management — the Royal Sonesta International Hotels Corporation who operate both the Chase Hotel and Park Plaza as one designated landmark. And with their help, the hotel revitalized the impact it once had in the past and created a space where locals and visitors can soak in the history of one of this Mother Road city’s most storied properties. And on the idea of change, Houben had one final thought: “It really doesn’t make a difference which hotel brand it is; it will always be the Chase.”

ROUTE Magazine 39

O

n an old 1926 stretch of Route 66, between Elk City and Sayre, stands an attractive, well-preserved, yellow steel truss bridge.

This structure has been a quiet witness to the development and evolution of the highway system through Oklahoma for over 90 years. Its faded yellow steel trusses, a humble beacon across the wide-open plains, beseech those traveling down the nearby faster I-40 to pause and consider its past and those that it has carried across Beckham County’s scenic Timber Creek.

Built in 1928, in the modified Pratt-Through truss design, the two-lane bridge spans 99 feet in length and 18 feet in width, stretching across the creek — a stream with a notable dip located about four miles from the small town of Sayre.

The Pratt-Through truss style was patented in 1844 by engineer Thomas Willis Pratt and his architect father, Caleb Pratt, and became widely used in the last quarter of the 19th Century and well into the 20th.

The design became popular for its load bearing features and ability to span great distances using simple construction methods.

As the years went by, Timber Creek Bridge steadily carried a heavy stream of Highway 66 traffic, surviving the many realignments and expansions of Route 66 as meandering paths were replaced with straighter, shorter routes. As roads were subsequently modernized, the bridge became part of the westbound lanes of the Mother Road when the highway was expanded in 1956. With Congress initiating the Interstate Highway System, a new generation of roads emerged and in 1966, the old asphalt across Timber Creek Bridge was bypassed and quietly became the South Frontage road for Interstate 40.

On most other routes, this would have signaled the end of the usage of the historic structure, but this was Route 66.

“What these highway departments like to do is have an alternate route for Interstate traffic in case something happens to a bridge that’s on I-40 or something happens and causes a closure of the Interstate,” said Jim Ross,

40 ROUTE Magazine

author and Route 66 historian in Arcadia, Oklahoma, and one of the foremost experts on Oklahoma’s bridges. “So, if something happened to I-40, they could use that [bridge] as an alternate route.”

Even as the roads changed, the Timber Creek Bridge stood largely unaffected, affording a smooth and easy passage across this corridor of Oklahoma. Despite that service though, Timber Creek Bridge has been left out of the limelight shone on other Route 66 bridges, its trusses overlooked most days by travelers on I-40. September of 2006 even saw the bridge forgotten briefly when another similar bridge in Northeastern Oklahoma was honored with its own plaque and place in the National Register of Historic Places.

“Timber Creek Bridge is a very significant bridge,” continued Ross. “It’s one of only two like it in Oklahoma.

The other one is up at Chelsea on Pryor Creek and it’s kinda funny because the plaque that they have up there on the Pryor Creek Bridge identifies it as the only one of its type, but that’s not correct, because it’s literally identical to the Timber Creek Bridge.”

Despite the lack of recognition though, and persevering through the lasting damage that has afflicted other Oklahoman bridges like inclement weather, traffic collisions, and the increased strain of modern vehicles, Timber Creek Bridge dutifully continues to serve its purpose as a crossing even to this day. Most bridges will see an effective lifespan of 50 to 70 years; Timber Creek Bridge is well beyond that and still stands sufficiently strong enough to remain in service to the motoring public, even if with reduced numbers.

On this silent stretch of the Mother Road, it is hard to imagine that there was once a steady stream of traffic flowing across the creek. The charming, yellow painted trusses, and delicate overhangs are a testament and an engineering reminder of our country’s industrial past, preserved to continue serving America’s travelers across the generations.

Photograph by Aedan Matthews.

BR I DGE OV ER TI M BER CR EEK

“In telling the story of his African family’s journey on Route 66, Brennen Matthews has made an important contribution to the legacy of the highway. He offers both a new voice and a new look at the Mother Road.”

—from the foreword by Michael Wallis, New York Times bestselling author of Route 66: The Mother Road

“Hop in and buckle up. Brennen Matthews’s Miles to Go is a ride you won’t soon forget.”

—Richard Ratay, author of Don’t Make Me Pull Over! An Informal History of the Family Road Trip

“Miles to Go awakens fond memories of my many road trips by car and Greyhound bus along the ‘Mother Road,’ Route 66!”

—Martin Sheen

“In Miles to Go, we don’t just drive the highway looking out the window. We stop, interact with people, and learn things we were not expecting. . . . This Route 66 journey doesn’t just immerse us in the sights, sounds, and experiences of the road. As guests on the journey, we’re encouraged to think about what it means to live in America and be an American.”

—Bill Thomas, chairman of the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership

Miles to Go is the story of a family from Africa in search of authentic America along the country’s most famous highway, Route 66. Traveling the scenic byway from Illinois to California, they come across a fascinating assortment of historical landmarks, partake in quirky roadside attractions, and meet more than a few colorful characters.

Brennen Matthews, along with his wife and their son, come face-to-face with real America in all of its strange beauty and complicated history as the family explores what many consider to be the pulse of a nation. Their unique perspective on the Main Street of America develops into a true appreciation for what makes America so special. By joining Matthews and his family on their cross-country adventure, readers not only experience firsthand the sights and sounds of the road, but they are also given the opportunity to reflect on American culture and its varied landscapes. Miles to Go is not just a travel story but a tale of hopes, ambitions, and struggles. It is the record of an America as it once was and one that, in some places, still persists.

Experience America and Route 66 through a lens never seen before.

VISIT AMAZON.COM AND ORDER A COPY OF MILES TO GO NOW AND JOIN BRENNEN MATTHEWS AND HIS FAMILY AS THEY SET OUT TO DISCOVER AMERICA ALONG HISTORIC ROUTE 66 UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO PRESS ROUTE Magazine 41

42 ROUTE Magazine

A CONVERSATION WITH

Dr. Hook

By Brennen Matthews Opening photograph courtesy of Judy Totton

ROUTE Magazine 43

D

r. Hook & the Medicine Show, later known simply as Dr. Hook, emerged as one of the biggest music acts in the country in the early 1970s. Captivating audiences with their eclectic sound and quirky persona, the band was formed in Union City, New Jersey, and found success blending country, rock, and pop elements with a dose of humor and audiences quickly embraced them, as did radio.

Led by the charismatic lead singer Dennis Locorriere, whose soft soothing voice delighted audiences, and Ray Sawyer, whose eye patch became a signature visual element, Dr. Hook achieved huge commercial triumph with hits like “Sylvia’s Mother,” a poignant ballad, the infectious “Cover of the Rolling Stone,” and unforgettable tracks like “Sexy Eyes,” “Sharing the Night Together,” and “Better Love Next Time.” Their music exuded a laid-back, Southern vibe, often characterized by catchy melodies and witty lyrics. The band would go on to dominate a decade of radio.

Dr. Hook’s success reached its zenith in the mid-late-’70s, as their albums consistently charted in the top 10 and their concerts drew larger, more diverse crowds. However, the ride was not to last, and the band would breakup in 1985, but that hasn’t stopped frontman Dennis Locorriere. He has been performing Hook hits and writing new great tracks for the past 35+ years. In this issue, we sit down and discover the people and stories behind the iconic group and music.

Growing up in New Jersey, were you raised in a musical family?

My childhood was rather fragmented because my mom and dad had me when he was 18 and she was 19. They were married, but they never even lived together. By the time that they could have got it together, they weren’t a couple anymore. They were kids, you know what I mean?

So, my mom was a very young woman, and she had young friends and she listened to a lot of music. So, if I come from a musical background, it’s more from the fan or consumer music background than a participant, you know?

What was the first instrument that you learned to play?

The first instrument was the drums, but I had a kit that I pulled together from kitchen pots. (Laughs) I mean, I really didn’t have one. And also, I wanted to sing, I wanted to be a singer. So, I eventually learned a couple of chords because if you learn C, A minor, F, and G you can pretty much play a weird version of every song in the world. I wanted to be able to accompany myself, and drums is really hard with all the hardware. I’m not a hardware guy, man, I mean, even today, I don’t drive a car. But I like singing. I didn’t have plans.

I sang in little bars to people who probably weren’t even listening. I just wanted to sing.

At this time in your young life — 16, 17 — who were your musical influences?

Well, Sam Cooke interested me a lot. I liked his voice. When I was 16, 17, 18, I used to sit on the steps of these little bars and listen to the bands, and then when the doors opened, I would quickly try to get a glimpse of them. When I was old enough to sneak in, I would go in and sit in with the bands.

44 ROUTE Magazine

Being in a band that I put together wasn’t my first thing.

I was playing drums for these guys, playing some harmonica, playing a little bass guitar. That’s how I met the guys who I formed Hook with.

You were 19 when you met the guys who you would form Dr. Hook with. How did it all come together?

Well, George [Cummings] was from Mississippi, and he had come up to New Jersey and was playing in these little bars.

One night I went into a bar, just to see who was playing, and it was him, and he had a band, and I sat in with them. So, I kind of briefly met him then and then somewhere in that next year he said to me, “I’m putting another band together, and I’m sending for my friend Ray.” He was calling Ray [Sawyer] up from down South. “Can you play bass?” I never really played bass, but I said, “Yeah.” (Laughs) I bought a cheap bass, and somebody lent me an amplifier, and I joined the band. Ray was there and about three, four, five months later Billy [Francis] came up. So, yeah, those guys were connected in a band down south and I was just the new guy.

Since they already had material that they played together, I just had to fit my way in. But I was loving it, man, because I was getting to play every night, and we were playing all different kinds of music. I had Rock ‘n’ Roll friends that would say to me, “Oh, I feel sorry for you, man,” because I was having to play stuff that was on the jukebox. But I loved that, I loved faking my way through things I didn’t know how to do. It was a real education for me. And that’s kind of where it all started for us.

So, the name was a very long name at that point.

Yes, yes. (Laughs)

Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show. How did this whole long name come about?

Well, it was a poster. We were playing in these bars and this one in particular, the Bandbox… it was a little bar with a tiny stage that had a metal fence around it, so you couldn’t go anywhere. We were starting to bring people in, kind of regulars, so Joe the bartender said, “I’d like to put a poster in the window. What’s the name of the band?” And we hadn’t named the band. (Laughs) So, George came up with Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show because Ray had an eyepatch, and it was very loosely applied to us. But, you know, here I am 60 years later explaining it, but that’s what it said.

Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show: Tonic for the Soul. And above our names it said, “Cold Beer and Go-Go Girls.” So, we didn’t even get top billing. (Laughs) But the name stuck.

How did you decide who would be the lead singer, because both you and Ray sang?

Ray was the singer when we were playing the bars. He sang the blues and the country stuff, and I sang The Beatles and the Bee Gees type of stuff. It just naturally fell into place, who was gonna sing what. And then, once we became a recording act, “Sylvia’s Mother” (1972) was our first single, and that was my voice, and then “The Cover of ‘Rolling Stone,” (1972) our second single, was a little bit of everybody. Ray sings the first verse, George sang “freaky

old lady,” and it was kind of a group ensemble thing. Down the line we had “Only Sixteen,” the Sam Cooke song, and radio seemed to like my voice. So, we always had songs on the album that Ray sang, but I wound up having the radiofriendly voice, so that’s where we went.

Dr. Hook became a really weird thing, where when people closed their eyes and envisioned Dr. Hook, they’d see Ray, and when they closed their eyes and would hear Dr. Hook, they’d hear me, but they didn’t know it was me.

So, Dr. Hook had a face and a voice, and they didn’t belong to the same people. (Laughs)

I heard a great story about that. People used to ask you guys, “So, which one of you is Dr. Hook?” and the band began to always point to the bus driver. (Laughs) Yeah, it didn’t even matter. None of us wanted to take any credit for it, you know. Ray didn’t necessarily want to become a fictional character. When we put the poster in the window, he didn’t go change his name legally. He wasn’t born to Mr. and Mrs. Hook. There were no medical degrees involved. It was just a thing that stuck.

Dr. Hook was hired in 1971 to create some music for the soundtrack of the Dustin Hoffman film, Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? That is an awesome opportunity, but you guys didn’t even have a record deal yet?

No, no, no. Nobody even cared. We wanted to see what we sounded like, so we went into the studio, and we cut a Buck Owens song and “Mr. Tambourine Man,” and something we had written. And we handed that tape around and it wound up in the hands of a guy who was a musical director on this Hoffman film. He liked my voice on the demo and was interested. So, we met him, and we did a little singing in the film, and we recorded the title tune, “The Last Morning.” That film took a year to come out and we would hang out with Hoffman and the crew all day, and then we’d go back at night and play until 3AM for drunks and say, “We’re doing a Dustin Hoffman film,” and everybody would go, “Yeah, yeah, sure you are.” We’d play until three in the morning and then we’d have to be over across the river in New York City again at 7AM for the film stuff. So, it kept us busy. The soundtrack was on Columbia Records, so we got an audition for them. That’s how our first album happened.

When you got the record deal and began working with the legendary Clive Davis, did you feel at that time that you had made it?

No. No, man. At that point we were thinking, “Okay, we’re doing alright… until they catch us.” (Laughs) We were a bar band. We didn’t know. We recorded our whole first album in New York, and when we went out to California to visit Shel [Silverstein] after a Columbia Records convention, he sang us “Sylvia’s Mother” in the car, and we loved it. So, we had to talk our way into getting a little more studio time to record that one extra song. And after we did, Clive loved it, and he really worked it for us.

It’s funny, because when it first was released, it came on the [Billboard] Hot 100 at number 99 and it fell off the next week. Given where we had come from and that still in our

hearts, we expected to go back to those bars any minute, 99 was like, “Yippee!” We were in the Hot 100. But Clive Davis, he’s a real stand-up guy. When he likes something… he really liked that record and stayed on it and worked it.

And it went to number one and number two on a lot of stations in America. So, we really had him to thank. It got us on the road. But we were more a support act than we were headlining at that time.

Who were you opening for at that time?

It would be easier if I named people we didn’t open for.

(Laughs) I swear to you, I mean, Cheech & Chong, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Kiss, Alice Cooper, Sly and the Family Stone… We did four gigs with Kiss. You’d walk out on stage and the whole audience would have stars in their eyes and blood on their mouths and we’d have to entertain them. We actually went over pretty well, but you’d have to go out and face another established act’s audience and try to steal as many people from that band as you could.

Do you remember the first time that you heard “Sylvia’s Mother” on the radio?

It was somewhere with us piled into a rental car, a station wagon with our luggage and a couple of guitars. Somewhere on the road in the middle of the night, because we traveled American highways a lot in the middle of the night when we were the support act for major groups. They may go from Miami to Dallas, Texas, overnight in their Learjets, and we would say, “Goodnight, everybody” and get in a rental and drive to Dallas overnight and get there just in time to go on stage. So, we spent a lot of time on the road, but I got really good at knowing, when changing the radio stations, at hearing one little thing and knowing it was us. Traveling across the country, that was the sport, trying to find your record on the radio.

ROUTE Magazine 45

So, you go from being a 19-year-old New Jersey kid performing with a bunch of older bandmates, to a bonafide recording artist with a few big hits on the radio. That must have been an incredibly heady time once success started.

while, you realize your itinerary is going to kill you. (Laughs) So, if I had a day off, cocaine and a bottle of whiskey was not what I was looking for. I wanted to sit down and read a book.

Well, you know, we used each other to keep ourselves grounded. We made a rule right away that if anyone of us got to be a little too “rockstar-ish” that the other ones would push him up against the wall and go, “What the hell are you doing? It’s us.” We didn’t have to push anyone up against the wall, but just that overall, “Come on, it’s us…” It was heady stuff, but I have to say, and I may be blowing my own horn here, but I never took it so seriously that I changed. I know everybody says this, “Oh, it hasn’t changed me at all.” Of course, it changes you to some degree. It toughens you up, because when everybody wants you, you realize, “Oh, okay, now you have to be selective.” Now you’re not sure who you’re talking to. But I’ve never been one to run away with that kind of thing.

As a matter of fact, celebrity and stardom has been the thing I’ve liked least about any of it. I love doing what I do, I’m so happy. I don’t know what other job I could have had that I would still be talking to someone about at 74. You know, we weren’t the kind of band that used to trash hotels and stuff like that. We’d hear about that. We’d check into a hotel, and they’d go, “Oh, another band. I hope you don’t do what the last band [did.]” We never thought, “Oh, it was a good gig maybe we should tie the hotel manager to a TV and push him into the pool.” (Laughs) I mean, it never made any sense to us.

Is it true that down the line you were able to meet the real Sylvia that inspired the song?

How did you handle all of the pressure and vices that came along with fame and success?

Well, you know, it’s true, it’s all there. We probably took less advantage of it than a lot of people did. The drug thing, we weren’t really drug people. You know, pot maybe, but hard stuff that actually dictated who you were going to be for the next little while, we were never really into that. When you first go on the road you go, “Yeah, yeah!” because you think you better party because it’s not going to last long, but after a

Oh, man, I’ll tell you what; there was a Dutch television show, it was sometime in the ‘80s and I was living in Nashville.

Dr. Hook was over, so it was past ’85, it might have even been the beginning of the ‘90s. But there was a Dutch television show that was doing one of those things at the end of the year, 200 biggest singles of all time, you know, the wrap-up shows, and “Sylvia’s Mother” was one of the songs. They called me and they asked me if I would come over to do their show, and talk about “Sylvia’s Mother,” so, I went over. What they didn’t tell me was that, to the best of my knowledge, someone in the crew knew Sylvia’s mother, the old woman. She was an actual person. Her name was Mrs. Pandolfi, not Avery, because what the hell are you going to rhyme Pandolfi with. Anyway, I went over, and I sat there. This was live TV and they said, “Now, we want to show you something,” and they showed me this film, and it was Sylvia’s mother in Wisconsin, in the winter. She was in her house, and she was this old woman in her 90s, still complaining about the song. She didn’t think that she was as rude as the guy in the song made it. And there she was, and Sylvia was there too, and she leans into the camera and says, “Hello.” And now I’m looking on TV, live in front of everybody, at two people that I’ve sung about for 30 years.

Afterwards, somebody said to me, “Would you like to get in touch with Sylvia? She lives in Mexico, but she’s in London.”

She was a curator for some museum or something. And I said, “Yeah, okay.”

I went to have lunch with her, and man, it was daunting.

I’ve used this line so many times, I keep saying that I need to come up with a better one, but it was like having lunch with bigfoot. I saw a film of her walking through the snow and now we were talking, and she was talking about Shel, and she called him Shelly because that’s what she called him when they were young people. And she was asking about him and I was saying, “Oh, yeah, he wrote plays.” I only saw her that one time and we wrote letters back and forth, but she was married to a Mexican bullfighter. I mean, the story was more far out than it was in the song.

The group quickly got a bit famous for being unpredictable during live performances.

Audiences never really knew what was going to happen on stage. Was that intentional or did you guys just have a lot of fun together?

Man, it was intentional. When we were a bar band, we would do a rude version of a Sly and the Family Stone song. We were there for six hours a night, every night, so you just do whatever you do to have fun. Cowboys come up and go, “You know any country music?” and you say, “Yes, sir. We do now.” And you play a country song in peril of your life. You know, it’s funny about that thing, about Dr. Hook being multiple personalities on stage. It was a great 46 ROUTE Magazine

thing for us, because it kept it interesting for us, but looking back on it, it was also one of the things that kept us from wider success, because you never knew what the hell to expect from us. I mean, look at our first two singles: “Sylvia’s Mother,” weepy, and “The Cover of ‘Rolling Stone.’” Not even the same band, man.

One time, we were in Manchester, England, and we were playing, and we were doing the song “If Not You,” which was a hit. And we were playing, and we got to the middle of it, and they made an announcement that there was a bomb scare and they had to empty the entire building. So, when they emptied the entire building, we went outside with a couple of guitars and entertained the people so that they wouldn’t go, “Ah, screw it,” and go home. (Laughs) Do you remember when everybody was streaking years ago?

We were headlining a big festival called the Roskilde Festival in Denmark. We’re playing and it’s the middle of summer, and we were sweating, and everybody there… girls had their tops off, lot of people were in various stages of undress. So, we came out and streaked the stage and then played. The lucky ones of us were the ones with guitars. But we would do a lot of stuff like that, man. We opened for ourselves one night as a different band and I played drums and Ray played bass and we played Blues and R&B songs until the audience booed us off the stage.

We used to do those things man, because we were on the road constantly and we didn’t want it to get to be boring.

But for me, at my age now, I still get people that say to me, “I didn’t realize you sang all those songs. I thought it was the guy with the eyepatch.” When we started there was no YouTube, there was no MTV. If we would have been a video band, people would have gotten that right away. He does that, he does that, but like I said, if you saw us on TV for 30 seconds, you’d remember, “Oh, I saw the band, the guy with the eyepatch.” And you’d remember the song and hopefully you’d remember what I sounded like. So, it was confusing, as much as it was interesting and spicy, it was confusing for people. They didn’t know where to put us. They didn’t know sometimes if they should play us on country radio or pop radio or just not play us at all.

By ‘74 you’ve released three albums and then you filed for bankruptcy. What happened?

Well, support act blues, man. Traveling around with the big acts, trying to hit all the main places that they were hitting.

Even after three successful albums?

Yeah, yeah, man. We were a seven-piece band at that time, and if we’re playing clubs and stuff and sustaining on the road… You know, we’re paying for hotels, we’re paying for transport and such. And then when we would be support acts for big acts, you don’t make any money. You’re there for the exposure. So, we tried as hard as we could to stay on the road with a couple of big acts and it probably did us good, as far as people seeing us, but we couldn’t sustain it.

We were just going backwards financially. So, we figured, if we filed for bankruptcy like any other business, they paid off your creditors or whatever it is, and maybe they let us keep a couple of guitars. And that’s where we had the main decision, whether we wanted to just go, “Okay, we’re a bar band, we had three albums, two hits, now we went dead broke. Are we over?” And I think we just organically made the decision

that we had already put in so much time, that maybe we should try to regroup and come up with another plan rather than just splitting four or seven different ways. So, we stayed together and pooled some money and recorded the Bankrupt album. It had “Only Sixteen” on it. We wound up on Capitol Records, and they released that song as a single, so we were back out. Only now we started working on trying to be a headliner as much as possible.

Fast forward to 1978 and your seventh album — I didn’t even realize you guys had that many unique albums out — and you get “When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman,” “Sharing the Night Together,” “Better Love Next Time,” “Sexy Eyes,” all top ten hits, four of the biggest songs of the decade. You had “Only Sixteen,” you had “Sylvia’s Mother.” So, you had all of these songs, it feels like it’s all really coming together now. You’re getting a real repertoire of very familiar radio hits that audiences will definitely follow you around for. Did you feel like things, once you moved to Capitol, were now starting to really come together to become a successful pop group?

Yeah, but you know the odd thing was that it was mostly outside of the U.S., because we could go to Australia and tour for 20 days and kill ‘em. We could go to England and sell out, we could go to Europe and sell out, but in America we were regional. If we played on the east coast, nobody knew we were there. I mean, it wasn’t national news, and so we had to take America bit by bit. To do America you need five promoters: the east coast, somebody who does Texas, somebody on the west coast, somebody that does the northeast. In Australia we had one promoter, he booked us in the country. In England, we had a promoter. In America you need to connect a lot of different ways and you have to travel.

We would have a couple of hits in America and people would start to know us. We would be on The Midnight Special or The Mike Douglas Show, we’d be on some shows and people would know we’re there and then it would be time to go to Australia. We’d shore that up, and they knew us really well in Australia, and then it was time to go to Europe. Then we’re in England and we’re in Germany and we’re in Holland and that’s going really well. And it’s like the guy who spins the plates on the sticks, now America’s starting to forget us.

So, it was weird. Now you can do it with internet and video. We were just before all of that. We had to do it all with a phone call. “Beautiful Woman” went to number one around the world at the same time, which made it easy for us. Easy in that we knew what we were selling, and we knew where we were going. It was very, very difficult for us to be an international success everywhere and just keep spinning those plates. They really would forget about you quickly.

How did you guys go into selecting the songs that the band would record? I’m sure you had a lot of demos coming your way.

It was usually a decision between us and the producer.

A lot of the time, when we came off the road, I’d go back to Nashville. I lived in New York state, but I’d always go back to Nashville because I spent most of my time off the road in the studio. We’d get boxes and boxes of cassettes in Nashville. It was a songwriter town. So, we’d go through them and find what we thought were good songs.

ROUTE Magazine 47

You know, “Sexy Eyes,” more than anything, sounded like if we recorded it right, it would be a great radio record. We were looking to stay on the radio. The image of the band was on stage, but we were looking to stay on the radio. Even now, every once in a while, I still get some shit about it. “Oh, but then you guys went disco.” You know, so did Rod Stewart, so did The Rolling Stones. They were trying to get on the radio, man. I didn’t wake up every morning in a three-piece white suit that I couldn’t get rid of, I didn’t turn disco. That’s why Dr. Hook has been successful through a lot of different decades, because we changed with the decade. But we were a radio band, we really were a radio band more than anything.

All over the world.

And what drew you personally to “Sharing the Night Together”?

I liked the melody of it. It was the kind of thing we hadn’t recorded yet. You just look for songs that say something, especially when you’re dealing with love songs, because they all say the same thing. So, you need them to say it a little differently. “Sharing the Night Together” was the politest come on in the world. “Would you mind?” Do you know what I mean? “Oh, hi honey, would you mind coming home with me?” Very, very polite. A decent guy. (Laughs)

That is very funny. The other one I’m curious about is “Better Love Next Time,” what drew you to that song?

I found that in a pile of cassettes. I liked it because I liked the groove of it. It felt like Al Green to me, and I liked Al Green, so I wanted the opportunity. When we were recording, we were using the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section a lot in those days. See that’s the other thing that happens too; when you up your game and you start having hits, and we’re on the road all the time, you get into the studio, and you don’t have two months. You have the week and then you’re back on the road. We started using studio guys to cut those tracks and of course the band would play it live. We weren’t the only ones that did that. I mean, the Bob Seger Bullet Band had the same band that “You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman” did. So, that was Dr. Hook and the Bullet Band. (Laughs) There were a lot of studio guys cutting everybody’s records at that time.

And you needed it to be professional and you needed it to be done quickly, because you had a week, and you were back on the road.

It’s interesting, because after all of that time together, and the hits, the many hits, in 1985 the band broke up.

Well, you know, Ray was 34 when I met him, and I was 20.

So, he was way further down the line in how much longer he wanted to do it. Ray left earlier, in ’81. To tell you the truth, he left because he was tired of the road, and he also, I don’t know how to say this, he started to think, “Dennis is singing everything, so what am I doing here?”

Somebody asked me the other day, “When you wound up being the lead singer, did it put more pressure on you?” And I said, “Well, not as the singer.” I was going to sing how I sang no matter what, but it put pressure on me because it put pressure on me and Ray as a team. And he was starting to think, “Well, am I just the hat and the patch?” I guess I can’t blame him, but then again, what the hell was I going to do?

48 ROUTE Magazine

Was I going to go, “Okay, I’ll go out and sing flat. I’ll try my hardest to suck.” But the interesting thing is that we both had our crosses to bear. Ray was feeling like, now that I was the lead singer, maybe he was being ignored, but when we went places everybody talked to Ray because they thought that he was singing, and I had to sit there like an asshole.

(Laughs) You know what I’m saying? We both had our own crosses to bear. When we would go to radio stations, just the two of us with a guitar, and we would talk, and they would talk to me, and they would talk to Ray. When we walked in, everybody would rush to Ray… “Dr. Hook is here!” and when we went inside, and they’d say, “Would you like to sing something?” and we’d say, “Sure.” I’d pick up the guitar and sing something and that would be, “What?” So, Dr. Hook was always confusing, it was always a little confusing to everybody.

We did a good job of it, but I understood why he left.

I understood why he left because he wanted to forge his own thing. The only thing that caused us a problem was that he went out and did his own thing for about six months and then started calling it Dr. Hook and singing all the Hook songs. And I thought, “Well, if you really left because you wanted to do your own thing, why are you out singing ‘Sharing the Night Together’ and ‘Sylvia’s Mother?’”

I get it. But you went to court and legally got the trademark for the band name?

Yeah, I own the name even now. I licensed it to Ray for 13 years, or as long as he wanted to do it.

After ’85 when you went off to do your solo career, were you nervous? Now it is just you, it’s not seven men up on stage.

I did years of touring. After Dr. Hook, I did nothing for a while, but I did about 10 or 11 years of just me and a couple of guitars. And I really, really loved it. Some people go, “Oh, we love seeing you with a band,” but I loved the fact that I could go out there and really read the audience. Really read them to the point where, “No, I’m going to do this song next.

Not the one I wrote down.” And I loved that. When you have a band then you have a show and a lighting guy and there are lighting cues and there’s this, and there’s that. You can’t just go, “Okay, we’re doing something else,” because it’s a show.

But when I was out there alone man, I just loved it, because I could do some of my solo things and I could talk to them.

Now, at 74, when you look at this whole journey, and you have done a lot of things… You’ve co-written songs for Bob Dylan and Jerry Lee Lewis, Crystal Gayle, Olivia Newton John, you’ve sang back up for Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis… You’ve done a lot of stuff, but when it’s all said and done what do you want people to remember when they think of Dr. Hook?

I just want them to think that whenever they saw or heard Dr. Hook, it cheered them up, gave them a good time. It’s really that basic. And the serious songs, I hope some of those serious songs like “Carry Me, Carrie,” some of those more heartfelt ones, I hope they helped. That’s all music is really supposed to do: is help. It’s just supposed to help you get along.

Can you stay for dinner?

Enjoy compelling fare and classic cocktails from the golden age of American dining.

Fordson Hotel Oklahoma City 900 W Main Street | MaryEddysOKC.com @MaryEddysOKC

ROUTE Magazine 49

T

here is something sacred in family heirlooms; the history of generations past is etched into something physical for their next of kin. For the Campos family in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, Joseph’s Bar and Grill is their family legacy that has been passed down through three generations along Route 66.

Before Joseph’s was “Joseph’s” though, it was first opened by Jose Campos Sr., a World War II veteran, and a survivor of the Great Depression. After the war, Jose came home to New Mexico with the dream of being an entrepreneur. With a few small business ventures under his belt, his dream came to fruition in 1956 with his wife, Carmen, when they opened La Fiesta Drive-In, a spot that would later become a restaurant, then a cafeteria-style restaurant, and ultimately Joseph’s Bar and Grill.

La Fiesta opened to a bustling Route 66 and greeted thousands of travelers driving across the country. The Campos family were ready for them.

“That was the prime time for Route 66,” said Jose Campos’s grandson, Joey. “Travel throughout the country became a big American ideal. There wasn’t so much of the convenience that we have now. People traveled. It’s like the movie Cars; people traveled for the journey, not the destination. And we are a big part of that.”

Jose and Carmen retired in 1985 and left their son Joseph to be the next Campos to run the family business. Under Joseph’s reign, the name changed, and new additions were made to the restaurant. “The bar and the gift shop were added in the early ‘90s,” Joey recalled. “That was a major increase for us. To double the size of the building was a big venture for my dad, but it was a really good one. Now, we’re the only bar in Santa Rosa. It’s helped us to keep things going and brought a lot of activities for people in town. I bring dances, and DJs, and comedians, and other forms of entertainment to Santa Rosa, and I’m able to showcase that for them.”

After Joseph himself retired in 2019 due to health issues, his children, Joey and Andrea Campos, took over. The pair

50 ROUTE Magazine

work in tandem to welcome Route 66 travelers looking for New Mexican dining and Route 66 nostalgia. Working in the restaurant since he was eight, Joey watched his father Joseph turn his parents’ business into what he inherited as an adult.

“New Mexican fare is our staple,” continued Joey. “It’s what we started with and that’s the hill we’ll die on. We will throw green chiles on anything. We still hold on to the oldtimey [feel], classic rock music, and all of our memorabilia.

And the travelers that we get really enjoy that stuff. We have older cars, license plates, and other things that take them back. Growing up on Route 66 was amazing,” he continued.

“I got to know, from an early start, that my hometown, my county, my state is not everything. We met people that traveled here from Europe, Asia, and South America, and they always loved traveling on Route 66. I think that’s really what the history [of Joseph’s] is: millions and millions of people that traveled through and stopped to enjoy a meal and a day, or a couple of days, with our town.”

He was too young to remember its acquisition, but Joey’s father always told him about why he incorporated the “Fat Man” sign that used to be a part of Club Café.

Joseph bought the building and after it was deemed too hazardous to repair, they took the sign showing a large man eating with a smile on his face and brought it to Joseph’s Restaurant and Grill.

“We trademarked the Fat Man logo. My dad always said it was a sign of contentment. You see a fat man eating with a smile on his face, that’s where you know that the food is going to be good. And it was a symbol of Route 66 that was contentment, of enjoying that meal, and having the comfort to stay there.”

For many Mother Road travelers, the Southwest is a very special part of their journey and there is no denying that slowing down through the beautiful state of New Mexico is a very wise decision, especially when you see the grinning face of the historic “Fat Man.”

Photograph by David J. Schwartz - Pics On Route 66.

T H E FA T M A N

ROUTE Magazine 51

52 ROUTE Magazine

LEGACY OF THE

OSAGE TRAIL Photograph by David J. Schwartz - Pics On Route 66

ROUTE Magazine 53

E

very small town has something that sets it apart from the rest, whether it is a well-preserved historic downtown, a striking or elaborate courthouse, or even something quirky like a tree that has been growing in the center of town for the last three centuries. For Cuba, Missouri, there is no shortage of characteristic features that make it charmingly stand out: the Mother Road runs right through it, there are 14 colorful outdoor murals that have given the town the moniker “Mural City,” it is home to the historic Wagon Wheel Motel — the oldest, continuously operated motel on Route 66 — and the list goes on. But there is one lesser-known landmark — a series of statues, actually — celebrated as the largest monument in America honoring the history and legacy of the Trail of the Osage.

Long before pioneers and settlers arrived in the Midwest, there were the Osage Indians, a tribe that dominated much of what is now Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

Known to be bold warriors, astute hunters and farmers, and fierce protectors of their families, the Osage used paths created by buffalo to establish a network of trails that spanned the United States, using them as a means to traverse their vast lands and as trade routes. These trails would become known as Osage Trails. One of these routes, running from St. Louis to the southwestern reaches of Missouri, would later become part of America’s most famous highway, Route 66.

As history would have it, efforts to broker benevolent relations between the U.S. government and the Osage trail blazers eventually led to the signing of several treaties between 1808 and 1839 that resulted in the Osage ceding much of their territory to the United States, including in Missouri, until there was nothing left in Missouri for them.

Driven from place to place and state to state, the Osage were finally able to purchase their own reservation — one of the few tribes able to do this — in present day Oklahoma.

For well over a century, there was sadly no imprint or representation of the Osage’s narrative in Missouri, until one artist sought to rectify that. Enter Glen Tutterrow, a metal work sculptor who calls Cuba home.

Tutterow’s first encounter with the Osage was sort of serendipitous. One day while questing for tribal artifacts with his father along the Bourbeuse River, north of his hometown of Sullivan, Missouri, they discovered an ancient clay pipe later confirmed by members of the Osage tribe to be an authentic relic. This chance find was the spark that ignited an interest in young Tutterow to learn more about Native Americans. But it would take time and a dream to set this spark a flame and inspire action.

Fast forward several years later to 2014. Tutterow had moved to Cuba, married, and become an accomplished sculptor. One Saturday night though, inspiration came to him in his sleep. “It was a very intense dream, more of a vision than a dream. I hadn’t really been contemplating

54 ROUTE Magazine

anything like this, and so the dream was somewhat of a surprise to me. I got up the next morning and I knew that there was some importance to this dream,” said Tutterow.

The dream was about him building a monument that would culminate in a series of statues, standing at 35-feet-tall, 20-feet-wide and 80-feet-long depicting an Osage warrior, a woman, a little girl, and their domesticated, sled-pulling wolf heading westward on the Osage Trail. The monument would be a tribute to honor the significance of the Trail of Osage and the people that had once used that ancient clay pipe he had found in his youth.

One thing that Tutterow knew for sure was that the sculptures had to be as culturally authentic as possible, so he threw himself into reading, researching, and studying the Osage tribe: who they were, what they wore, and what they used in their daily lives. “I didn’t really have much info on the Osage, or even studied them that much. We had done some mission trips in South Dakota with the Lakota Sioux, which the Osage are a Siouxan tribe, but after I had the dream, I told my wife what I’d like to do. I started doing a lot of research on the tribe,” continued Tutterow. “I wasn’t prepared to jump into it right then. I took my time and just thought, ‘If this is supposed to be, it will happen at the appropriate time.’ I think it did.”

A community committee was put in place to fundraise for the project and in 2015, with Tutterow and his son Chris spearheading the effort, assisted by a team of artists and helpers, work on the Osage Trail Legacy Monument project began. The first piece to be installed was the wolf, which was created using 11,000 feet of welding wire. Next followed the little girl and the woman. Then, on August 28, 2017, the final piece, the 21-foot-tall warrior was unveiled. On September 9, 2017, a delegation of the Osage Nation from Pawhuska, Oklahoma, gathered together with community members for a smoke blessing at the monument performed by the Principal Chief of the Osage Nation, Geoffrey Standing Bear, putting the Osage stamp of approval on it.

“It was quite an emotional ride. I should say, that during the whole thing, there were really no lows. It was just an adrenaline rush for two years. I guess a sense of accomplishment is maybe the word, but it’s not enough, you know? It was probably one of the greatest events of my life, besides getting married and having kids.”

Today, the once steely gray monument, standing at the intersection of Interstate 44 and Highway 19 in Cuba has taken on an almost red-brown wooden look thanks to rust inevitably setting in — a fitting color as the Osage were known to paint their hair, eye sockets, and ears red. The sculptured Osage family stand as a testament to the original trailblazers: those who ventured west to pursue their dreams and chase their livelihoods. Those who set the stage for the emergence of the Mother Road through Missouri — the Osage Nation.

ROUTE Magazine 55

A C H U RC H W I T H Oa U T WA L L S

56 ROUTE Magazine

American red elm, a rare breed due to their susceptibility to Dutch elm fungus, transmitted via elm bark beetles that can kill the trees. However, American red elms make excellent pews because of their resistance to rot. Only a few have been changed twice in the last 35 years.

Since the Chapel’s development, it had initially hosted a sunrise service for Easter Sunday, but for reasons unknown, that has ceased in recent years.

But it’s found a niche in hosting another particular event: weddings. The location has become increasingly popular for ceremonies year-round thanks to its photogenic scenery.

“We usually hold anywhere from 25 to 45 weddings a year, with the bulk of them being in either June or in September and October,” said Kent Swindle, Funks Grove Cemetery Association manager. “October is usually our busiest month with people trying to catch the changing leaves as a backdrop for their ceremony.” When the occasion requires it, the aisle is lined with white rock, and the logs are covered with white vinyl plastic. Receptions are then held at the pavilion, within walking distance of the Chapel.

While a popular venue to reserve for weddings, the location is always open to the public for those seeking a quiet place to be alone and get a little more in touch with nature — and perhaps themselves and God. The serene environment and the incredible distance from anything close to resembling a large structure make it an ideal place to be at peace with one’s thoughts. A concept that’s not lost on those responsible for its upkeep. “It’s a wonderful meditation area. There’s a sign when you first walk in that says, ‘I come here to find myself. It is so easy to get lost in the world.’ As a young boy, I would go there with my dog and just sit. It’s quiet, and nobody’s there except mother nature,” offered Funk. “It’s a wonderful place to be alone and meditate. It has its own unique silence.”

In an ever-changing, hectic world, there is something to be said about a unique region deep in an unspoiled neck of the woods that remains — as it was created — nearly threequarters of a century ago. Yet another humble destination on Route 66.

Words by Mitchell Brown.

a

D

eep in the towering trees of the forests of Funks Grove, Illinois, and just a mile from Sugar Grove Nature Center, there resides a chapel hidden within the timber: The Chapel of the Templed Trees.

Not to be confused with the nearby Chapel in the Trees, this isn’t your typical cathedral.

This is an outdoor sanctuary and a true open-air temple where someone can say their vows and be betrothed to another while also being surrounded by the natural and unblemished world around them. There is a serenity, a peacefulness, here.

The Chapel of the Templed Trees is not a traditional structure, which is to say that it’s not a structure at all. It’s a cleared area in the middle of dense woods in an 18-acre nature preserve near the Funks Grove Church and Cemetery.

Surrounding a roughly 25-foot-long center aisle are logs in place of pews, and at the end of this aisle is a wooden cross and a tree stump that is used as a pulpit — the raised platform where the preacher delivers his sermon. The land that the Chapel rests on belongs to the Funks Grove Cemetery Association, which was formed in 1891 by the Funk and Stubblefield families.

This Chapel itself has been in Funks Grove for nearly 70 years now and was the brainchild of Reverend Loyal Morris Thompson, a Methodist minister with previous experience developing such things. “Loyal Thompson was a friend, as I understand, of Ben Stubblefield, the president of the Funks Grove Cemetery Associations in the ‘50s,” said Eric Funk, Secretary for Funks Grove Cemetery Association. “Dr. Thompson formed another open area chapel up north and was a well-known minister. He suggested that we had a perfect place for an outdoor temple.

He convinced Mr. Stubblefield to develop it.”

Thompson also came up with the title “Templed Trees,” referring to the location as an open-air place of worship, with the shade of the trees acting as the canopy above.

The Chapel had its first service on April 26, 1956, and it’s believed that at the time, it had 10 logs collected for pews.

The number has since gone up to 16. The logs are made of

ROUTE Magazine 57

ROUTE 66

ODYSSEY

ROUTE Magazine’s Picks for the Top Places to Stay Along the Mother Road in 2024

58 ROUTE Magazine

E

mbarking on a Route 66 road trip is not just a journey, it’s a pilgrimage along the historic threads of the American fabric. This one single stretch of highway has seized the imagination of many an artist, musician, writer, photographer, filmmaker, actor, and everybody else who has had the privilege of journeying across America down this scenic road.

As you traverse the iconic highway, a plethora of unique and charming places to stay await, each offering a glimpse into the rich tapestry of Route 66 history. Whether you prefer the reliability of well-established chain hotels like the Holiday Inn or a Best Western, the charm of historic establishments like the Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Missouri, or Boots Court Motel in Carthage, Missouri, or you want to splurge a little and indulge in a luxurious stay while on Route 66, we’ve curated a selection of exceptional lodging options along the Mother Road that offer a safe, comfortable, and clean place to rest your head and then some; some with interesting back stories, some with unique heritage and charms of yesteryear, and others that offer elegant comforts of modern times. All are geared to make your journey down Route 66 one to always remember.

One undeniable truth about curating a list of venues is that almost everyone who has ever journeyed down the Mother Road will have a few venues that they simply adore, and feel should have made this year’s list. We appreciate that and want to assure you that this list represents only a fraction of the high-quality motels and hotels available throughout the Route 66 states. How could a trip down Route 66 ever be complete without a stay at the iconic Motel Safari, Roadrunner Lodge and/or Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico, La Posada in Winslow, Arizona, La Fonda in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the Wigwam motels in Holbrook, Arizona and Rialto, California? This annual article recognizes the fabulous experience that historic venues offer but is seeking to showcase some venues that may not be on your radar. This is one of the amazing things about American road travel, especially on a historic highway like Route 66, there are always new places to visit and enjoy popping up. The one thing that has never changed over the years is the reality of constant change.

Remember, when you motor West, on the highway that’s the best, be sure to do so in whatever fashion suits your needs and desires, including where you decide to get your rest.

ROUTE Magazine 59

Hampton Inn, Pontiac, Illinois The all-American Route 66 town of Pontiac is a living mural of history and culture.

Boasting four amazing museums, including the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum, 23 outdoor murals, several exhibits, and plenty of things to see and do, this is a quintessential Mother Road town.

Explore the wide-open spaces of nearby parks, experience the nostalgia of Route 66, and discover the hidden treasures that Pontiac holds within its quaint streets. Then check yourself into the Hampton Inn, a welcoming beacon for weary travelers and curious adventurers alike, where the charm of the small town meets the comforts of modern conveniences.

The hotel pays homage to the Mother Road with one of Pontiac’s famous miniature art cars — one of the 15 uniquely decorated miniature cars that are spread throughout the downtown area — parked out front. The Route 66 theme continues into the lobby which is decorated with Route 66 memorabilia and road trip inspired pictures on the walls.

Opened in 2017, this contemporary hotel not only offers a great location and spacious, comfortable rooms equipped with amenities such as microwaves, refrigerators, flat-screen TVs, and Wi-Fi, but is part of the town’s narrative as a gateway to Pontiac’s unique character and attractions. You can freely and confidently know that the Hampton Inn will ensure a comfortable and secure stay as you make your way through the heart of the Midwest.

The hotel also features well-equipped business and fitness centers, a refreshing indoor pool, a relaxing outdoor patio complete with a grill, and a complimentary hot breakfast buffet, fuel for your continued journey West.

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington, Illinois, is a charming Midwestern town that is steeped in rich Mother Road and Abraham Lincoln history.

It also has an arsenal of sights and attractions that warrant a couple of nights stay. “But where can I stay?” you ask. And we will tell you! The recently renovated DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel is a beacon of hospitality that is located less than three miles from downtown Bloomington and is the perfect place to base yourself — and then leisurely explore the town and its surroundings.

The aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, a signature complimentary offering, greets you upon arrival, setting the tone for a memorable stay. After checking in, unwind at the indoor pool for a refreshing swim and a soothing dip in the hot tub or retreat to your spacious room, designed to balance modern aesthetics with comfort: mini fridge, coffee maker, and a 50” flatscreen television are at your disposal.

Note: the Brickyard Bar offers cocktails, food specials, and live entertainment on Tuesday nights and the daily warm buffet breakfast is exceptional. Pet-friendly rooms are available.

Vestiges of original Mother Road attractions in Bloomington are ready to be unfolded like a storybook. Check out the Cruisin’ with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center, housed in the award-winning McLean County Museum of History in downtown Bloomington, which celebrates the legacy of both Route 66 and Abraham Lincoln. For an experience of old-time Americana, visit the Sprague Super Service Station; opened in 1930, it is the only two-story Tudor Revival service station on Route 66. Nearby in McLean, the 1928 Dixie Truck Stop, considered the oldest operating truck stop in the United States, offers some fantastic ambiance and homecooked food. Like we said, stick around for a bit.

60 ROUTE Magazine

Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Edwardsville, Illinois Sometimes when traveling down Route 66, you just need a hotel brand that you know and trust, and the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Edwardsville offers this and more.

Opened in 2014, the four-story hotel highlights the juxtaposition between old and new on the historic route. With its sleek, clean interior, it boasts spacious rooms, each equipped with standard amenities such as flat-screen televisions, Wi-Fi, microwaves, refrigerators, and coffee makers. And while pet-friendly rooms aren’t available, service animals are welcomed.

You will love the well-equipped business and fitness center, invigorating indoor heated pool, and daily complimentary hot breakfast buffet, featuring Holiday Inn’s signature cinnamon rolls.

The hotel is steps from the Madison County bike trails, and is conveniently located in close proximity to stores, restaurants, and the historic downtown.

Edwardsville proudly holds the distinction of being the third oldest city in the state. That’s pretty cool. This idyllic small town is renowned for its historic downtown, which has provided the picturesque backdrop for numerous Hollywood movies and captivating attractions along Route 66, such as the 1927 West End Service Station, which now serves as a Route 66 interpretive center that provides visitors with a deeper understanding of the highway’s rich history. It is also the location of the 1909 Wildey Theatre, a well-preserved cultural gem that is still in operation today. And if you are keen to pay a visit to the iconic Chain of Rocks Bridge, this hotel and town is the perfect place to safely set off from.

The Wagon Wheel Motel’s story is interwoven with that of Cuba, Missouri — a town that wears its Route 66 heritage proudly. First opened in 1936 by Robert and Margaret Martin, the venue consisted of the Wagon Wheel Cafe in the front and a gas station next door. Then, in 1938, fourteen Tudor Revival styled Ozark stone cottages, designed by stonemason Leo Friesenhan, were added. The fabulous neon sign, with its iconic wagon wheel graphic, was installed in 1947 by John Mathis, the second owner of the cabins.

Over the years, the motel passed through several hands, including a period of deterioration until 2009 when the venue underwent meticulous restoration under the ownership of Connie Echols, whose commitment to preserving its historic character remains steadfast.

Today, as you check into the Wagon Wheel, you step into a carefully preserved time capsule. The rooms, adorned with vintage fittings and thoughtful touches: flat screen televisions, Wi-Fi, and in-room coffee makers, are super comfortable and evoke a sense of nostalgia without compromising on the conveniences of today.

The motel’s courtyard, with its neatly arranged chairs and flower beds, invites you to linger and share stories of the road with other travelers. Actually, that is one of our favorite parts of this motel. There is a lot of opportunity to engage with other likeminded motorists. It’s a space where strangers become friends, brought together by the common thread of Route 66. And, as the original Wagon Wheel sign flickers to life in hues of red and yellow, casting a warm glow over the Mother Road, you know that you are stepping into the embrace of history.

The Wagon Wheel Motel is not just a place to rest; it’s a destination that celebrates the spirit of the American road trip and is a reminder that, on this historic highway, every stop has a story to tell.

ROUTE Magazine 61

Photograph by Efren Lopez/Route66Images.

Wagon Wheel Motel, Cuba, Missouri

Hotel Vandivort, Springfield, Missouri In the heart of Springfield, Missouri, where the Ozark Mountains cast their majestic shadows and where Route 66 is hailed to have been birthed, is a boutique haven of sophistication and charm—the Hotel Vandivort.

In 2012, Springfield locals Billy, John, and Karen McQuery purchased the former Masonic Temple, a structure that dates back to 1906, and meticulously transformed it into a boutique hotel that not only preserved the building’s character and architectural grandeur, but also curated a space where modern elegance shines.

The cast iron pillars and exposed brick walls that whisper tales of a bygone era, complement the contemporary art and modern fixtures. In November of 2015, Hotel Vandivort proudly became the first hotel in Springfield to be awarded a prestigious AAA Four Diamond rating. And given the building’s rich history, it has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. When luxury and history collide, it’s hard to go wrong.

In 2019, a new chapter in Springfield’s hospitality scene unfolded when the McQuery’s unveiled an adjacent sister property, V2. Accessible through Hotel Vandivort, V2’s sleek façade, juxtaposed against the historic charm of the city, hints at a harmonious blend of modern aesthetics and timeless grace. Forty-eight uniquely designed rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows offering framed vistas of Springfield’s dynamic cityscape. This is an awesome spot to take in the town. Each room is adorned with contemporary furnishings, artwork by Springfield’s emerging artists, and furnished with vintage record players and vinyl records. Now, how cool is that? The crowning jewel is the Vantage Rooftop Lounge and Conservatory, a rooftop bar offering small plates and hand-crafted cocktails served with a side of panoramic scenic escape of historic downtown Springfield. More than just a place to rest your head, V2, is a retreat for those seeking respite from the open road but keen on taking in the finer, more refined side of Springfield.

On the other side of awesome is the Rail Haven Motel. This iconic venue, with its retro charm and timeless appeal, weaves a story that mirrors the bygone days of the Mother Road. Originally built in 1938 by brothers Elwyn and Lawrence Lippman, the Rail Haven Motor Court, as it was originally called, was stationed on their grandfather’s apple orchard and boasted eight sandstone cottages that were comfortably clustered together. Given its location right on America’s Main Street, Rail Haven soon became a beacon along the iconic highway, welcoming road-weary wanderers seeking respite under the Missouri sky.

Even Elvis Presley stayed here in the 1950s. And as a celebration, there is even a suite now dedicated to him. By 1946, it had grown to 28 rooms.

As the 1970s and 1980s rolled through, Rail Haven continued its transformation into a 92-room motel under the Best Western Hotels and Resorts umbrella. Note: Best Western always chooses the best historic properties. As the Interstate era dawned, threatening to overshadow the historic highway, the motel entered into a season of despair until it fell into the hands of Gordon Elliott, the current owner who undertook a very careful restoration. The motel’s facade, neon signage, and interior spaces were revitalized to capture the authenticity of its mid-century origins. And its wrap-around green neon is simply fantastic under the Ozark night sky.

Today, as you step into Rail Haven, you are not merely checking into a motel, you are immersing yourself in the living history of the Mother Road. Restored Fords parked outside near the lobby, vintage gas pumps on display, black-and-white pictures in the rooms depicting the original Rail Haven as it once was, and its evolution throughout the years, all give a nod to its glorious past, without sacrificing modern-day comforts.

A stay at Rail Haven is a step into a world where the road was king, and the promise of the unknown beckoned from every curve.

62 ROUTE Magazine

Photograph by Efren Lopez/Route66Images.

Best Western Rail Haven, Springfield, Missouri

HOTEL Va c a n c y

Some folks say it’s all about the journey.

We think the stops along the way can be pretty great, too.

The call of the open road, it’s almost magical, and very American. Yet this is no ordinary road trip. This is the Mother Road—the highway that’s the best. A page torn from American history when cars were bigger and life was simpler. We know when you get off the road, you want to feel like you’re home. We’ll have a warm chocolate chip DoubleTree Cookie waiting for you.

The Doubletree by Hilton has all the amenities you’ve come to expect from modern life, including wi-fi, fitness room, pool, and hot tub. If you want to stay in for the evening, we have an on-property bar and restaurant. (And local shuttle service if you decide you don’t.) Since your four-legged friends may be with you for your journey, we’re a pet-friendly hotel, too.

Get a great night’s rest on our Sweet Dreams bedding and fuel up on our breakfast before cruising out.

BLOOMINGTON

(309) 664 6446 www.Bloomington.DoubleTree.com 10 Brickyard Drive, Bloomington, IL 61701 ROUTE Magazine 63

If there is a venue that demands to be included in your Route 66 road trip, Boots Court is it! In 1939, Arthur Boots decided to build a four-room motor court that would cater to the growing wave of travelers exploring the newly minted Route 66. The location was strategic, at the crossroads of Route 66 and the Jefferson Highway.

Characterized by a white stucco exterior with rounded corners, vibrant green neon lighting and a colorful sign in red and green neon proclaiming, “Boots Court” and “A Radio in Every Room,” the motel became quite popular with travelers embarking on crosscountry journeys.

However, over the years, Route 66 underwent changes, and the motel weathered the shifts in travel trends, changing ownership, continuous renovations, and even the threat of demolition. But, in 2021, a group of passionate Carthage residents known as C Town LLC rescued the motel and, via the nonprofit Boots Court Foundation, undertook an extensive restoration, aiming to preserve the motel’s historic charm while adapting to the needs of modern travelers.

Today, Boots Court Motel — with 13 unique rooms, each featuring vintage chenille blankets, old style radios playing classic oldies, and Wi-Fi — stands as a timeless relic of mid-century charm, offering you an opportunity to step back in time and experience the magic of a bygone era and relive the romance of the open road. Carthage is an amazing town to stay in due to its quaint, peaceful vibe and Boots, with its glowing neon, is the best spot to watch life at the crossroads of America, as the vibrant night turns quiet.

While here, the historic 1949, 66 Drive-In Theatre — one of the oldest and last remaining drive-in theaters still in operation along Route 66 — the Carthage Civil War Museum, and Red Oak II are a must visit.

Photograph by Efren Lopez/Route66Images.

Boots Court Motel, Carthage, Missouri

Originally built in 1927, this time-honored venue was renovated in 2011 and recently added to the National Register of Historic Places. If you are looking for a venue with tons of character and personality, then the Campbell Hotel is it. Each of its 26 rooms is uniquely and distinctly furnished, influenced by a different piece of Tulsa’s colorful history.

Some of the featured rooms include a Rose Bowl room, a Tulsa Art Deco room and, of course, a suite inspired by Route 66.

The Route 66 Suite is where “rustic style meets simple detail.” Complete with a faux fireplace and old license plates and street signs covering the walls, this suite is perfect for the Mother Road traveler looking for a place where history and luxury collide.

The Campbell Hotel is also home to Spa Maxx, Tulsa’s most elegant luxury salon and spa. Here you can completely pamper yourself with different massages, aromatherapy, skin treatments, and detoxes. While staying at the hotel, you’re not going to want to miss visiting the Campbell Lounge. Cap off the night in a space that offers an intimate atmosphere and premiere mixed drinks. Whether you’re looking for a perfectly crafted old fashioned or just a whisky on the rocks, the bar has got you covered with experienced bartenders and a relaxing aura. The Campbell Hotel is certainly a worthwhile splurge while traveling down the Mother Road.

And while in town, Tulsa boasts amazing cultural and historical attractions, including lots of Route 66 gas stations, neon signs, and diners. Check out the Admiral Twin Drive-In, Meadow Gold Neon Sign, Golden Driller, Blue Dome Service Station, and more. Plenty to see and do to get your kicks in Tulsa.

64 ROUTE Magazine

Photograph by Efren Lopez/Route66Images.

The Campbell Hotel, Tulsa, Oklahoma

In the heart of Oklahoma, where the winds carry whispers of history and the spirit of creativity dances in the air, stands the Fordson Hotel. The story of this beautiful boutique hotel, situated in downtown Oklahoma City, begins with a vision to transform a historic building into a place where luxury and history converge, creating a haven for the curious and the connoisseur.

Back in 1916, the building was a Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant for the Model T automobile. Fred Jones, one of the plant’s earliest employees, eventually bought the building in 1968 and became one of the world’s largest Ford dealers, trading as Fred Jones Manufacturing Company. Fast forward many decades later, the building was repurposed into a 21c Museum Hotel and then, in 2023, it was rebranded into the Fordson Hotel under the Hyatt Hotels Corporation portfolio.

Stepping into the lobby — which is being redesigned in partnership with Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman — you immediately get the sense of the building’s scale and openness, which have been nicely preserved. A red antique Model T — tapping into the spirit of Fred Jones, of course — is parked in the lobby, ready to welcome you. The new glass and brick light wells — former shafts once used to lower the Ford Model T from the assembly line located on the upper floors — bring in even more natural light to its core, merging the soul of the structure seamlessly with innovation and tradition. One hundred thirty-five spacious loft-like rooms and suites are outfitted with high ceilings, large steel windows, custom-designed furniture, and luxury amenities that add luster to the antique setting.

The on-site restaurants, spa, fitness center, valet, and shuttle to downtown attractions means that you are so well taken care of during your stay, that you may think twice about leaving. So, maybe stick around for a few days.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Elk City, Oklahoma Fondly called “The Queen of the West” for its western hospitality, Elk City has a rich history that traces back to 1901.

Originally known as Crowe, the town was renamed Busch in a bid to capture the attention of Adolphus Busch, the co-founder of Anheuser-Busch beer. However, when their aspirations of acquiring a brewery didn’t come to fruition, the townspeople renamed their town Elk City after the Elk Creek that flows through it.

Despite its humble size, Elk City has a wealth of historical attractions, including the National Route 66 and Transportation Museum and the Old Town Museum, enticing travelers to stay for a night or two in order to really experience the tales woven into the very fabric of the town’s identity.

And the place to stay is without a doubt, the four-story Holiday Inn Express & Suites, a newer property built in 2012, renovated in 2021, and then again in 2023. Recognized for its excellent quality and commitment to customer satisfaction, the hotel has been the recipient of the IHG’s Torchbearer Award.

We do love Holiday Inns but this one really does feel like a classic Route 66 stop.

The moment you step through its doors, from the unusually fantastic service to the spacious rooms, to the complimentary hot breakfast, you will feel right at home. Each of the 84 guest rooms comes with a microwave, mini-fridge, 32” multimedia flat screen TV, and pillow-top triple sheeted beds. In addition, the suites come with a separate living space, kitchenette, and sofa bed.

Traveling with kids? The indoor water park is geared to offer hours of fun. Who are we kidding? The water park is perfect for us adults, too.

ROUTE Magazine 65

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

Fordson Hotel, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

The Barfield Hotel, Amarillo, Texas If you’re looking for a lavish boutique hotel experience that will appeal to your inner cowboy, then look no further than The Barfield in Amarillo, Texas, a city renowned for its vibrant cowboy culture, exquisite desert landscapes, and the iconic mile-long Route 66 Historic District.

Standing proudly at the intersection of Historic Route 66 and Polk Street, The Barfield was constructed in 1927 by Melissa Dora Oliver-Eakle as a ten-story office structure named the Oliver-Eakle Building. As the city’s first skyscraper, it became an instant landmark, synonymous with Amarillo’s vibrant cultural scene.

Interestingly, despite Oliver-Eakle’s personal opposition to liquor, the basement housed a concealed entrance leading to a speakeasy known as the Paramount Recreation Club.

As the years passed, the building weathered economic shifts, was renamed the Barfield Building, and experienced a thirtyyear period of vacancy. Yep, 30 years! That is until 2021, when new owners undertook an extensive repurposing of the building, reopening it as a 112 room Marriott’s Autograph Collection with The Barfield iconic sign illuminated, casting a warm glow over Route 66 once again.

The hotel presents an eclectic blend of western charm and Roaring Twenties aesthetics, with modern amenities seamlessly integrated into the classic architecture. Elements of the original structure are preserved, including the elevators and the marble floor in the lobby. Each room is uniquely and luxuriously designed and features West Texas-inspired décor, blackout shades, and a minibar fridge. A second-floor outdoor patio offers views of the Amarillo skyline, allowing you to witness the vibrant sunsets that paint the West Texas plains. In tribute to Oliver-Eakle, who famously carried a pearl-handled derringer pistol in her purse, decorative bullet holes and pistols adorn the hotel’s decor. In addition, the speakeasy has been revived. Question is, will you figure out the clue to get in?

In 1939, Conrad Hilton, the founder of the Hilton Hotels chain, opened his first Hilton Hotel outside of Texas, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At ten-stories, it was the tallest building in the state, the first one with an elevator, and the first one with air conditioning. Ahead of its time, the unique and luxurious hotel combined Spanish, Moorish, and Native American influences in its design, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of New Mexico. The hotel soon became a symbol of elegance and served as a gathering place for Albuquerque’s social elites. Legendary celebrities such as James Stewart, Lucille Ball, and Zsa Zsa Gabor, who happened to be Hilton’s second wife, all stayed here.

Through the decades, the hotel changed ownership and underwent various transformations and was renamed numerous times. In 2009, after a $30 million restoration, The Andaluz Hotel, as it was then named, celebrated a grand reopening, and in 2019, came full circle when it joined the prestigious Hilton’s Curio Collection.

Today, you can immerse yourself in the unique blend of Spanish and Native American influences that permeate the hotel’s design, from the grand two-storied lobby, adorned with arches, high ceilings, wrought-iron chandeliers, intricate tile work, and six unique casbahs, to the 107 contemporary rooms and suites that populate the historic floors.

The hotel incorporates green technologies, energy-efficient lighting, and other environmentally conscious initiatives, and is the only Gold LEED certified hotel in the Southwest. The Ibiza Urban Lounge is the hotel’s crowning jewel. Its open-air setting offers a sophisticated space for guests to unwind while embracing the beauty of the southwestern sky.

66 ROUTE Magazine

Photograph by Efren Lopez/Route66Images.

Hotel Andaluz, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Visit ChoiceHotels.com/Missouri or call 1-877-424-6423 to get our lowest price guaranteed.**

*Rate Restrictions: Valid only for Choice Privileges members (program enrollment is free). The reservation must be made on ChoiceHotels.com at participating hotels and must be made at least 7, 14, 21 or 30 days in advance, which will vary based on the hotel for which a reservation is being made. Subject to availability, the rate starts at 15% off Best Available Rate, is non-cancellable, non-changeable and non-refundable. Your credit card will be charged for the total reservation amount within 24-48 hours of booking. This rate has a seven (7) night maximum length of stay. Rooms at this discount are limited. Offer is not available to groups and cannot be combined with any other discount. Choice Hotels reserves the right to change or discontinue this offer at any time. Eligibility restricted to U.S. and Canadian residents. Members must book direct at ChoiceHotels.com/Missouri or call 1-877-424-6423. All Choice Hotels properties are independently owned and operated. **Guarantee applies to Third Party Website standard rates for a Choice single or double occupancy room that are at least 1% and $1.00 less than the Choice rate. Claims must be submitted within 24 hours of booking and 48+ hours prior to 6 PM check-in time the day of hotel arrival. Other terms also apply; see www.choicehotels.com/legal/best-rate-rules for full terms and conditions. ©2024 Choice Hotels International. All rights reserved.

ROUTE Magazine 67

Built in 1937 by Irish immigrant Daniel Murphy, and positioned strategically along the historic highway, the El Vado Motel’s Pueblo Revival architecture, stucco walls with exposed vigas and carports for every room, gave a nod to the rich cultural tapestry of the region. A vibrant neon sign, with an American Indian wearing a colorful headdress, beckoned to travelers journeying along Route 66, to find solace within its adobe walls.

As the wheels of progress turned, the El Vado Motel witnessed the shifting landscapes of Albuquerque and Route 66 and fell on hard times, passing from one owner to another. By the early-2000s, it was facing the threat of demolition. A decade of inactivity and legal wrangles ensued, keeping the fate of the motel in limbo and in a state of disrepair until it landed in the safe hands of Chad Rennaker and Palindrome Properties of Portland, Oregon, who gave the motel a second chance at life.

In 2018, after an estimated $18 million restoration, breathing new life into its adobe bones while retaining its cultural significance and charm that made it a beloved stop for generations, the El Vado reopened its doors once again.

Today, the classic neon sign glows anew.

The twenty-two rooms — larger ones from converted carports — are named after classic vehicles with names such as Hudson, DeSoto, and Packard, and are adorned with contemporary fittings and amenities, offering comfort for travelers seeking a unique experience.

The El Vado Motel’s courtyard, once a hub for road-weary adventurers, has been revitalized to serve a new generation of guests, paying homage to the past while embracing the energy of present-day Albuquerque. A brewery, shops, a swimming pool, and inviting seating areas offer a gathering place where stories are shared beneath the New Mexico sky and memories are made.

Photograph by Efren Lopez/Route66Images.

El Vado Motel, Albuquerque, New Mexico

The story of El Rancho Hotel is one of frontier dreams, Hollywood allure, and the enduring charm of the Mother Road.

Constructed in 1936 by visionary movie theater tycoon R.E. “Griff” Griffith, the El Rancho blended the rugged spirit of the Old West with the comfort expected by travelers. It quickly became a haven for Hollywood celebrities drawn to Gallup during the golden age of Western films. The likes of John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Rita Hayworth, and Katherine Hepburn graced its halls. However, as the popularity of westerns, and then of Route 66 waned, the hotel gradually lost its appeal, falling into neglect and facing the threat of demolition.

Fortunately, in 1986, the owner of an Indian trading post, Armand Ortega, purchased and restored the hotel, earning it a place on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the venue is owned

by Ortega’s grandson, Shane Ortega, who has undertaken major renovations to bring an elevated charm of yesteryear, with the convenience of today. Each of the ninety-four remodeled rooms, all configured differently and named after celebrities, bears flat-screen TVs, leather chairs, wooden headboards, and Southwest decor and linens. The traditional black-and-white tiled bathrooms now feature walk-in showers.

A step into the lobby, with its dark wood furniture, a grand fireplace, mounted deer heads, and twin lobby staircases, transports you to the era when the frontier spirit met the glitz of Hollywood. The hotel stands not just as a place to rest but as a true icon of the American Southwest and a living testament to the enduring allure of the open road. And did we mention that this venue has one of the most iconic neon signs in the state? The glittering signage alone is a reason to spend the night at the amazing El Rancho.

68 ROUTE Magazine

Photograph by Efren Lopez/Route66Images.

Hotel El Rancho, Gallup, New Mexico

ROUTE Magazine 69

High Country Motor Lodge, Flagstaff, Arizona In the heart of Flagstaff and nestled against the backdrop of the majestic San Francisco Peaks, sits a new, storied haven that echoes with the hum of the Mother Road, and the spirit of adventure that defines the high desert. Previously an old 1964 Howard Johnson hotel, High Country Motor Lodge was opened by Classic Hotels & Resorts in 2022, after a $13 million renovation that integrated the adventurous spirit of the outdoors with the vintage style of a roadside motel. This venue is a great discovery.

The moment you step into the lobby you can sense that meticulous attention has been paid to preserve the lodge’s midcentury charm, while enhancing it for a new generation of adventurers. From dark blue walls and amber lighting, the 1960s-inspired fixtures and furnishings, rustic wood accents, to the General Store — an elegant time capsule that offers a good variety of provisions — everything transports you back into the nostalgia of yesteryear, while enjoying the convenience of today. A bar and lounge which opens out onto an outdoor patio furnished with tables, lounge chairs around a series of fire pits, promise fun-filled and memorable times. At night it is extra magical.

The 123 room U-shaped complex is built around a central lawn, an expansive swimming pool, and a ​​Nordic spa experience.

The rooms include three private, shingle-clad cabin suites, which boast of their own outdoor seating area and fire pit. All rooms feature plush pillow-top mattresses, natural wood flooring, mid-century lounging chairs, a retro-style mini-refrigerator, and a radio cassette player with a selection of tapes to play. After a night or two here, you might find yourself hard-pressed to say which was more memorable: the journey or the accommodation.

Historic 66 Motel, Seligman, Arizona

www.lilegallery.com

Exclusive Home of Cadilite Jewelry 70 ROUTE Magazine

806-644-3089

2719 SW 6th Ave. Amarillo TX

Fine Art and Local Amarillo Art

Limited Edition 66 Prints and Route 66 Memorbilia

Best Western King’s Inn & Suites, Kingman, Arizona In Kingman, Arizona, the spirit of Route 66 runs deep, and the legacy of the Mother Road is passionately celebrated. As one of Nat King Cole’s recommendations in his hit song “Get Your Kicks on Route 66,” the town has a rich history and is home to the award-winning Historic Route 66 Museum and the Route 66 EV Museum, the world’s only electric vehicle museum.

Located along the fabled 66 highway, and centrally located to all of the area’s top tourist destinations such as the Hoover Dam, Hualapai Mountain Park, and the Grand Canyon is the Best Western King’s Inn & Suites. Its classic motor court design, with exterior-facing doors, offers the nostalgic appeal reminiscent of the heydays of Route 66. Recently updated, the spacious rooms have been configured with a seating area and fitted with contemporary amenities, designed to meet the expectations of modern travelers offering all the trappings of an efficient and comfortable stay. The outdoor pool invites you to unwind beneath the Arizona sky and if you fancy doing some laundry by this stage of your trip, this is a great destination.

In the morning, before you continue west, be sure to enjoy the complimentary hot buffet breakfast from the outdoor patio.

Sipping a coffee under the towering palm trees that overlook Route 66, makes for the perfect start to a new day on the open road.

Rio Del Sol Inn, Needles, California Marking the beginning of the end of the Mother Road, Needles, known as the “Gateway to California,” boasts 10.8 continuous miles of Route 66. Once a major stop on the historic route from the 1920s through to the 1960s, their famous “Welcome to Needles” covered wagon still greets motorists with a nostalgic warmth. It is a very popular photo op.

Needles — named after a rock formation on the Arizona border — is one of the hottest places in the country, with summertime highs hovering between 100°F and 120°F for months on end, which makes Rio Del Sol not just a place to rest, but a true sanctuary for weary travelers seeking solace from the desert heat.

Located just moments away from the fast-flowing Colorado River, and within an easy drive to Lake Havasu or the near ghost town of Oatman, the hotel is also in close proximity to the East Mojave National Scenic Area and the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, for those who enjoy nature viewing. With comfortable, modern rooms, oversized parking if you want to bring your boat or RV, and an outdoor pool to cool off from the desert heat — or an on-site whirlpool spa and sauna if you don’t — are at your disposal. Bonus: a partnership with the Route 66 Wagon Wheel Restaurant across the street ensures that you enjoy discounts on your meals throughout your stay, plus children under 17 stay free, making it the perfect family-friendly option.

On a quiet, balmy Needles night, sitting under the expansive California sky with the palm trees swaying in the breeze, Rio Del Sol Inn becomes a place where time seems to slow down, inviting you to savor the simple pleasures of this desert retreat. Make a point of spending some time in Needles and soak in the gregarious nature and unique history of this little desert town.

ROUTE Magazine 71

SUB S CR I BE NOW ROUTE ROUTE ROUTE THE MAGAZINE THAT CELEBRATES ROAD TRAVEL, VINTAGE AMERICANA AND ROUTE 66

Magazine

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

Magazine

ODYSSEY

Roadside Kitsch Alive and Well

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

Magazine

Wigwam Mania

The Rise and Fall of Wigwam Villages

Our Picks for Best Dining on 66

Desert Terror

When You Should be Afraid!

A SELDOM SEEN SIDE OF THE MOTHER ROAD, IN PICTURES $5.99

+

$5.99

NEW LEASE ON LIFE FOR RAILCARS IN THE SOUTHWEST THE STORIED TALE OF DODGE CITY’S EL VAQUERO

The Americana Issue

$5.99

+

THE GREEN BOOK | THE MYSTERIOUS PYTHIAN CASTLE ARTIST TINA MION

ROUTE Magazine i

ROUTE Magazine I

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

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

Magazine

THE AMERICANA ISSUE $5.99

ROUTE Magazine i

Magazine

The Journey of the Wagon Wheel Motel

$5.99

The Saviour of Atlanta

+

MICHAEL J. FOX: STILL OPTIMISTIC

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

THE DREAM, THE DECLINE, AND THE RESURGENCE

THE ROUTE 66 STORY

Magazine

ICON JAMES WOODS TAKES US ON A JOURNEY THROUGH HIS LIFE AND DOWN THE MOTHER ROAD $5.99

+

A FAMILY TRADITION: FUNKS GROVE MOTEL SAFARI: HOSPITALITY NEW MEXICAN STYLE

ROUTE Magazine i

www.routemagazine.us

ROUTE

72 ROUTE Magazine

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.®

ROUTE Magazine 73

Plan your visit at ENJOYILLINOIS.COM/ROUTE66

74 ROUTE Magazine

ROUTE Magazine 75