Table of Contents
CHR66A Acquires Historic Exhibit by Geoffrey Willis
Desert Dump Update by Geoffrey Willis
Nuggets From Needles by Maggie McShan
Words From Waldmire
Route 66 Vintage Bus Trips
Announcements
Over the Road
Honorarium Received for Route 66 Program
Video Kicks by Geoffrey Willis
Route 66 Magazine
Happy "Trails" To You
CHR66A ACQUIRES HISTORIC EXHIBIT by Geoffrey Willis
On Friday, January 20, 1995 the California Historic Route 66 Association received into
its permanent collection a major historic exhibit titled Mojave 66. Consisting of
24 panels of vintage photos and text, it was constructed in the mid-1970s by the
California Historical Society. Many photographs are of structures that no longer stand The
acquisition is a happy ending to years of stagnation of our goals for the exhibit.
In January of 1991, Jerry Eaves, who is the 66th District Assemblyman
appealed to Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) for a donation of $1000 to transport and
restore the exhibit for use in events celebrating the 66th anniversary of Route
66 in 1992. Eaves is an early supporter of CHR66A and the author of legislation
designating California Route 66 as a historic highway.
In April of 1991, the California State Archives informed us that the exhibit was to be
donated to them by the State Historical Society. Their intention was to restore and
include it into their traveling exhibit program, making it available to us in 1992.
However, in August of 1991, the Archives informed us that budget cuts had precluded this
project and the entire traveling exhibit program was being suspended for a year.
Furthermore, they stated that no precedent existed for the outright release of exhibits to
associations such as ours. Therefore, no amount of money. manpower or expertise would be
able to free it so it stagnated in obscurity for a year or so thereafter.
In late December of 1994 we were notified that the Archives were moving into a new
location and that we could now take possession of the unrestored exhibit. We quickly made
the necessary arrangements for its transportation to CHR66A and it is now in storage.
Various sites are being considered for the unveiling of the exhibit after restoration.
Panel 13 is missing altogether and other missing photos are yet to be sent to us. Vintage
photos of Barstow and Needles areas are needed to complete the project.
DESERT DUMP UPDATE by Geoffrey Willis
Voting by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on the proposed mega-dump near
Amboy, CA (formerly called the Bolo Station Landfill – Fall ’94 Roadsigns)
will not occur until March 21, 1995 due to an appeal. There is still an opportunity for
our readers to voice their opposition to this mountain of garbage that would drastically
change the quality of life and landscape of the East Mojave Desert.
Modern technology exists for the processing of waste into usable compost and
construction materials. The Bolo partners promote their plans as extensive and "high
tech", but in truth they are a primitive solution to Southern California’s waste
disposal needs. Moreover by law, such a dump cannot exclude interstate commerce. Waste
from across the country may well be shipped to the California desert, thus making it the
nation’s trash can. Be aware also that the Bolo dump is only one of several proposed
for this region.
Secretary of the Interior, Bruce Babbit has the last word on this issue, owing to the
fact that Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands would have to be exchanged for land owned
by the Bolo partners. Babbit has a strong pro-conservation environmental record.
NUGGETS FROM NEEDLES by Maggie McShan
For the following story we sneaked a little way over into Arizona.
Most of us remember Gold Road, located a few miles up the mountain from famed Oatman
and about 25 miles from Needles, as a true Route 66 ghost town. Adobe walls with stone and
cement foundations attest to its former glory. For about 50 years, Gold Road has brooded
in silence, but now that ghost has come to life!
Last spring, when we made the Arizona Route 66 Fun Run, we noted just a little
activity. Now the mountain side is a beehive of 24-hour per day action.
Addwest Minerals, a Colorado based firm, reopened the historic mine just a few months
ago, and began moving in equipment and buildings. Presently 75 employees are on the job,
with the number expected to increase to 125 before March. A rod mill and a ball mill at
the site are processing approximately 500 tons per day according to a source at the mine.
A crusher reduces the ore to millable size. It is an underground mine, following a narrow
vein of rich ore, as in olden times.
Jack Burgess is general manager of the operation, which is called Gold Road Mine.
Historic Route 66 runs right smack through the middle of the project and now the
travelers of that old trail may view modern mining amid the ruins of yesteryear. But the
era of ghost town prowling is over. Nearly two miles along both sides of the road there
are "No Trespassing" signs and the more sensitive areas are securely fenced with
chain link, topped with razor wire. In trying to define the impression of the shiny
additions beside the old walls, the word "renewal" comes to mind.
Old Timers who have explored the ruins know there are many hazards left from the early
operations, so the fencing and many signs are important for public safety, aside from
discouraging sample collection and liability problems.
Gold Road was a richly producing mine from early in the century up to about 1940, when
digging for gold was stopped there, as in Oatman, in favor of more strategic wartime
minerals. All the people moved away from Gold Road, some of them relocating in Needles,
among them the Onetta family. Joe Onetta had been the superintendent of the Gold Road
mine. But spunky old Oatman refused to play dead, though its mines were silent. This
unique mining town, turned tourist attraction, is in a perfect position for interaction
with the folks up the hill.
How exciting that a real gold mine is in operation again! It will have a positive
impact throughout the area! After all, it was mining that opened up the west. The best of
luck to Addwest Minerals, and welcome!
Meanwhile, back at Needles, Broadway, a part of Route 66, is expected to be repaved by
April, when many visitors will be here for the annual rodeo. The rodeo will include
Western Days on April 26 and 27 featuring family fun in the park with rodeo performances
both evenings of April 28 and 29. There will be parade on Saturday, April 29 with dances,
a concert and other happenings.
WORDS FROM WALDMIRE
Hardcore 66er, artist / historian, environmentalist, Bob Waldmire, who bought the
long-time abandoned General Store in Hackberry, Arizona sent Old 66 Dispatch, Fall
’94. It’s a two-sided newsletter (on recycled paper, of course) filled with
his experiences, hopes, dreams and drawings from his new homestead which he calls
"International Bioregional Old Route 66 Visitor Center and Preservation
Foundation". Here’s a few paragraphs:
"I’ve met many of the "locals" and hundreds of other folks from
many parts of the world. Visitors from 37 nations have signed the visitor registers here.
Route 66 is no trivial destination.
"Being here is like being an "International Greeter". The whole world
stops by here! I’ve seen visitors from Europe discover they’re neighbors! These
interactions can be between visitors from Peoria to Prague, from Berlin to Barstow, from
Naples to Needles. Virtually from anywhere!
"Individuals, couples (some on honeymoons) families, caravans of travelers; some
are crossing the country on bicycles; many are on Harleys.
"Film crews from Finland, Japan, Switzerland, Volkswagon of Germany, National
Geographic TV and producers of Route 66: the Video Road Trip have shot footage
here. Frequently the "stars" are the rattlesnakes and other reptiles and
arachnids I keep on rotating display. (They’re always released).
"Now as winter arrives, most visitors are "leaving" for the winter. I
will anticipate a "trickle" of snowbirds and "serious 66rs" and a
welcome abundance of solitude."
For info or artwork from Bob, send SASE to Robert Waldmire, Box 46, Hackberry, AZ
86411.
ROUTE 66 VINTAGE BUS TRIPS – November Bus Trip by Jim Munding
We were treated to a pleasant surprise after the CHR66A meeting on Saturday November
19, Sixteen members and friends headed east along Foothill Boulevard, then up Cajon
Boulevard in San Bernardino where we eventually enjoyed dinner at the Summit Inn, high
above the Cajon Pass.
The Pacific Bus Museum provided our transportation in a 1941 passenger luxury bus
painted with cranberry and cream-colored accents. It was the same model (may have been the
actual bus) used in the movie about Ike and Tina Turner, What’s Love Got to Do
with It?
We passed famous "66" landmarks along the way, including Bono’s
Restaurant, the Old orange juice stand at the Fontana Wal-Mart shopping center, the Wigwam
Motel, and the Mitla Café.
The mountains were beautiful and the sky was clear and blue, On our way up the Cajon,
we saw many trains, both Santa Fe and Union Pacific. We took many photographs before
darkness fell (about the time we reached Highway 138). The (new) Summit Inn opened in
1952, the same year the bus was built.
Our hosts were Stephen Schwarzwald, Pacific Bus Museum’s Secretary, Lynn Noe, a
27-year veteran driver with the MTA and Mike Haddock, a Museum member who owns three
Pasadena City Lines buses. Jerry Duncan, a retired 25-year RTD bus driver, was our driver
and did an outstanding job.
The Pacific Bus Museum has 60 buses on display and boasts 120 members.
January Bus Trip by JoAnne Willis
Our December meeting was canceled for the holidays. Back on line with our third
Saturday in January, Stephen Schwarzwald from Pacific Bus Museum brought people from two
different charter bus lines.
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Gregg, proprietors of "Good Times Charter" discussed
prices for organized day trips. They also joined us for the ensuing mystery dinner cruise.
Terry Moore from "Legendary Tours" brought our coach for the evening, a
beautiful 1954 Greyhound Scenic Cruiser which has a second tier of rounded glass for
optimum sightseeing. No longer carrying the Greyhound logo, it is affectionately knows as
"Maggie". She is lined with 1950s familiar peacock blue vinyl seats and padding.
Mr. Moore gave about eighteen of us a smooth ride, this time west on Foothill. We passed
familiar landmarks and plenty of neon, including the sign over our dinner stop, Rod’s
Grill in Arcadia.
Rod’s was established in 1957 when diner architecture used big glass and bright
lights to lure motorists into the scene. As we rounded their corner, Rod’s personnel
waved through the glass. In their spacious diner there were vintage photos of Arcadia at
all the wall tables, but it was too crowded to take a good look. We learned that former
Arcadians who come back to town always show up at Rod’s.
The management got a "kick" out of our surprise visit. We left newsletters
and rode the bus back to our cars at Virginia Dare Plaza.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Route 66 is now on Internet! If you are interested in participating in the Route 66
Internet Project, now is your chance. The California Historic Route 66 Association
(CHR66A) is pleased to announce this international collaboration that is archiving Route
66 information for access and retrieval via the Internet. The archives include text, maps,
graphics, drawings, and sound. CHR66A currently provides information via FTP and in
collaboration with Swa Frantzen has archives linked to the World Wide Web, emphasizing the
world wide appeal of the "Mother Road". The archives include a separate director
for each of the eight Route 66 states and a separate director for each of the
organizations in other countries.
If your history is tied to the story of the Mother Road, you are needed! Characters,
contacts, information, and any history about the Mother Road are being sought by the National
Geographic Explorer, the Sunday evening documentary program on TBS Cable Television. A
potential film about Route 66 is being researched. Old home movies and your recollections
are being requested or if you plan to travel either direction on Route 66 in the spring or
summer of 1995 you are asked to contact Lynn Dougherty at 3430 34th Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20008. Or Mike Mayers at 10 Bank Street, New York, NY 10014.
The Mother Road Ride /Rally will begin on June 10th from both Los
Angeles and Chicago, welcoming all brands of motorcycles and riders. The event will span
the route of the first highway to link the Midwest with Southern California. People
Centered Programs of Dallas, Texas, will sponsor the recreational project and welcomes
participants to ride all or any part of the route. There will be special recognition for
people who make the whole trip and there is a registration package for the first 2,500
registrants, regardless of how far they ride, It contains a T-shirt, a coffee mug, a
Mother Road Rally/Ride pin and route with sight-seeing information. Campers and motelers
are welcome and the organizers will arrange for lodging or camping space at designated
stops.
Calling all Car Buffs! The recently opened Petersen Automotive Museum in Los
Angeles is calling for volunteers, especially those in vintage car clubs or otherwise
knowledgeable in automotive history. Docent training and special privileges are offered to
all who apply.
OVER THE ROAD
Oklahoma
A canyon retreat only a few miles from the historic highway will be the setting for an
innovative, three-day seminar called Route 66: A Living History Workshop. To
be held May 26-29, 1995 near Hinton, OK. The agenda will include a mix of lectures, slide
and video presentations, a Route 66 field trip, and an opportunity for participants to
write about their travel experiences. Cost of the workshop is $300 per person with
enrollment limited to 20 participants. Route 66 advocate Jim Ross co-developed the event
with creative writing instructor Paul Myers. Ross is the author of Oklahoma Route 66:
The Cruiser’s Companion and co-authored Here It Is! The Route 66 Map Series
Paul Myers teaches creative writing and is an Artist in Residence with the Oklahoma State
Arts Council.
Texas
In the Summer 1994 issue we featured Texas association president George Rook’s
"Route 66 Antiques", a museum and visitor center with a deli and soda fountain
in Amarillo.
He just moved! George and his wife, Melba took their authentic signs, "Grapes of
Wrath" truck, etc., 35 miles west of Amarillo (on 66 of course) to Exit 28 off I-40
between towns of Vega and Adrin. They’re in Landergin. (I feel like we just put these
places on the map!). Billboards on I-40 will invite tourists to find them.
Regarding signage: Texas Department of Transportation has designed signs and
hopes to have them in place by summer of 1995. There will be signs on I-40 directing you
to Old 66 and confirmation route signs after the exits.
New Mexico
Quite a few 66rs were on Bob Audette’s "you know what" list. We all
got Route 66 toilet paper for Christmas! When Audette saw the NM66 signs come down in 1986
he campaigned to get them back up immediately.
A related story about him appeared in Route 66 Magazine, summer 1994 and again
in New Mexico magazine, January 1995.
In 1992, for the 66th Anniversary Shield Relay, and again in 1993, for a
large European rally, Audette and friends staged a mock border inspection and made
caravaners carry their New Mexico "passports". (The idea came to him because
some people don’t know New Mexico is a U.S. state.)
Regarding Signage:
Audette is unhappy to report that historic signs made in April ’94 are still not
up. What he can’t do about his state’s bureaucracy, he did achieve in his own
backyard – literally!
Here comes a "Bob Audette" story: Remember Stuckey’s billboards? Bob
owns one that used to carry their ad, along I-40 in his back yard. (Old 66 lines his front
yard.) The billboard doesn’t conform to today’s standards, so to avoid
mentioning all the "grandfather clause" permits and such other catch 22s,
let’s just say he had to white out the billboard’s ad for Mama Rosa’s
Italian Restaurant. Being a prankster, he left just the red letters "MA". He
enjoyed hearing CBers surmise its meaning.
Audette wanted the new Wildlife West Adventure Park to use the sign, but he stipulated
that it had to let motorists know they were in Route 66 territory. The new non-profit
organization was very obliging. The Edgewood Chamber of Commerce Route 66 logo went on the
sign. (Bob influenced the town of Edgewood to use it years ago.)
Arizona
Fun run Weekend from Seligman to Kingman to Topock, Arizona will be held Friday
to Sunday, April 28-30, 1995. Open to all vehicles, with discounts available to car clubs,
the rally will feature a car show and shine, street dance, beauty pageant, cruise nights,
hot air balloon show and more.
HONORARIUM RECEIVED FOR ROUTE 66 PROGRAM
The Highland Park Heritage Trust awarded CHR66A a $75 honorarium following a program on
Route 66 given by Dan Harlow for the Trust’s 1994 annual awards gathering.
The program consists of photographs from all eight states along Route 66, presented as
slides and accompanied by a lecture on the history and vital significance of the famous
highway. Harlow touched on each of the distinct decades Route 66 has served travelers and
concluded with contemporary concerns of preservation. Many of the more than 100 images
shown can no longer be photographed or stand at risk of disappearing.
The program, titled America’s Main Street, was also seen by the Arcadia
Historic Society whose museum is near Route 66. History students at Cerritos College
learned about the highway’s vital role in the Great Depression migration as part of a
special presentation requested by instructor Randy Dobson.
Harlow’s next scheduled presentation is May 30th for the Sierra Madre
Historical Preservation Society Annual Dinner.
Harlow is a past-president of the California Historic Route 66 Association and a
published writer / photographer.
VIDEO KICKS by Geoffrey Willis
1994 brought forth the first three examples of a new pastime for Mother Road
enthusiasts — video kicks on Route 66. Until now, we’ve had to content ourselves
with homemade Route 66 vacation videos or an occasional news feature taped from network
television. These new videos bring America’s Main Street into our living rooms with
style and sincerity.
Route 66, The Video Road Trip is a deeply felt piece evoking the
atmosphere of significant periods and aspects of the road’s history. These include
its rise to prominence, the Dust Bowl, the Roaring 50s, its bleakest hours and its
rebirth. The video is narrated by three of the road’s best known spokesmen: Michael
Wallis, Bobby Troup, songwriter of Get Your Kicks on Route 66, and Angel
Delgadillo, the founder of the Arizona Historic Route 66 Association. All three hosts are
eloquent and heartfelt.
Some of the best moments are montage sequences where vintage footage from newsreels,
commercials and promotional films are spliced and overlaid to recreate the spirit of the
times. At one point, a barrage of neon against the night sky almost has the effect of a
fireworks display. A whimsical sense of humor often punctuates these splendid sequences.
The feature is supported by a sensitive and memorable original music score by Steve Hahn,
who incorporates recurring variations on Bobby Troup’s Get Your Kicks on Route 66
and Nelson Riddle’s theme from the TV series, Route 66, throughout.
When embarking on this project, director John Paget said that his quest was to express
the essence of Route 66. He has certainly succeeded.
To order, send a check for $24.95 plus $4.00 shipping and handling to Route 66 Video,
P.O. Box 4037, Tumwater, WA 98501
A Journey Down Route 66, released by the Entertainment Group is an
end-to-end video odyssey led by Michael and Suzanne Wallis. Although Michael does most of
the narration, Suzanne gets the spotlight from time to time to offer her
photographer’s perspective and personal sentiments. A fair amount of time is spent
detailing the early history of the road. After the Dust Bowl sequence, clips from the
1940s film of John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath are interspliced as a reminder
of the history that haunts "Old 66". This technique works wonderfully for
contrasting the look and feel of the road then and now.
However, the main thrust here is to provide us with a video vacation where the highway
and its roadside attractions are the stars and destinations such as Grand Canyon are side
trips. The romantic allure of the once popular Blue Whale swimming hole, which is now
closed, balances the bustle of the still thriving Jack Rabbit Trading Post. Such is the
alternately buoyant and melancholy nature of this nostalgic safari.
This video is by husband and wife team Linda and Christopher Lewis, producer and
director / photographer respectively. Their solid work is underscored nicely by music from
composers Keith and Rodney D Slane.
To order, send a check for $19.98 plus $4.00 shipping and handling to the Entertainment
Group, 9109 South Urbana, Suite D, Tulsa, OK 74137-3959. There are a few surprising
historical omissions in both of the above videos. The Lewis video pays homage to Tulsa
Oklahoma’s Cyrus Avery, the father of Route 66, but makes no mention of Jack
Cutberth, a tireless spokesman from Clinton, Oklahoma who earned the nickname "Mr.
66". Paget’s video does not acknowledge either of them. However, there is a
third video that is sure to close the book on that subject: Cruisin’ Oklahoma
Route 66. I haven’t seen this one to date but I know that it deals at length
with significant 66 history including the Dust Bowl and The Bunion Derby. Blended with 400
miles of scenery are interviews with Ruth Avery, Gladys Cutberth, and Michael Wallis.
To order, send a check for $22.95 plus $3.50 for shipping and handling to Anderson
Productions, P.O. Box 3461, Edmond, OK 73083.
All of this goes to show that, as with Route 66 books and guides, what one author
leaves out, another includes. I am sure that devoted 66ers will welcome and enjoy these
long awaited videos.
ROUTE 66 MAGAZINE
Route 66 has been reflected in various media over the last few years including well
known periodicals, television and radio. However, until now the coverage was principally
the work of independent writers, photographers, and artists in special features, or the
news of special events. Fans of the famous highway had to be content with pieces of the
road here and there.
This changed in the winter of 1993 when Route 66 Magazine premiered. The
quarterly publication is dedicated to Route 66 and travel on the highway and in the
surrounding territory.
In the first issue the magazine showed immediate promise. Inside the glossy color cover
were real stories on Route 66, often penned by recognizable names.
The test for all publications is whether or not they can keep the presses running. Route
66 Magazine recently distributed its fifth edition and appears to be in high gear. It
is not only more substantial in size but also in content. The contributors cover many
miles of the road and occasionally veer off just enough to find some adventure not always
associated with the route. Regular features include a children’s page of games and
puzzles, portraits of Route 66 personalities, and reports on new and different
"Road" music as well as a running tally of "Route 66" recordings.
Executive editor Paul Taylor, also publisher of Frontier Chronicles, is a
serious traveler of two-lane highways. The magazine is published by Howard and Marilyn
Armstrong who named their company for Two Guns, Arizona, the famous Route 66 town they now
own and operate.
The magazine can be found at major newsstands and many Route 66 travel centers.
Quarterly subscriptions $12 per year: Route 66 Magazine, 326 W. Route 66, Williams
AZ 86046.
HAPPY "TRAILS" TO YOU
The Trails Restaurant at 2519 East Huntington Drive (Route 66) in Duarte, CA has been
turning out steaks, chops and those three martini business lunches for more than forty
years now. It’s one of those dark, maple-and-red-velvet-wallpaper places that all
mysteriously vanished in the 1980s
A little hungry? Ask for the soup and you’re brought an enormous stainless steel
tureen full and the accompanying cheese bread. Oh, the cheese bread! 1952’s
atomic-powered finest!
The food is great and the service is friendly. But the real treat, the real
chewy nougat center of The Trails is quietly announced on the outdoor neon sign "Jim
at the Organ Bar". "Jim" is Mr. Jim McEwan, keyboardist extraordinaire. He
got his start as a staff organist at CBS in 1949 and has been a San Gabriel Valley
"swinger" ever since.
Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings you can hardly find a table. The place is
packed with swingin’ seniors who are mild mannered salesmen and travel agents. But
when the ties come off and the smokin’ jackets go on, they’ll belt out favorites
such as Mack The Knife and Cabaret with the best of them. Karaoke,
schmareeoke! These are professionals, the seasoned professionals. Roberta Sherwood, Jimmy
Sainte-Claire and Korla Pandit have all played here. Even Michael Grayson, the perennial
favorite on the Ed Sullivan Show regularly performs with the ‘World’s Smallest
Harmonica".
Watch for The Trails insider, and my personal favorite, "Stephen" doing his
amazing take on Love For Sale. It brings down the house every time. Remember,
it’s "Round Robin". Anyone can sing, and Jim will follow them wherever they
may wander. If you prefer not to sing, there’s an ample supply of percussion
instruments available (ask Jim if you can see his "eggs" or bring your own can
of rice to shake. Cha-cha-cha.
Chris Nichols is a regular contributor to the Lounge Magazine. He is also an
active member of the Los Angeles Conservancy’s Modern Committee.
