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...
“They have two grown children and four grandchildren. Hinckley is currently working on his next book, which will be a biography of Edsel Ford, the son of Henry Ford and a prominent figure in the automotive industry.” This paragraph was the biggest surprise.
I am not sure how to tell my wife that we have two grown children. For the last thirty four years she thought that we had just one son. To be honest, so did I.
Rudolfo Anaya is a renowned writer with a long list of published novels, short stories, essays and even poems. His best known work was also his first novel, Bless Me, Ultima. Published in 1972, the novel tells the fascinating story of Antonio, a young boy growing up...
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?
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.
The rich and colorful diversity of the Route 66 renaissance was on full display at the event in Needles. It also reflected the growing trend in showing Route 66 as a direct connection between past, present and even the future.
Si Garcia of the Fort Mojave Tribe performed traditional bird songs. Historical renactor Debbie Miller Marschke did a superb impression of Olive Oatman, and shared Oatman’s amazing story. Wade Bray of SRO Productions shared a video from the 2022 AAA Route 66 Road Fest in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and answered questions about the 2023 fest scheduled for June 23 – 25. Mike Thornton gave tours of the El Garces and brought the history of the complex to life with his passion for the property and for Needles.
On June 27, 1985, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials decertified US 66 and voted to remove all its highway signs. So, officially Route 66 doesn't exist. And yet an argument could easily be made that today that storied highway is...
