Table of Contents
Motorcycles Take to Route 66
Asleep at The Wheel
Jerry Lewis and MDA
Upland's Madonna Statue Restoration by Bob Baird
Scenes From Santa Monica by Jim Cavener
Nuggets from Needles by Maggie McShan
Chicago to California, In 1930 Irene Poindexter Letters
MOTORCYCLES TAKE TO ROUTE 66
A tour of historic Route 66 by motorcycle began March 14. The run, by the third such
event, was sponsored by the Southern California Motorcycle Assn., and hosted by TRAC A, a
touring association. Beginning at Victor Valley Harley-Davidson in Victorville, more than
200 motorcyclists rode the desert stretch of Route 66 to an overnight stay in Kingman,
Arizona.
The California Historic Route 66 Association participated in the early send-off with
information, memorabilia and just good fun. Cyclists came from all points including Utah,
Nevada and Arizona. Stops included a visit in Amboy, Needles and Oatman, Arizona.
Awards and raffle prizes were given at the overnight spot in Kingman. The Quality Inn,
owned and operated by Jerry Richard, president of the Arizona Association, hosted the
closing event. Gifts included a California Historic T-shirt and donations from Route 66
Clothing and Goods. Reports from Patricia Lane of TRAC A are that the tour was enjoyed by
all and plans for more runs on Route 66 are on the table.
ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL
CONCERT AND CALIFORNIA CARAVAN
The 1992 California Caravan in conjunction with Asleep At The Wheel’s Route
66’ 66th Anniversary Tour is scheduled for Mary 16th and 17th,
1992.
Beginning at the National Orange Show, San Bernardino, our association will be part of
the festivities with an information booth, sales of memorabilia and a classic car
exhibit/parade.
Asleep At The Wheel, a world class western swing band, will perform two shows on
Saturday. The fun begins at 12:00 noon. On Sunday, the California Caravan will leave from
the National Orange Show to travel Route 66 to a designated end in Los Angeles near the
Greek Theater where Asleep At The Wheel will have the final performance of the Anniversary
Tour.
Several stops on Route 66 at landmarks are planned. Enroute, an exhibit of
participating classic autos and prize awards will take place at Ford of Upland. For more
information, contact CHR66A.
JERRY LEWIS AND MDA
66 KICKS – Jerry Lewis, National Chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association,
in sharing his 66th birthday with the 66thanniversary of The Mother Road, was
made an honorary member of six state Route 66 associations. Lewis was also made honorary
chairman of the CHR66A for this year.
UPLAND’S MADONNA STATUE RESTORATION
by Bob Baird
Community efforts have raised $37,000 to restore the Madonna of the Trails statue in
Upland, California.
The statue stands at Euclid Avenue and Foothill Blvd., (Route 66) and is one of a dozen
erected to honor the pioneer women whose endurance and determination helped pave the way
west. Erected in 1929, the statue has been damaged by wind, rain and earthquake and has
not been reconditioned since its original installation.
Don Ramsey, Chief Building Official for Upland, spearheaded a fundraising campaign
after it was determined that monies were not immediately available through county, state
or federal agencies.
Home Savings and Loan, with a branch located near the Madonna, began the fundraising
with a donation of $5,000. The Daughters of the Revolution, which first erected the
statue, contributed $212,400. Pomona First Federal Savings & Loan, also located near
the statue, offered a matching grant up to the amount of $5,000. The second and third
graders of Magnolia Elementary School accepted the challenge and through sacrifice of
treats such as soda and candy as well doing as various chores were able to raise $129.20.
They learned from Claire Hunnicut of Pomona First Federal that they had earned 100%
interest on their deposit.
Other contributors included neighboring cities, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario and
Claremont. Persons as far away as Pasadena and Pomona wrote with contributions expressing
how their travels on Route 66 made them aware of the Madonna and her beauty.
Art conservators from the J. Paul Getty Museum have been commissioned to refurbish the
seventeen-ton aloite stone monument, according to Ramsey, who will help oversee the
project. A Santa Barbara stone-working company will perform the rejuvenation on-site.
The statue will be removed from its base for as long as two weeks. The area will be
fenced for protection, and to see that efforts do not go to waste, a plan to maintain the
statue at a cost of $1000 will include a cleanup and patching yearly.
The CHR66A thanks all those involved. Of particular note are the efforts of the area
school children. The association honored them with a certificate of appreciation. Their
recognition of the historic significance of this landmark is a sign of a bright and
beautiful future.
SCENES FROM SANTA MONICA
by Jim Cavener
In the early months of 1992 the new Santa Monica International Youth Hostel hosted two
groups of Elder-hostelers who came from all across the country—and Canada—to
learn about the impact, influence and implications of historic Route 66.
Santa Monica boasts the newest and most luxurious hostel in the American Youth Hostel
network, a four-story facility which is the largest building in the United States built
specifically for use as a youth hostel. Most current youth hostels have been adapted from
use as light houses, farm structures, hunting lodges and other exotic historic purposes.
The modern, strategically located Santa Monica International Youth Hostel is situated
on Second Street, one block from the ocean, and incorporates the oldest brick building in
Santa Monica, the historic Rapp Saloon, which has served both as Santa Monica’s city
hall and an early studio for Vitagraph Motion Pictures.
Of special interest to afficianados of the equally historic Route 66 is the
Hostel’s location, just half a block south of Santa Monica Boulevard which was the
western most dozen miles of the Mother Road, the Nation’s Main Street, Route 66. Only
a block-and-a-half from the Santa Monica International Youth Hostel is the bronze monument
in Palisades Park, on Ocean Avenue at Santa Monica Boulevard, which observes that Route 66
had also been called the Will Rogers highway in honor of the famed humorist and noted
citizen of the world, who first left his home in Claremore, Oklahoma via Route 66, and
lived out his last years on a comfortable ranch (now the Will Rogers State Park) only a
few miles to the north of the Youth Hostel site.
The Santa Monica International Youth Hostel hosts Elderhostel programs during its low
season, and in its early 1992 courses chose to list a curricular offering called,
"Get Your Kicks on Route 66". For one week the class of Elderhostelers
considered the social, economic, historic and cultural implications of the famed highway
which had become a cultural icon long before the advent of the federal interstate system
virtually erased Main Street USA.
Among the questions asked during the Route 66 course were: What was the National Roads
Movement and how did it set the stage for Route 66; who wanted a paved road from
Chicago’s Grant Park to Santa Monica’s Palisades Park; what were the political
and commercial interests involved; who used Route 66 most during the 30s and 40s; during
the 1950s and 1960s. Among the many printed resources available and utilized for answering
these questions were to recent major books from St. Martins Press and one from the
University of Oklahoma Press.
Route 66 course participants read from John Steinbeck’s Pulitzer prize winning
novel Grapes of Wrath (cited by the Swedish Academy when they awarded Steinbeck the
Nobel Prize for Literature), saw clips from the Academy Award winning John Ford film of
the book, starring Henry Fonda, viewed segments of the 1950s-60s TV series called Route
66, a CBS Sunday Morning episode on the Mother Road, two KABC Eye on L.A.I
features on Route 66, and saw interviews of composer Bobby Troup, then watched
videos of his oft-recorded Get Your Kicks on Route 66.
A highlight of the week’s study was an all-day bus trip eastward along the final
55 miles of the Main Street of America, with stops at Olvera Street, Union Station (the other
travel alternative), the Arroyo Seco parkway (the first of California’s famed
freeways), Colorado and Foothill Boulevards through the foothill communities (where
participants were challenged to sight the increasing number of Historic Route 66
highways—prizes were awarded to those who saw the most). Lunch was at the old Thomas
Winery (California’s oldest), now the Knowlwood Restaurant, adjacent to the Route 66
Museum and Visitor’s Center in Rancho Cucamonga.
The final class session was devoted to consideration of the eclipse of Route 66 by
completion of the federal interstate highway system, and the resurgence of interest in
restoration of the famed highway through the efforts of eight state Historic Route 66
Associations (plus one in The Netherlands), and both state and federal legislation
designating the remaining portions as an historic highway.
With a vengeance these 60-something Elderhostel participants went for, and got their
kicks on Route 66! So popular was the Route 66 program that Santa Monica International
Youth Hostel is considering rescheduling this popular course again in 1992 and in 1993.
Elderhostel is an international movement founded in New England in 1975, and
headquartered in Boston. It is an inexpensive educational program for older adults who
want to continue expanding their horizons and to develop new interests and enthusiasms.
During these seventeen years, what began as a small program among a few New England
colleges ha expanded to some 1,600 sites in the United States and Canada, and in some 40
other nations.
These short-term residential, academic programs bring a group of 25 to 40 older
citizens—60 or older—to an academic institution or community based location for
one week. College level liberal arts courses are offered on a noncredit basis, with no
homework or testing. The usual format calls for three seven- or eight-hour courses during
the week, with some programs focusing more intently on one, or more than one, closely
related topics.
Growing out of the combined influence of both European Youth Hostels and the folk
schools of Scandinavia, Elderhostel has become a significant American adult education
movement, currently serving some 250,000 participants each year. More than 750,000
Elderhostel catalogs are sent out, free, every two months to anyone who requests them. For
your copy of the latest Elderhostel catalog, send your name and complete mailing address
to: Elderhostel, Inc., 75 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110-1941.
ONE of the THE ORIGINAL McDONALD'S — In AZUSA by Chris Nichols
While motoring down Azusa’s portion of Historic Route 66 in California, rolling
along Foothill Boulevard, the north side of the street reveals a curious collection of
crumbling, deserted ruins. If you spend a few moments staring, and shack up your memory a
bit, you may realize that there at the corner of Cerritos sit the remains of one of the
earliest McDonald’s hamburger stands.
Unit number eight (the current tally is approaching 14,000 with a new store opening
every 17 hours) has been abandoned, and deteriorating since early 1984, when its
operations were merged with a newer restaurant a few blocks east.
Friday night, September 17, 1954, the pink neon crackled on for the very first time,
the serving windows were thrown open, and paper-capped, white shirted young men began
flipping burgers for locals and hungry travelers.
"It was the happening thing to go in and have a burger by the highway," said
Tony Narango, Azusa Councilman, and former employee.
But flashing back some 20 years before that day, Richard and Maurice McDonald had
opened a wigwam orange juice stand on Foothill in Arcadia, then a drive-in called the
"Airdrome" on Route 66 in Monrovia, along with other ventures ranging from
managing the Glendora theater to moving scenery for Hollywood prop houses.
Their parents (Patrick and Margaret) had moved to Azusa from Manchester, New Hampshire
in 1932. Dick and Mac ended up in San Bernardino operating a Drive-In "Bar-B-Q"
stand at 1398 E Street (at 14th) in San Bernardino when in 1946 they fired the
carhops, changed to hamburgers, retooled the kitchen, and henceforth changed the eating
habits of America.
By 1952 they were convinced enough with their system to hire Fontana architect Stanley
C. Meston to design a new building specifically for walk-up self-service that would be
eye-catching and feature an arch, or arches in some shape or form.
The shiny red and white tiles were attractive and easy to clean, neon was inexpensive
and effective and it was applied liberally. So they started offering this new building,
their new system and kitchen, and their name for $3,500 to "Licensees".
The oldest surviving example of its kind (#2), at Lakewood Blvd. (Highway 19) and
Florence Ave. in Downey opened August 18, 1953, and today operates as a corporate
McDonald’s, but shining, glinting, and flashing as wildly as it did 40 years ago.
By 1955 when Ray Kroc stopped selling milkshake machines and became a licensee, the
brothers’ system was already in place at over a dozen locations in California and
Arizona. After the success of his first stand (near Chicago) and the success of the
McDonald Brothers’ other licensees, Kroc went to Dick and Mac several times prodding
them to sell him the name and right to the entire system.
After numerous attempts, Richard is to have said, "Alright, a million dollars
each—tax free!" Knowing Kroc couldn’t come up with the money, the matter
was dropped.
But by mid-1961 with stands opening all over the country, Kroc and his investors turned
over the check for $2.7 million and Dick and Mac retired and moved back to New Hampshire.
Richard still lives there, Mac died in 1971.
The Azusa stand was originally run by Jack R. Widmeyer of San Bernardino and by 1960
was sold to Len Vanderhoop, who did a slight remodeling by enclosing the order area and
adding more outdoor seating. Vanderhoop eventually opened several more outlets in the San
Gabriel Valley and maintains a regional McDonald’s office and training center
directly across the street from Number 8, whose windows look down on this neglected
ancestor.
The last eight years have brought cranes to de-arch and de-sign; laments in the
newspapers; numerous mention in books and magazines; vandalism; souvenir hunting tile
chippers and marathon city council meetings to determine the sites’ future by
negotiating with the property owner of 28 years who has no real plan.
"In the past months the growth of seeds along the front of Azusa’s Square has
come in for much criticism from the townspeople," wrote the Azusa Canyon City News,
August 5, 1954.
There have been many queries and ideas coming into the city for this area, some people,
like the Henry Ford Museum, have suggested dismantling and reloading the structure. That
is also the most recent idea of the city’s historical commission, although they want
to keep it in Azusa, while Ford has suggested taking it to Michigan.
McDonald’s Corporation has expressed interest in restoring it where it stands, as
a west coast version of their company museum in Des Plaines, Illinois. But, shopping
center and home developers are also in the picture who are intent on bulldozing the entire
12 acres.
"A hamburger stand is not a typical monument. Monuments are places of the rich and
famous—a Mt. Vernon, a Monticello, or a Gettysburg. But monuments also help us to
understand how people lived in the past. Ordinary people deserve monuments too. Their
lives deserve to be celebrated. If you want to know how people lived in the 1770s go to
Williamsburg, VA. If you want to know how people lived in the 1950s, go to a
Drive-In." Alan Hess, Architect, Author of Googie-Fifties Coffee Shop Architecture.
NUGGETS from NEEDLES
by Maggie McShan
Vivian Davies, able and tireless secretary/treasurer of our CHR66A, and Darin Kuna,
young historian of the organization, chose the occasion of the 30th Annual
Spring Parade of Gems to journey to Needles for research on our end of the Mother Road. If
either is particularly a rockhound I haven’t found out about it. Vivian does
love turquoise and coral jewelry so perhaps that qualifies her for the fraternity, but in
any case, the show provided a wonderous occasion for gathering information, for them and
for me. It was held at the Elks Club here in Needles, and people came from all over the
country, even Canada.
I had rented a sales table, and as usual wore several hats, including fundraisers for
the 66 Association, and for the Needles Museum. Especially for the occasion, I had Pat
Fleming, who recently opened her T-shirt printing business on Third Street, to print up an
order of Historic Route 66 Ts with Needles above the shield in the front. Profit, above
costs, will be donated to the Association. After all, I did shamelessly borrow the
Association logos! The shirts were in mixed colors in a wide variety of sizes, and sold
well. After the show, Bob Dressel at Hungry Bear Restaurant took most of what I had left.
I also had Route 66 Bolo ties at the show and sold a few of those; and I handed out
newsletters for free. Soon the latter were all gone. Quickly snapped up were the Route 66
coffee mugs that I purchased from Janetta’s Ceramics.
My second "hat" was selling historic calendars, reprints of a 1908 Needles
Eye Newspaper, and a few other items for the museum.
Thirdly, I sold books on local history, stones and other items to help recoup the cost
of renting the table, and to garner a small amount of income for our own Gem Shop and
Desert Museum, and Footprints Magazine—which might also be called
"McShan’s Poor Farm"! The Gem Show is a highlight of the year and for Mac
and I. He was able to spend the entire two days there.
Being tied down with a sales booth, I was naturally unable to go into the field with
Vivian and Darin, but I did the next best thing and called Joe Byers, another "old
timer". I asked if he could come and talk to them, and in less than 15 minutes he
walked into the Elks with an armload of his Needles High School annual, "The Mystic
Maze". I left the Route 66 guests in Joe’s capable hands … and that was the
last I saw of them for several hours. But in late afternoon they came to touch base with
me again. Joe had gone in the field with them, and what adventures they had! But those are
Viv’s and Darin’s stories. I was so pleased they had enjoyed a rewarding field
trip.
Meanwhile, I had been talking to many people about the interest in Route 66 as a symbol
of our nation’s history, and especially as it applies to the portion across the
desert. Everyone who is old enough has a Route 66 story, and some volunteered info about
photos, maps, etc, which they promised to look up.
Now, read this ‘n weep! John Wilkie, who was a supervisor for Caltrans here until
his recent retirement, noted the ""6""displays that centered my table
and said, "I could kick myself every time I think about it, but when we were closing
out the maintenance yards at Amboy, a big stack of those metal Route 66 highway signs were
hauled off to the dump. Must have been 100 of them!" I asked him where they were
dumped, but he felt sure they were gone forever.
I like John very much. He is always very cooperative in any research matters regarding
the road, and he is highly regarded by Caltrans, being called as consultant frequently,
and I hated to make him feel worse. But I just had to tell him Darin had a photo he’d
taken of a bullet hole-ridden original shield for which the owner had paid $500!
I looked through the exhibits at the show and noted many beautiful gem stones and rocks
as well as crystals and minerals that had been found along old Route 66, and a review of
those locations will provide material for several columns for the rockhounds among us.
The visitation of Darin and Vivian was very rewarding, even though it was my busiest
weekend of the year. We squeezed in time for dinner together at Hungry Bear, where we
shared some of the latest info we’ve collected and savored the time together. The
"Bear" is a business member of the Association, but unfortunately, both Bob and
Paula Dressel were out of town for the weekend.
I thanked Vivian and Darin for bringing me a beautiful laminated map of the
"Mother Road", Chicago to Santa Monica. There were lots of requests from patrons
of my booth for just such a map. I have every confidence that the Association will be able
to live up to the promises I made to all those interested people! I intended to stop this
right here, but …
WOW! Route 66 surprises never cease! One of the latest here was filming by Playboy
Magazine with intent of publishing a Mother Road story. Now I wonder what kind of slant
that will have? They shot photos at the "66" Motel, where else? Not the big
fancy new Travelers or any of the others, ‘cause they’re not on 66. They had
lunch at the Hungry Bear. Scott Palmer, of the City, called me for information because he
seemed to have them in tow here in Needles. Funny thing, he never made it to the Chamber
of Commerce breakfast next morning, so it fell to me to report the classy visitation. And
that’s as close I got to that event, except I did get to see the red Cadillac
convertible, circa sometime in the ‘60s I think. What a beauty!
IRENE POINDEXTER’S TRIP ON ROUTE 66, CHICAGO TO CALIFORNIA, IN 1930.
A delightful glimpse via letters shared with us by a friend of Mary Bessent
Dear Mary,
Mother left home [Long Beach, CA] in late March and traveled pretty much directly to
Virginia, her first destination. She chose a route south of Highway 66, probably to avoid
snow and/or bad weather, going through Tucson, AZ, Lordsburg, NM, Fort Worth, TX and
Memphis, TN.
After leaving Virginia she went to Washington, D.C., New York City and Hartford, CT. At
some point, perhaps New York, she was joined by her aunt (her mother’s sister) and
the two traveled together until they reached Chicago about a month later. The letter
reproduced here was written from
Amarillo, TX
June 27, 1930
Dear…
Hope you like my writing paper—I didn’t bring any in [the hotel] as I
expected there would be plenty in my table drawer. Made Oklahoma City last night and
missed the hotels and was on my way out of town. A service station man sent me to a good
camp so I am not wholly lacking in education now. Had a room with two beds, kitchen and
dining room off from it and bath, also garage. Also got two meals there. Today I made the
most mileage I have yet and over some of the worst roads. Dust about a foot thick on some
of them and you know how you slither around in that when you try to make time. Tomorrow I
get a change of time to help out, adding an hour on my day.
I was surprised and delighted to see all the lovely wildflowers in Oklahoma. Stopped
yesterday to pick one particular flower in a wild place, and before I got out of the car I
heard a great chattering and discovered five or six colored people lined up watching me. I
didn’t get out. Today saw lots of Indians. Aunt Clara told me one day I couldn’t
make two hundred miles in one day. I told her I had actually gone 260. Today was
290-something if I remember correctly! Ought to make it about the same to L.B. [Long
Beach]. It would seem as though it would take me five days to make it from here.
I got an arm badly sunburned yesterday and day before and have some Pond’s cream
on it tonight. The time I spent in Tulsa yesterday was certainly well spent. It is a
pleasure to find somebody who knows their business and can tell what is wrong with a car
and then go ahead and fix it. Lots of California cars so I know I am getting closer. Love,
Irene
Sunday Night
June 29, 1930
Dear …
Just a line which may reach you before I get there and may not. I am doing pretty well.
Left Amarillo, Texas yesterday morning. Stayed at Vaughn, New Mexico last night and made
297 miles today (my biggest record yet and over the continental divide) to Springerville,
Arizona tonight. Passed the Arizona inspector tonight although I had contraband aboard. He
was nicer than the Yuma man and took my word instead of going through my luggage.
This hotel is small. The Apache Inn—only 11 rooms I think—and I was afraid I
wouldn’t make it before it was full. Struck detours for the last 16 miles, curving
and facing the setting sun. Three rooms left after mine and they were taken inside often
minutes after I got here. Had a bang-up dinner: fruit cocktail, soup, chicken, mashed
potatoes, biscuits, tomato and lettuce salad, iced tea, peach pie a la mode for the vast
sum of 75 cents. Last night my dinner was 50 cents also. But the breakfast was served
without ordering prunes, cereal if desired, 3 slices bacon, 2 fried eggs, 2 pieces of
toast, 2 cups of coffee, pancakes & syrup and then they were worried because I only
ate one egg!
Kingman or near there I hope tomorrow night. No paving since Oklahoma City or
thereabouts.
Lots of love, Irene
