Hollywood history

Casting A Long Shadow

The towering old stone hotel has been casting a long shadow in the historic heart of Kingman, Arizona since 1909. It is a tangible link to Arizona territorial history, a nearly forgotten chapter in Ford family history, and even with famous Hollywood celebrities. John...

Bob Waldmire, Route 66, and A Desert Crossroads

The holiday weekend has been dominated by thoughts about Bob Waldmire, Route 66 and life in a desert crossroads. This deep thinking was sparked by a host that posed questions about Bob Waldmire's association with Kingman. And then she expressed surprise that given...

Myth, Legend & BS

The forlorn looking White Rock Court is counted among the rarest of Route 66 motels. It is a prewar auto court. And it was the only motel in Kingman to be listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book. In 1915 when Edsel Ford and his college buddies followed the National...

Gunfighters, Folk Artists, and Trains

Pontaic, Illinois harnessed Waldmire’s popularity in the Route 66 and folk art community as an integral component in the development of tourism that literally transformed the town into a destination. Kingman, Arizona has an an orignal Bob Waldmire mural, and a display of his orignal work, at TNT Engineering, orignally a Ford dealership built along Route 66 in the 1960s.  
Waldmire’s work isn’t recognized or promoted in the Kingman’s official tourism marketing. An innovative narrated self guided historic district walking tour developed by Kingman Main Street finally put the mural and other public art displays in the spotlight. But a year after its introudction the walking tour still hasn’t been included in the city’s tourism marketing initiatives. 

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A Few Route 66 Surprises

What do you call a town that is linked to Route 66 because it was named in a song that reminded us to not forget Winona, because it has an original Bob Waldmire mural, and because it was the primary location for the 1984 movie Roadhouse 66  starring Willem Dafoe and...

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Inspiration, Irritation & Infatuation

Inspiration, Irritation & Infatuation

But, perhaps, the most amazing thing about Ralph Teetor wasn’t his ability to transform dreams into reality. It is that he did so while suffering from what many people would consider a debilitating handicap. As a child he had been injured in his fathers machine shop. Mr. Ralph Teetor was blind. 

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Barn Finds, Jay Leno, And A Mirage

The highlight of the trip was Jay Leno stopping by the book signing. He has popped into most of our Burbank signings for many years but in light of his recent accident we hadn’t expected to see him. And we surely didn’t expect see him driving the barn find Duesenberg. 

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Kingman’s Traveling Church

These were years of dramatic change, both good and bad, in Kingman, in Arizona and in the world. Arizona transitioned from territory to state in 1912. He presided over many funerals during WWI and the Spanish flu pandemic. And in 1917 he officiated at a ceremony during the laying of a cornerstone for a stately new church at the corner of Fifth and Spring Street that would complement the recently completed Mohave County Courthouse, and the Bonelli house on the opposite corner. 

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It Started With A Typewriter

It Started With A Typewriter

If this story opened like a film noir classic such as The Big Sleep starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, the first line would be, "It started with a typewriter, advice from a trusted friend, troubled thoughts, and reflection." The opening would continue with,...

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September 2023
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