Route 66 restaurant

In Search Of Pie

Okay, a search for pie, blackberry or peach cobbler, hush puppies, or world class chilli are not the only reason that we are embarking on a road trip in a few weeks. But I can't think of a road trip in the past forty years that didn't involve a detour or two. Someone...

In Search of Boston Friedel

My world is always full of surprising twists and turns but I never imagined that a Saturday morning would be spent in search of Boston Friedel. This particular quest actually started several months ago. The owners of this distinctive stone building along Route 66 in...

The Torch Passes

As the Route 66 centennial approaches, the torch passes to a new generation. Many of the leaders in the preservation, the promotion and the development of Route 66 as an attraction for future generations were born after the highway was fully bypassed in October 1984....

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...

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The VIP Treatment

The VIP Treatment

The 19th century courthouse in Pontiac, Illinois is an architectural gem. Casting long shadows across the square is a towering monument to honor Civil War veterans of Livingston County. Mayor Rathbun and President Theodore Roosevelt officiated at the dedication...

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Murder and Mayhem on Route 66

Murder and Mayhem on Route 66

George Lorius, an executive with a coal and ice company in East St. Louis, Illinois, was relatively wealthy, at least from the perspective of the Great Depression. On May 20, 1935, George, his wife Laura, and their good friends Albert and Tillie Heberer checked into...

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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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The Route 66 Centennial

When it comes to utilizing tourism as a catalyst for economic development, and historic district revitalization, towns in the American southwest have a distinct advantage. And if those communities happen to be on Route 66, those opportunities are magnified exponentially, especially with the highways centennial fast approaching.
So, what do communities along this storied highwway need to do to capitalize on the Route 66 centennial?

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End of An Era

End of An Era

The unexpected death of Scott Dunton about ten days ago was the end of era for Kingman, for Route 66, and for me personally. Scott I began working on projects to utilize the growing interest in Route 66 as a catalyst for historic district revitalization back in about 1992. That was shortly after he and his father had purchased the venerable old Kimo Cafe that dated to 1940, and initiated its transformation into Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner. As a bit of FYI, the “D’ in the name is for Dunton.

In 1994, Scott and I launched the Route 66 Association of Kingman Arizona. Fueled with a passion for the endeavor we hit the ground running. But as so often happens, life got in the way and the association went into a holding pattern.

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The Centennial

The Centennial

For a brief moment in time it was designated U.S. 60. But by the time that signs had been placed along the highway that connected Chicago to Los Angeles a political compromise had given it a new identity - U.S.66. Exactly when Route 66 morphed from highway to icon...

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September 2023
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