Along 66, Dec. 2020: The Green Book's Threatt Gas Station and the Museum Club

DECEMBER 28, 2020    

The Library of Congress puts the Negro Motorist Green Book interviews online.  One of the interviews is about the historic Threatt Filling Station on Route 66 in Luther, Oklahoma.

Built around 1915 using local sandstone and was a house/type gas station.  

What made it most impressive was that it was one of the early stations that catered to black tourists.

I am so glad that the Negro Green Book has become so well known as it gives another side of Route 66 that is too often overlooked.

DECEMBER 30, 2020

The Museum Club of Flagstaff, Arizona, will be going on an indefinite hiatus starting Monday.  Citing the virus hardships as a major cause.  Their last day will be Sunday January 3, 2021.  Owners don't know if it will reopen.  Maybe.  This is the second time it has closed in three years.

It was built by taxidermist Dean Eldridge in 1931 and has nearly 30,000 items from his collection of stuffed animals. It became a bar after Prohibition ended.

It hit its heyday when Don and Thorna Scott bought it in the early 1960s and began booking performers like Willie nelson, Waylon Jennings and Bob Wills.  The Scotts met their deaths tragically.  Thorna fell down the stairs and he committed suicide.

We did stop in for a drink or two when we went through there.  Neat place.  Something to see wherever you look.  

What Clutter?  --Old

Along 66, Dec. 2020: The Stanley Court-Tel Neon Sign Headed for the Route 66 Neon Sign Park in St. Robert, Missouri

DECEMBER 27

St. Robert, Mo. begins restoration of Stanley Cour-Tel neon sign.  It was originally on Route 66 in West St. Louis.

It's new home will be at the historic George M. Reed Roadside Park's Route 66 Neon Park.  It is expected to take 90 days for the restoration.

For many years, it was kept at Rich Henry's Rabbit Ranch on Route 66 in Staunton, Illinois.

The Stanley Cour-Tel was razed to make way for St. Louis' Lambert Airport.  The motel housed Apollo 1 astronauts while training for the first Apollo trip.

--RoadDog

Along 66, Dec.2020: Merry Christmas Video Card and Hubcap Tree

DECEMBER 24

Frank and Lynne's 2020 video Christmas card is out.

Frank and Lynne Cocevar used to own the Historic Seligman Sundries on Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona.  Quite a striking video.  Go to the Route 66 News site and check it out.

We did not visit it the last time, and only time through Seligman, but looking at the picture of the place, we should have.  next time for sure.

DECEMBER 25

Enchanted Trails RV Park in Albuquerque erects a wonderful hubcap tree.  In honor of you-know-what today.  It is 17 feet tall and has about 300 hubcaps.  That's a lot of pot holes indeed.

Vicki Ashcroft is the president of it.

--RoadDog

Olga Herbert Retires-- Part 3: The Coffee Pot

Probably Olga's favorite project while she was executive director of the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor was the famed Coffee Pot.  She said there was little interest in Bedford to save the vintage 1927 from demolition.

She and the organization worked hard to raise the money to relocate the Coffee Pot a quarter mile away from its original site and then to restore it.

Thanks to her efforts, the Coffee Pot is today listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The organization sold the structure to the Bedford County Fairgrounds in 2004 for the princely sum of $1.

--RoadLincoln

Lincoln Highway: Olga Herbert Retires-- Part 2: Mighty Proud of That Coffee Pot

Along the Lincoln Highway, October 2020.

If you love the old roads like I do, this woman was an amazing proponent and did so much for the Lincoln Highway.

The Lincoln Highway begins in New York's Times Square and ends up in San Francisco.  It opened in 1913 (making it 15 years older than the much better-known Route 66) and was mostly completed by 1925.  In 1926, much of the Lincoln Highway became U.S. Highway 30.

Other Olga accomplishments on her stretch of the Lincoln include  20 Lincoln Highway-themed murals painted by three different artists and 22 painted vintage gas pump reproductions.  There are also 5 "Roadside Giants" completed by vocational schools along the route.  There are also a number of restoration projects of larger-than-life unique structures created during the early days of the road to attract tourists.

"I'm fond of the Coffee Pot, because that was the first one we did," Herbert said of her favorite restoration project.

--RoadColn

Lincoln Highway: Olga Herbert Retiring

From the Oct. 2, 2020. Latrobe (Pa.) Bulletin "Olga Herbert set to retire from Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor after 25 years" by Zach D'Amico.

If anyone is mostly the reason why the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor in Pennsylvania is a success, it is because of Olga Herbert, who built it from essentially nothing in her 25 years running it as executive director.  To say she started with mothing would be an  understatement.

She applied for the job 25 years ago after Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge designated a 200-mile stretch of road spanning six counties from North Huntington to Abbottstown as one of 12 designated heritage areas in the Commonwealth.

In her early stages of running it, Olga created the Lincoln Highway Journal, a quarterly  newsletter that is still printed today.

She also traveled up and down the road  forming connections with people and organizations.  While doing this, she realized that many folks did not know about the Lincoln Highway, so starting in 2000, the organization began installing 150 colorful wooden and metal roadside signs along the historic alignments of the highway to promote tourism in the six counties.

--RoadLinc

Along 66, Dec. 2020: The De Anza's Comeback and the Route 66 Centennial Commission Becomes Fact

DECEMBER 22

The De Anza Motor Lodge wins NAIOP award for Mixed Us/Multi-Family category.

Albuquerque, New Mexico.  The National Association of Industrial Affairs Properties gave them the prize.  The old motel is now apartments whose massing, scale, color, tones and textures reflect the original motel

The De Anza was built by Charles Wallace, a Zuni trader and Indian art collector in 1939.  The City of Albuquerque closed it in 2003.  Three attempts were made to bring it back to its former glory before this new success.

DECEMBER 23 

President Trump signs the Route 66 Centennial Commission Act bill into law.

The road's centennial, of course, is in 2026.  It was Senate Bill 1014 and signed into law along with six other bills.

The U.S. House of Representatives had earlier passed it by voice vote.  It passed the senate by unanimous consent.

Hey guys and gals, I'd like to volunteer my services.

Hello, Guys?  Anybody There?  --RoadWhyNot

Lincoln Highway, Sept. 2020: Lincoln Motor Court Nominated in USA's Ten Best Roadside Motel Contest: It's Like Taking a Trip Back in Time

From the September 30, 2020, Altoona (Pa.) Mirror  "Motor court vies for honor" by Patt Keith.

I've already written about this, but the article has some extra information and since I am so far behind in Lincoln Highway coverage.

Said  co-owner Debbie Altizer, "It's like taking a trip back in time."  Debbie and her husband Bob bought the place back in 1983 after a two-year search.  She said the early years were rough, but word got around and its reputation grew about taking a trip back to the 1940s.

The Altizers spent much time traveling to yard  and estate sales looking for vintage articles and each cabin is stocked with them.  Some of those items are doilies, radios, typewriters, cameras and the metal chairs that sit in front of each cottage (they are those neat ones like those at the Boots Court in Carthage, Missouri).

Each 11 by 16-foot cottage, however, comes with a modern refrigerator and a microwave.  To keep with those bygone days, sorry folks, no air conditioning, just fans.

Rates for the trip back are $85 for two people.

Next Time That Way, I Know Where I Am Going to Stay.  A Perfect Place to Talk With Fellow Travelers.  --RoadDog

Along 66, Dec. 2020: Glaida Funk Dies, Funk's Grove Maple Sirip

DECEMBER 21

Glaida Funk, matriarch of Funk's Grove Maple Sirip has died at age 94.

Her husband Steve died in 2015 at age 90.  They were married for almost 70 years and had run Funk's Grove Maple Sirip since 1947.

Other family members ran it before that.

We met her on our first Route 66 trip in 2002.  We pulled into their place after closing time and got out of the car to look at it.  A woman came up to us from the house across the road and we told her this was our first time on 66.  She opened the store for us.  Her name was Glaida.  

We didn't have much of a chance not to get smitten by 66 on that first trip as we also got a chance to meet and talk with Rich Henry, Bill Shea and Tom Teague.

We Got the Full Route 66 Treatment That Trip.  No Wonder We Got "Hooked."  --RoadDog

Lincoln Highway, Sept. 2020: Lauren Buches New Executive Director of Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor in Pennsylvania

News along the Lincoln Highway. September 29, 2020

Lauren Buches is currently with the Latrobe Art Center and is a University of Pittsburgh graduate with degrees in history and journalism.  She has worked at Westmoreland Heritage,  Bushy Run Battlefield (Pontiac's Rebellion 1763) and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

She will be splitting her time in October between the art museum and training with Olga Hebert, outgoing executive director of the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor.

As for Olga Herbert, she will still be  on the road as she and her husband Joe travel to visit their five children.  It just won't be on Route 30, the Lincoln Highway.

"There's other roads out there besides the Lincoln Highway," she said.  "I feel good that more people know the Lincoln Highway than they did twenty-five years ago.  It's always been a  runner-up to Route 66 -- but nor for long."

Well, Liz and I sure found out about the Lincoln Highway, but not until about eighteen years ago, even though we had spent out college years at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, right on the Lincoln Highway, where the road is still named Lincoln Highway.  We used to do what our friends referred to as the Lincoln Crawl from one bar to another on the famed road.  We never knew that it was just a part of a much bigger and more important highway.

Hey, college town you know.

Thanks Carl Fisher.  --RoadLinc

Along 66, Dec. 2020: Eat-Rite Diner Closes... Again

DECEMBER 19

Eat-Rite Diner in St. Louis has shut down again.

It has closed permanently for a second time in a little more than three years, citing crime, violence and the virus as reasons.

It is considered a St. Louis institution and a popular hang out for Cardinal fans (if not at Ted Drewes).  Located on the old Chouteau alignment of Route 66, just one block from the Tucker Boulevard Route 66 alignment.  (Route 66 has many, many alignments through St. Louis.)

We've never been to it before, but I'm not sure about the crime and violence they reported.  Plus, I can now go back to St. Louis which I was boycotting after the removal of the Confederate statue in Forest Park.  At least it did not get "hate crimed," which happens so often in other places these days.  I need some Ted Drewes, anyway.  I sure missed that place.

--RoadDrewes

Along 66, Dec. 2020: Oklahoma's Famed Pony Bridge

DECEMBER 16

The Pony Bridge is added to the NRHP.

The William H. Murray Bridge, better known as the Pony Bridge, has now been listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as of December 4.

It is a 3,990 foot span which opened in 1937 over the South Canadian River.  When it was built it was the most expensive and longest bridge in Oklahoma.  Building it was quite the challenge as the river changes course quite quickly (and often is completely dry) and there is quicksand in the wide flood plain.

**  It made a brief appearance in the 1940 movie "Grapes of Wrath."

**  It is the only bridge built specifically to carry Route 66 traffic still in use.

**  The U.S. DOT has given Oklahoma a $22 million grant to rehabilitate and reconstruct the bridge.  The work is scheduled to start in  2022.

--RoadPony

The Last Civil War Widow, Helen Viola Jackson, Dies at Age 101. Died at a Nursing Home in Marshfield, Missouri, on Route 66

From Jan. 7, 2021 U.S. News & World Report "Missouri woman believed to be last Civil War widow dies" by AP.

Her 1936 marriage to Joe Bolin was somewhat unusual.  She was a 17-year-old school girl and he was 93 and in declining health.  Bolin was also a Civil War veteran who fought in the border state of Missouri.

She died at the Webco Manor nursing home in Marshfield, Missouri, right on Route 66 west of town.  She was born and grew up in Niangua, Missouri, which is also on Route 66.

Helen Jackson was almost certainly the very last Civil War widow when she died December 16, 2020.

Several Civil War organizations have recognized her as such.

Joe Bolin was a private in the 14th Missouri Cavalry during the war.  In thanks for her care while he was in failing health, he offered to marry her so she could get his pension.  They were secretly married but never intimate and after his death, she never applied for his pension.  She kept their marriage secret until just a few years before her death.

I'll be writing about her life in my Saw the Elephant: Civil War blog in the future.

--RoadWidow

Along 66, Dec. 2020: Vanity Plates in Missouri? Good Bye Route 66 Yahoo! E-Mail Group

DECEMBER 15

The Missouri Route 66 Association may offer special vanity license plates in 2021.  They will be personalized and sell of them will help raise money for Route 66 preservation projects.

Arizona started one for Route 66 and made $230,100.

In order for this to take place, at least 200 Missouri residents would have to show interest.  In Arizona, every $25 plate sold gives the association there $17.  Arizona also required $32 per plate (above and beyond the cost of a regular plate) initially.

DECEMBER 18

Yahoo! has deleted its Route 66 e-mail group.

Most of its members are now on the Me We platform

This took place not only for the Route 66 group, but all groups

--RoadDog

Illinois' Horner Highway-- Part 3: Wonder How Many Trees Are Left?

Kingery was director for only a couple years, but  during that time, he instructed road crews to not cut brush along this stretches of roads and tried to have native growth start.

Horner Highway was the first such project in Illinois and one of the first in the nation.

The Horner Clubs' name proposal was a success, at least for awhile.  Although the roadway was officially designated Highway 29 beginning in 1940, newspaper articles and advertisements routinely  called that section the "Horner Highway" well into the 1950s.

The beautification project also took root although many of the trees planted in the 1930s were felled by  Central Illinois' Easter Ice Storm of 1978.

The most visible relic of the old road is a large granite boulder bearing a plaque at the intersection of Illinois 29 with Jeffries Road just north of the Sangamon River.  The plaque reads:

"One of the first comprehensive tree planting projects in Illinois is along  this route which leads to  the New Salem State Park.  The planting, which was completed in 1934, was sponsored by the Women's Horner Clubs of Sangamon County."

Never Heard of It Before.  --RoadLearnSomethingEveryDay

Illinois' Horner Highway-- Part 2: Lots of Trees and Landscaping

The name "Horner Highway" was the brainchild of the Women's Horner Clubs of Sangamon County which were established to support Horner's political efforts.  This was a statewide organization (outside of Chicago).  A reception in June 1935 drew women from 50 Illinois counties, including representatives from  32 clubs in Sangamon County alone.

The clubs began pushing to name the highway after Horner when the section of road was paved in 1933.  The new pavement opened that August in time for the Illinois State Fair.  The clubs negotiated with landowners and members helped convince the state to plant thousands of trees along the road.

"That road from Walnut Street north to Illinois  124 on the far side of Cantrall, ... was landscaped very heavily by the Department of Public Works and Buildings," Henry Scheer, a former state  highway maintenance engineer in 1978.  "(T)hat road was a showplace for quite awhile.

Scheer credited Robert  Kingery, director of the department under Horner, for what was called "a daring attempt at modern conservation practice."

--RoadPretty

Illinois' 'Horner Highway' an Early Example of Natural Beautification Along Roadways-- Part 1

From the Jan. 11, 2021, Springfield, Illinois State Journal-Register from the SangamonLink.org. Online Encyclopedia.

The Horner Highway north of Springfield was one of the first examples of roadway beautification in the United States.

Horner Highway, named for Governor Henry Horner ran along Illinois Highway 29 to the junction of  today's Illinois Highway 123 east of Athens.  Horner was governor from 1933 to his death in 1940 and was a huge fan of Abraham Lincoln, amassing quite a collection of Lincoln memorabilia. His collection was bequeathed to the people of Illinois upon his death and it has become the foundation of today's Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library (right next to the Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield).

The Horner Highway was planned partly to recognize Horner's interest in Lincoln, connecting Oak Ridge Cemetery, site of Lincoln's Tomb with what is today Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site.  The road, however, between Athens and New Salem was never incorporated into the Horner Highway.

--RoadDog

Along 66, Dec. 2020: Route 66 Centennial Bill Passes House and Charley Pride Dies

DECEMBER 9

The U.S. House of Representatives approves the Route 66 Centennial Bill and it now awaits the president's signature.  They approved the Senate version.  There will be 15 persons appointed to the commission to oversee the celebration.

Hey, Mr. President, I'm available and would be very pleased to serve on  it. I'm kinda a Route 66 nut, you know.

DECEMBER 12

Country music legend Charlie Pride dies at age 86.  he was the first black country superstar and died in Dallas.  Had 52 Top ten hits on the Billboard Country charts, 30 of which went to #1.

Besides being just great Route 66 or any old road cruising music, he had one song where he actually mentioned Route 66 on his song "Is Anybody Going to San Antone?"

"Rain drippin' from the brim of my hat, It sure is cold today and here I was walkin' down 66, wish she hadn't done me that way."

There is a reason his Greatest Hits CD is on my 300 Disc Ultimate Jukebox.

So Long Charlie.  --RoadFan

Lincoln Highway, Sept. 2020: Roadside Giants of the Lincoln Highway

News about the Lincoln Highway.

Longtime Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor executive Olga Herbert, who is retiring in November, says she probably most enjoyed  the Roadside Giants of the Lincoln Highway, which involved the creation of five rusted metal  sculptures fabricated by students at vocational centers along the highway.  Two of those sculptures are in  Westmoreland County.

A 25-foot gas pump on the museum grounds was created by students at the Eastern Westmoreland  Career and Technology Center.  A Packard automobile fabricated at the  Central Westmorelaqnd Center  usually is parked outside the Westmoreland  County Chamber of Commerce office in Hempfield.  Ironically it is currently in the shop for repairs after being hit by a car.

"I loved working with the kids," Herbert said.  "One of them told me, 'Miss Olga, if we weren't doing this, our senior project would be a stool.  Someday  I'm going to drive by and tell my kids I helped make that.' "

Giants Always Attract Crowds.  --RoadDog

The Drive's A to Z Comes to An End on Tuesday: 'You May Be Right'

Sadly, the Drive's A to Z has come to an end after some 13 days od over 2,000 songs placed alphabetically according to the title.

These were some of the last ones they played in the letter "Y".

YOU'VE GOT THAT RIGHT--  Lynyrd Skynyrd

YOU HAVE THE THUNDER--  Jackson Browne

YOU MAKE LOVING FUN--  Fleetwood Mac

YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE DANCING-- Leo Sayer

YOU MAY BE RIGHT--  Billy Joel

YOU MIGHT THINK--  Cars

YOU NEVER GIVE ME YOUR MONEY--  Beatles

YOU REALLY GOT A HOLD ON ME--  Beatles

YOU REALLY GOT ME--  Kinks

YOU REALLY GOT ME--  Van Halen

YOU SHOOK ME--  Led Zeppelin

YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG--

YOU WEAR IT WELL--  Rod Stewart

YOU WON'T SEE ME--  Beatles

YOU WRECK ME--  Tom Petty

If you go to the station website and click on the A  to Z logo you will see all 2000+ songs they played.

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "See Don't Ever Set Me Free.  I Always Wanna Be By Your Side."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

"You Really Got Me"

WDRV's A to Z Down to the End Now, the Letter 'W': 'The Wind Cries Mary'

Listening to the Sherman and Tingle show this morning and they were doing rock songs beginning with the letter "W".  They expect to reach "Z" tonight.  That will bring 13 days worth of over 2,000 classic rock songs to an end.

WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS--  War

WHY DON'T WE DO IT IN THE ROAD--  Beatles   (Do what in the road?)

WILD HORSES--  Rolling Stones

WILD MOUNTAIN HONEY--  Steve Miller

WILD NIGHTS--  Van Morrison

WILD WILD LIFE--  Talking Heads

WILD WORLD--  Cat Stevens

WILDFIRE--  Michael Martin Murphy

WILD FLOWER--  Skylark

WILD FLOWERS--  Tom Petty

THE WIND CRIES MARY--  Jimi Hendrix

WINDS OF CHANGE--  Scorpions

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "Now That I've Lost Everything To You You Say You Wanna Start Something New."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

"Wild World"

The Drive's A to Z, the Letter "T": 'Time for Me to Fly'

Continuing with the Monday, Jan. 4 A to Z Countdown.

THUNDERSTRUCK--  AC/DC     (This was just a perfect song to play when they were getting the USS Missouri ready to fight the aliens in the movie "Battleship.")

TICKET TO RIDE--  Beatles

TIE YOUR MOTHER DOWN--  Queen    (Kind of a strange name for a song in my books.)

TIGHTWIRE--  Leon Russell

TIME--  Pink Floyd   (Love all those clocks going off.)

TIME FOR ME TO FLY--  REO Speedwagon

TIME IS ON MY SIDE--  Rolling Stones

TIME OF THE SEASON--  Zombies

TIME PASSAGES--  Al Stewart

TIME STANDS STILL--  Rush

TIME WAITS FOR NO ONE--  Rolling Stones

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "Now You Always Say That You Want To Be Free But You'll Come Running Back."  Answer below.  RoadDog

"Time Is On My Side"

The Drive's A to Z, Now in the Letter "T": 'Thunder Island'

Well, the morning and mid morning deejays are now back from their week and a half vacation and the station has progressed to the letter "T" on their A to Z Countdown which they started Christmas Eve and it is still going on strong.  When will it end?  Maybe tomorrow, maybe not.  Tune in and see. 

It streams on Chicago's WDRV, 97.1 FM.

They are now up to the letter "U".  These are some songs earlier today.

THINK I'M IN LOVE-- Eddie Money

THIRD RATE ROMANCE--  Amazing Rhythm Aces

THIRTY DAYS IN THE HOLE--  Humble Pie    You know, Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton's old group.

THIS SONG--  Elton John

THOSE SHOES--  Eagles

THROWING IT ALL AWAY--  Genesis

THUNDER ISLAND--  Jay Ferguson     One of my favorite songs ever.

THUNDER ROAD--  Bruce Springsteen

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "It's A Little Bit Funny This Feeling Inside."  Answer below.--RoadZ

"Your Song"

Lincoln Highway, Sept. 2020: Olga Herbert Retires as Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor Executive Director

News from the Lincoln Highway.

Continued from December 30, 2020.

The beginning of the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor was  very modest.  Olga Herbert said she set up the organization's first office in her daughter's bedroom after she left for college.

"We've had nine different offices," she said.  "We'd be driving down the road and see a sign 'for rent.'  If the rent  was $50 cheaper, we'd say, 'Get the U-Haul, we're moving again.' "

"I feel really good about leaving now," she said.  "The organization has come a long way, and it will be in good hands with Lauren."  (Lauren Buches, who will be the new director.)

Herbert says she is especially proud of the Lincoln Highway Experience, which features both permanent and temporary highway-related exhibits, along with a tourist cabin from the 1930s and the restored Serro's Diner which was relocated from Irwin.

--RoadDog

Along 66, December 2020: Oklahoma's New Signage

I take these from the Route 66 News blog site which has a lot more posts, but I only pick the ones I am most interested in for my blog.  The Route 66 News blog has a lot more information and pictures as well.  If you're a fan of the Mother Road, this is a site you'll want to check out.

DECEMBER 1, 2020

There is much excitement about the 400 new Route 66 signs in Oklahoma.  Eighty of them will replace existing signs and the other 320 will be placed in other spots along the route.

This cost the state about $20,000 and plans call for their installation to start in spring.

Good signage is a great help with most folks driving the old road.  My own opinion is that Illinois and Missouri have the best signage and now Oklahoma will be joining them.  Hopefully the rest of the states will join them.

One time I remember a discussion with a higher up in the Missouri Association who detested Route 66signs and said people should want to find Route 66.  Most people driving the road are not that gung-ho. The signs help immensely.

I also recommend anybody driving the route and wanted a fuller experience get one of the state travel books and Jerry McClannahan's "EZ Guide for Travelers" and David Wickline's "Images of Route 66."  Between those and good signage anybody should have a great time on the Mother Road.

--RoadDog