Table of Contents
Grand Opening of the California Route 66 Museum
Nuggets From Needles by Maggie McShan
Video Kicks by Geoffrey Willis
Video Contribution by JoAnne Willis
Update on Margie's Long Walk
Santa Anita, The Great Race Place by Geoffrey Willis
October Route 66 Bus Tour by Stephen Schwarzwold
Smithsonian Bus Tour by JoAnne Willis
National Park Service Completes Route 66 Study
GRAND OPENING OF THE CALIFORNIA ROUTE 66 MUSEUM
Old Town Victorville Property Owners Association has taken it upon themselves to create
the California Route 66 Museum. It is housed in the first bank building of
Victorville, California, built in 1917. It is located on the corner of 6th and
D Streets facing D which is Route 66 one block west of the right angle curve that it takes
south through town. The opening, November 11, 1995, Veterans’ Day, and also the 69th
anniversary of the highway, is part of a day-long community celebration titled
"Turning On The Lights In Old Town Victorville."
The new museum houses a historical exhibition gallery which features CHR66A’s
28-panel :Mojave 66" exhibit, a contemporary gallery with Route 66 photos by our
former president Dan Harlow, mixed media by artist Dave Newman, and black and white photos
by Victorville photographer Don Holland. There also will be a resource library of Route 66
literature, a community display area with photos pertaining to local history and it will
eventually have a number of artifacts. There is a gift shop Rotating exhibits and
contributions are encouraged.
The birth of the museum comes from a friendly, mutual openness of our association with
our new acquaintances in Old Town, including the valuable involvement of the Daily
Press.
Early last spring, CHR66A member, Lois Griffin, also of Old Town Victorville Property
Owners Association, sent JoAnne Willis a note and a news clipping. It was copy also sent
to us by Daily Press writer David Allen, He won a prestigious publisher's award for
this article about the history of Victorville, its Route 66 connection and emphasis on Old
Town’s struggle for revitalization. JoAnne was so happy that a member would think to
keep us informed, that when she learned our March meeting would end with a bus ride to a
restaurant in Victorville, she gave Lois a call and suggested she round up an Old Town
contingency to talk with us there. She called the Daily Press too.
When we stepped off the bus, the press took photos and talked to our members and to the
charming group that was there to meet us. With Lois were property owners Mark Ward,
president of their association, Joy Robertson, owner of the bank building, and Old Town
chiropractor Dr. William Watson who was actually standing there with a panorama photograph
of 6th and D Streets as it looked in the 40s, including the bank building.
Watson offered to loan our association the framed photo to the used in conjunction with
our Mojave 66 exhibit at the upcoming July / August 1995 Get Your Kicks Fair in
Victorville.
Local fairgoers in the swamp-cooled exhibit hall enjoyed poking at everything in that
picture, as did Mark Ward when he came along and pointed out façade restorations of the
bank, and who then was inspired to see the building as a home for the Mojave exhibit, and
further, a Route 66 museum. He had a strong hunch that owner Joy Robertson and their board
would share his enthusiasm, and Voila! It became a reality almost overnight.
Good things just keep happening. A few Old Town members have become CH66A members and
are chipping in towards the enrichment of their town, such as Vivian Smith Thompson who is
contributing 1929 photos of the Smith Hotel which was on the southeast corner. The bank
building is on the southwest corner. The hotel is gone, but the photos will let us view it
from the outside and one taken of the inside shows its lobby lined with slot machines.
Vivian’s father, Earl C. Smith (no relation to the hotel name) opened his barber shop
there in 1929. He became affectionately known as "Smittie". None other than one
of our favorite characters, Miles Mahan, architect of Hula Ville, wrote one of his many
poems on poster board entitled "Smittie’s Barber Shop". The family framed
it and hung it in the shop. They still have it.
A new attraction with a wealth of information is here for all of us to enjoy, also
serving as a welcoming center for Route 66 travelers, many from abroad. Thus, we are
jubilant about this opening and hope the new California Route 66 Museum will be a
big success for Old Town Victorville and California Historic Route 66 Association.
NUGGETS FROM NEEDLES by Maggie McShan
We rediscovered a wonderful little Route 66 Roadside Park just outside Needles. Well,
it is in fact within the city limits but has been long forgotten and neglected. My sister
Ruth deserves the credit. We had been out on the Old 66 Nature Trail and on the way home,
she insisted that we stop and visit some beautiful smoke trees. They are at the edge of
what was once a little county park developed during the era of such things, probably in
the 1950s. I can remember when it was active and much used, having the amenities of shade
trees, tables and benches, and rest rooms. In the early days I believe water was obtained
from a neighboring property as there was no well at the site.
When Interstate 40 by-passed the facility, it became unused, and the victim of
vandalism and neglect. I can remember that the City of Needles acquired the property,
about 5 acres, from the County, with the thought of a well site, but nothing was ever
developed. All the shade trees died, or so it appeared, and the water and rest rooms were
discontinued. All the rest rooms were eventually removed.
The place nestles between old Route 66 and the Needles highway, as the road to Laughlin
is officially named. At the junction of the two roads, an arrow point is formed, the
beginning of which is private land. Up the road two tenths of a mile there is a
black-topped wide drive that cuts across between the two roads.
The boundary of the park is the southerly side of that driveway where a berm and ditch
exists. To our delight we found that several of the historic landscape plants are still
alive, despite being without irrigation for decades. Among these are two pepper trees, one
of which is in very good condition, and the other only needing the dead wood trimmed out.
Many of the original oleanders are still living, and there are several Mexican paloverdes.
A very large athel tree only needs some trimming out of lower branches to make room for
the existing picnic tables which are still in good shape. Another beautiful introduced
tree is a mesquite, which I believe is of the velvet species. This makes up the survivors
of the original plantings. Mostly the park has grown up in fine honey bean mesquite
specimens, which forms good cover for quail and other birds and wildlife. Some of these
trees could also be trimmed up for shade trees, others left for the birds. There is a fine
stand of desert plants on the ground now, including desert lavender, creosote bush, smoke
tree, desert acacia and many others.
Most of the original tables and benches are still standing, with a few tipped over that
can be easily restored. The tables and benches are made of concrete banded with heavy
iron. Most of the terrain is smooth for easy walking. What a wonderful place for a
Historic Route 66 Desert Park!
We started right in working on the idea, proposing to the City Director of Parks and
"Recreation, Tom Parry, that the city allow volunteers to pick up the
"people" trash, prune the trees and shrubbery, straighten up the tables and
benches, and perhaps paint them, and PRESTO! We would have a very usable facility. Never
mind piping any water or sewers to it. Just leave it as a desert facility. The cut-off is
also wide enough for automobiles to park on both sides.
Walking trails can wind around among the plants which, of course, could be identified
by the Nature Trail Committee, which is associated with the Needles Museum.
To further pinpoint the location, it is just .8 of a mile from the West Broadway
off-ramp of I-40. Route 66 fans, please stop and check it out. Send us your ideas,
suggestions, and memories, if you have them, of the park’s active life to Needles
Museum, Box 978, Needles, CA 92363.
VIDEO KICKS by Geoffrey Willis
Arizona Crossroads: Along Old Route 66 is a tightly packed, entertaining and
informative documentary tracing the history of the Mother Road in the Grand Canyon State.
from wagon trails to Interstate, this video brings history to life with style and
sincerity.
My favorite interview segments are those with Terri Cleeland of the National Park
Service and, as usual, Angel Delgadillo, founder of the Historic Route 66 Association of
Arizona. Beyond imparting historical knowledge, this video does a nice job of bringing
home the reasons why we should care about the part Route 66 played and why its
preservation is important.
Along Old Route 66has aired on over 40 Public Broadcasting stations and has won
numerous awards. Both director/videographer John Craft and writer/interviewer Joan Matera
have extensive credits in educational programming.
The 25-minute video is $17.95 plus $3 S&H and may be ordered by calling 1-800 OLD
ROAD.
….AND AUDIO KICKS
Route 66 – The Mother Road is a 1984 audio documentary produced by the Kitchen
Sisters for National Public Radio (long before the release of the Michael Wallis book of
the same name). It is important to realize that in 1984 there were no Route 66
associations, historic signs, fun runs or anything else to promote or identify the road.
Only fading landmarks with names like 66 Motel or 66 Diner were left as sentinels of an
era gone by. Such is the perspective of this important audio documentary.
Besides interviews with 66 luminaries such as Gladys Cutberth and Bobby Troup, there
are many recollections by people like Lyman Riley and Bob Hudson, both fixtures in the
Missouri commercial cave business. Hudson remembers tourists traps advertising attractions
such as chickens who rang bells or played the piano. One place in Sanders, Arizona even
posted signs along the highway saying "Come see the burro with the human head!"
Interviews with 30’s era musicians including black dance band leader Clarence Love (Clarence
Love and the Lovers) and Bob Wills (Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys) vividly
recall the recall the roadhouse culture of 66. Such priceless stories bring the real heart
and hard times of the Mother Road into focus for us to appreciate.
This rare and wonderful audio cassette can be ordered by check payable to Davia Nelson
for $12 (including S&H) and mail to The Kitchen Sisters, 132 Rivoli, San Francisco, CA
94117
VIDEO CONTRIBUTION by JoAnne Willis
CHR66A thanks member Bob Coath for a very nice contribution of two videos consisting of
three one-hour segments capturing Route 66 Chicago to Santa Monica. They are a result of
his driving over 5,000 miles with his wife LaVona in the summers of ’91 and ’92.
Bob’s one man crew doing all the narration and editing in his own home studio as
well as having a library of music, in this case, choosing primarily 20s and 30s songs and
instrumentals to evoke the moods. He says he has shortened versions that he could show to
various clubs, but for our association I think it is appropriate to spend time on details.
In the California desert, for example, he gives visual focus to the feeling of the
road’s dips, crevices and patches with such narration as "before we continued we
took another long look at the road that lies ahead", an awesome sight as it looks
infinite rising into the mountains of the horizon.
Bob has taped a number of subjects over the past decade of travels such as
"Landscapes and Wagon Ruts Along the Oregon Trail", "Winter Dreams Along
the Rim of the Grand Canyon", and more unusual, "Hunting Fish Fossils in
Wyoming". Judging from a picture of Bob holding a Route 66 flag at the most westerly
point in Alaska, however, I’d say he merits his own proclamation as unofficial
spokesman for Route 66.
Bob is also eager to point out LaVona’s talent as a photographer, saying it’s
not unusual to turn in 40 rolls of film after a trip. She then artistically chronicles
them in specially made photo albums.
We’d like to thank Bob for sharing his videos. We will be glad to view them at
meetings and other gatherings and they are a welcome addition to our CHR66A archives.
UPDATE ON MARGIE’S LONG WALK -
She and her canine companion left their home in Landers, California, May 6, 1995 and
walked at least 2,000miles through desert, steep grades, and volatile weather on 66,
Chicago bound and determined to go even farther to Connecticut.
Sixty six years old and now turned 67, 118 lbs. — now 101— Margie McCauley
and her 72-lb. akita-labrador-retriever, Lollie, had to call it quits on October 24,
because Lollie bolted out at another dog which hurled their cart into Margie’s knees
and knocked her down. A doctor said Margie would be laid up for a month (luckily no broken
bones), but come spring, she’s going to pick up where she left off in St. Claire,
Missouri, about 40 miles southwest of St. Louis. She even left her cart there are the
Tri-County Truck Stop.
Though Margie had not sought attention, people along the route alerted one another and
often gave her respite or repaired her cart. The media picked up their trail too. On their
last day, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 27, caught them at the airport where they
were driven in a gentle rain by the manager of the truck stop. They appear in an 8x6 color
photo on the back of his pick-up. Margie was wearing a bright tie-dyed T-shirt with 66
emblems all down the front and a yellow cap over her straw hat was filled with pins given
to her by folks on 66. She was still holding her walking stick which revealed a plain gold
band on her ring finger. Her other arm was around Lollie in her red collar and heart tag,
affectionately licking Margie face.
They’ll be back! It’s best they break now, for the snows are coming.
HULA GIRL GOES ON VACATION – After dancing along side of Route 66 for nearly
forty years, the Hula Girl has decided to take a break. When Hula Ville creator Miles
Mahan, now 99, could no longer tend to its upkeep, the roadside attraction quickly
deteriorated. Miles is in very good care in a private home in Hesperia and says he’s
glad to be alive. Seeing their home dissolving, the Hula Girl and her two long-time
companions, the Stallion and the Cowboy decided to pull up stakes.
` Where they are, We will not tell. But they are safe And all is well.
66 THEME IN ROSE PARADE – Each New Year’s Day most people lining Colorado
Boulevard in Pasadena are not aware that they are watching the Tournament of Roses Parade
on Route 66. Perhaps on January 1, 1996, millions of viewers will learn this when
commentators for the national and foreign televised parade read their notes about the
float from the City of Azusa. The parade’s 1996 theme is "Kids Laughter and
Dreams" and the Azusa float is being titled "Are we there yet?" with a
camping vehicle and a Route 66 sign as part of its decoration. Azusa has not had a float
in the famous parade since 1914.
SANTA ANITA, THE GREAT RACE PLACE by Geoffrey Willis
With all the nostalgia that swirls around Mom and Pop establishments and quaint
roadside attractions along Route 66, some of its grander points of interest seem to get
overlooked. One such case is Santa Anita Park, one of our nation’s finest
thoroughbred racetracks. Located in Arcadia, California, at the Y intersection where
Huntington Drive veers southwest and 66 follows Colorado Place, Santa Anita has been
offering first class racing since 1934.
It is hardly possible to imagine a more perfect setting for horse racing as one looks
from the grandstand across the track and infield to the backdrop of the beautiful San
Gabriel mountains. Such was how E. J. "Lucky" Baldwin, the founder of Santa
Anita, felt upon his arrival in these parts in the early 1870s, saying, ‘This is
paradise, the spot I’ve been looking for all my life."
In 1875, he went to work on buying and developing the enormous Rancho Santa Anita
which, at its height, encompassed what is now Sierra Madre, Arcadia, Monrovia, El Monte,
Baldwin Park and much more. The empire produced wine, brandy, grain, oranges, grapes,
lemons, walnuts and supported herds of sheep, cattle, and horses. Although most of the
horses were field workers, a select group became the roots of what would become one of the
finest thoroughbred nurseries in the world. Throughout the 1880s and 1890s he raced horses
in California, Chicago, St. Louis, and all across the east. He built a stable of winners
which often finished first and seldom out of the money. With the arrival of the 20th
century, Baldwin, now in his seventies, embarked on his last enterprise — building
his own racetrack. In December of 1907 he arrived on Santa Anita’s opening day having
realized his greatest ambition.
The park was located off Huntington Drive where Santa Anita Golf Course is today. The
grandstand faced north toward the mountains just as the present one does. In 1909, horse
racing was banned throughout California and Santa Anita was forced to close. Baldwin died
the same year. The grandstand burned in 1912. The park went unused until 1917 when Anita
Baldwin sold the property to Los Angeles County, who deeded it to the War Department for a
U.S. Army Balloon School.
During the 1920s planning began for the creation of a network of federal highways.
Arcadia and Monrovia vied for advantageous alignments of the new transcontinental highway
Route 66. The Huntington Drive Improvement Association of Monrovia was born in January,
1925 and soon had sister associations in Duarte and Arcadia. The purpose of the groups was
to widen and straighten the existing Huntington Drive and Foothill Boulevard to carry the
increased highway traffic. The San Gabriel River Bridge was also widened as part of this
project. Central to the road straightening objective was to cut a new thoroughfare through
the Baldwin ranch. Negotiations both with the ranch owners and with civic leaders seeking
to route the new highway through their respective business districts slowed the pace of
progress. By 1931, however, the road known now as Colorado Place through the ranch
connecting Huntington Drive with Colorado Boulevard into Pasadena had been accomplished
and was officially recognized as Route 66.
In the early 30s paramutual betting became legal again in California and Anita Baldwin
applied for city zoning and a license to do business as the Los Angeles Jockey Club. In
August of 1932, excavation for a new racetrack began on the Baldwin estate. However, the
work ended suddenly in March of 1933 as rumors of unpaid bills surfaced.
This is when a group of racing enthusiasts called the Los Angeles Turf Club came about.
The group was pioneered by movie producer Hal Roach who gave us Laurel and Hardy, the
Little Rascals, and Harold Lloyd. He approached Carleton Burke, racing commission
chairman, about a slate of winter dates. He appealed to Gwynn Wilson, athletic director of
USC and associate manager of the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles to take on the task of
designing a new racetrack. Roach also proposed a $100,000 purse when races commonly paid
half of that. This would insure the participation of quality horses and jockeys. He firmly
believed the success of the new track depended on offering the public first class
entertainment.
At about the same time, Dr. Charles Strub of San Francisco and associates secured the
first permit from the newly created California Horse Racing Board. Not satisfied with
sites offered in the north, Strub joined with Roach’s Turf Club in the south. Dr.
Strub literally went door to door selling stock at $5,000 a share in the new venture which
Roach billed as a million dollar track with a $100,000 purse. High stakes indeed! Their
efforts proved successful and 214 acres were purchased from Anita Baldwin. Roach had
advocated a location closer to downtown Los Angeles but Burke virtually insisted on the
Santa Anita site, given the history of horse racing established by "Lucky"
Baldwin. Ground was broken in March of 1934 east of the site chosen in 1932 by Anita
Baldwin and the park opened on Christmas Day, 1934.
Gwynn Wilson chose Gordon Kaufman as the architect. Kaufman’s art deco clubhouse
and grandstand would later win an international award of merit at the 1937 Paris
Exhibition. It is amazing that neither Kaufman nor Wilson had never been on a race track
previous to this. The two toured race tracks throughout the country in March of 1934
looking for ideas. They found what they wanted at Hialeah and Arlington.
The Christmas opening was a grand success playing to a capacity crowd including movie
stars and many dignitaries. Moreover, the idea of racing through the winter was hardly
accidental. Being as southern California was a winter playground offering good weather,
premium horses were available to race. There also were no other spectator sports such as
football or baseball to compete with. Thus, the odds for success favored Santa Anita.
Although there was an initial drop in attendance after the novelty faded, the new park
continued to draw on a steadily increasing basis.
The impact of the Great Depression was certainly felt in southern California. However,
the newly opened track and the recently improved Route 66 combined to bring signs of
prosperity to Arcadia. Arcadia’s first motel, the Santa Anita Motor Inn, was
constructed in 1937 on the north side of Huntington Drive near Colorado Place. Numerous
restaurants such as the Pines Café, Walkers Bar-B-Que and The Derby appeared. By the end
of the 30s, this area of Arcadia was flourishing with new business.
The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and the resulting declaration
of war on Japan ushered in a grim period of Santa Anita history. On February 19, 1942,
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed executive order 9066 authorizing the evacuation
from the west coast all persons of Japanese ancestry. Citizen or not and regardless of
loyalty to the United States, Japanese residents of California, Oregon, Washington and
Arizona were compelled to relocate to inland internment camps for the duration of the war.
The decimation of the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor having left the west coast vulnerable to
attack and suspicions amongst the U.S. Army high command that significant numbers of
Japanese loyal to the emperor and his war aims were living in the American west were the
principal reasons given for this severe action. However, it seems improbable that an
element of knee-jerk retaliatory racism was not also a factor. In any case, twelve
assembly centers were established in California to provide temporary housing for Japanese
awaiting relocation to camps in the U.S. interior. Santa Anita Park was one of them.
Wherever possible, assembly centers were set up at racetracks (horse racing was
suspended for the duration of the war) and at fairgrounds to take advantage of the
adequate space and availability of water and electrical power.
On March 21, 1942, construction began on hundreds of little barrack-style houses. In
less than two weeks more than five hundred little houses had been assembled by the Army
Corps of Engineers. In just 29 days, the entire project was completed, including kitchens
equipped to furnish nearly 60,000 meals a day, mess halls with seating accommodations, a
hospital, post office, giant shower building and laundry facility. There were also
facilities for the Military Police assigned to guard the evacuees. Originally planned for
15,000 people, the final project housed over 20,000. The Santa Anita Center had the
longest period of occupancy and was by far the heaviest populated of all.
The 420-acre camp was divided into seven districts, then into individually numbered
barracks, thus giving each family an address. Overall living space was quite limited: A
typical unit of two rooms, 20 by 8 feet, housed four to six people. Each resident was
issued an Army-manufacture bed, one blanket and one straw tick. Each room was allocated
one 40-watt light bulb. Toilets consisted of ten seats lined up: hard, fresh-sawed,
un-sandpapered wood; automatic flushing about every fifteen minutes. The entire complex
was surrounded by barbed wire and spaced lookout towers with armed guards. At night,
searchlights were constantly played over the camp.
By the end of October 1942 every Japanese family had been relocated to an interior
camp. By December 1942, Santa Anita Park was converted for yet another use as an ordinance
training center and the six-month life of the Santa Anita Assembly Center for the Japanese
was over.
When the post bell again was heard on May 5, 1945, it not only meant that horse racing
was back, but rang in a whole new era of prosperity for Santa Anita. The special late
spring season played to ever growing crowds. The infield was bedecked with over 2000
plants in a stunning floral display and two new tunnels now accessed it to the grandstand.
The stables wee completely restored and a new grandstand ramp done in red, brown, black,
and gray tiles had been installed. Featured that season was the impressive stable of
thoroughbreds brought forth by movie mogul Louis B. Mayer. Jockey John Longden, riding for
Mayer, st a 40-day season record by riding 65 winners.
The post-war years of 1946 and 47 brought forth a series of improvements to enhance the
luxury and comfort of the patrons. People had money in their pockets again and the time to
relax and enjoy it. In 1946, Dr. Strub was honored by the New York Turf Writers
Association as "The Man Who Had Done the Most for American Racing". This kind of
recognition underscored the prominent place held by Santa Anita in the national horse
racing picture.
The 1950s and 60s witnessed the heroics of many fabulous race horses. Hill Gail
won both the Santa Anita and Kentucky Derbies. In 1954, Determine became the first
gray to win both Santa Anita and Kentucky Derbies. In 1955 saw Swaps take the San
Vicente Handicap, the Santa Anita Derby and the Kentucky Derby, winning him the honor of
"Greatest California-bred horse of all time. He was never beaten at the Arcadia
track." Not to be outdone, in 1966 Lucky Debonair won the Big ‘Cap,
the Santa Anita and Kentucky Derbies.
However, without a doubt, the most revered horse in Santa Anita history has to be Seabiscuit.
He ran in the Big ‘Cap three times before he won it, finishing just a nose behind his
rivals Rosemont and Stagehand in 1937 and ’38. He was injured in his
only start in 1939 and was pastured in northern California to recuperate, but the
"Smart Money" said the popular stallion was done.
Both Seabiscuit and his long time rider, jockey Red Pollard were out of shape
and recovering from injuries. "Just a couple of old cripples," Pollard said and
then added, "We’re all washed up, eh Pappy?" with his arm around the
horse’s neck. And so began the long and relentless road in the summer of 1939 back to
the past. Owner Charles Howard recalled, "At first they only walked him later jogged
him a mile, two miles, three — gradually building him up". Seabiscuit was
put on a diet and muzzled at night to keep him from eating his bedding. "At times it
was pathetic — almost more than you could stand", Howard said, "but we
didn’t give in."
In November of 1939 the stallion’s return to racing was announced as the turf
writers responded with skepticism. Seabiscuit and Pollard made their first
appearance at Santa Anita on February 9, 1940, nearly a year since their last race. The
stallion wore bandages and the crowd took note with fear and sympathy. "They
didn’t win, but they didn’t end up in a heap on the race track either. As a
matter of fact, they turned in a very creditable performance."
Seabiscuit finished sixth eight days later at the San Carlos Handicap. With the
Big ‘Cap just two weeks away, the public outcry to "take the poor fellow
out" became louder. The San Antonio Handicap followed and suddenly the blazing speed
of old burst through and Seabiscuit won handily by two full lengths.
The day of the Big ‘Cap came in early March of 1940 — the big race where
victory had eluded Pollard and the Biscuit two times before and the race the
skeptics said the stallion would never see again. To the screams and strains of the
crowed, the "two old cripples" flew down the track, keeping pace with the
leaders. As the other horses tired and began to fall back, Seabiscuit poured it on
running the race of his life. He blew past the finish a length-and-a-half in front of his
chasing stable mate Kayak and the unbelievable had happened. At the incredible age
of six, Seabiscuit had come back to claim the prize and forever go down in the
annuals of Santa Anita history. A statue of the great horse pays tribute to him on the
grounds today.
The story of Santa Anita, like that of the highway it borders, is one of vision,
perseverance, and success. The park’s regular season runs January through April with
a short season in October. One can hardly visit this landmark attraction and not be
touched by its beauty, pageantry, and history. It is truly one of the great gems of Routes
66.
OCTOBER ROUTE 66 BUS TOUR by Stephen Schwarzwald
On October 14, our excursion left promptly at 8:30 a.m. from Union Station in downtown
Los Angeles to follow the Historic Route 66 alignment along the old Pasadena Freeway. On
this day, our vintage1954 Greyhound Scenic Cruiser bus was to follow the exact time
schedule and route of the original 1956 Greyhound "Grand Canyon Route". Once in
Pasadena, our running time was ahead of schedule so a slight detour was made to the old
Santa Fe Railroad Station for pictures.
We left Pasadena right on schedule and continued east along Colorado Boulevard, which
is the original Mother Road alignment. That eventually got us onto Huntington Drive in
Arcadia. We arrived on time to pick up more passengers in Monrovia. From there traveling
east, however, we lost about 15 minutes getting to our last pick up point in Fontana, at
historic Bono’s Deli and Restaurant. We were surprised to have Joe Bono join us as a
traveler while we boarded the other passengers. By the time we got to 5th and
Mount Vernon in San Bernardino, we had lost another 10 minutes from the 1956 schedule.
These delays were due to the present increase in traffic and signaling as compared to the
era of the late 1950s when Greyhound used this same route and our slowing down to observe
the many points of interest still remaining along Route 66.
We soon discovered that we would not make our scheduled lunch in Victorville at noon
since we had gotten off Interstate 215 and traveled on Old Route 66 most of the way north
of San Bernardino and up the Cajon Pass. At Cleghorn, we joined I-15 and from there the
vintage coach ran at high speed all the way into Victorville.
Upon our arrival in Old Town Victorville, our group was immediately served lunch at the
La Fonda, a long time established Mexican restaurant just off Route 66. Joy Robertson, who
has lived in Victorville most of her life and is one of the local recognized historians,
made the lunch arrangements and joined us. She passed out packets about Old Town
Victorville and their forthcoming all-day special event dedicating Old Town on November
11, titled "Turning On The Lights in Old Town Victorville",. After lunch we
walked three buildings east to tour the new California Route 66 Museum building to be
opened on that same day., The 1917 bank building was the first prototype for
poured-concrete structures. November 11th is also the day that Route 66, along
with other highways, was officially certified by the federal government.
We left Victorville about 1:40 p.m. which was our previous estimated arrival time in
Newberry Springs, with Joy as our guide pointing out the many historical points of
interest along the way. Our motor coach traveled on the Old Road all the way into Barstow.
A short photo stop was made at the 1910 Santa Fe Railway Station and Harvey House,
presently under renovation. We parked in the Greyhound area and soon were surrounded by
bus drivers and their passengers asking to board our Scenic Cruiser to recall days from
their past.
Soon we were back on Old 66 for a short distance through Barstow until we had to get
back on I-40. This had to be done since the old alignment had been taken over by a
government installation. About four miles west of Daggett, we got back onto Old Route 66
which took us into Newberry Springs.
There, we picked up our local tour guides, Joe Pizzitola and Bill Smith. Both are long
time residents of Ludlow and Newberry Springs and very involved with the Chambers of
Commerce.
Our first tour segment was around the historic General Store and water oasis in
Newberry Springs, which was the original motor coach stop for both Greyhound and
Continental Trailways. The water table there years ago was about 10 feet. It presently is
between 40 to 80 feet depending on the time of year. Boarding the coach, we headed for
Ludlow, some 25-plus miles east following the terrain of sagebrush and boom weed and miles
of black lava from Pisgah Volcano still visible to the south. The last few miles on Old
Route 66 into Ludlow were very rough, due mainly to different heights in the seams of the
pavement from years of water damage. In Ludlow Joe hosted us through an indepth tour
around the long abandoned railroad buildings, the 1908 mercantile building, the railroad
yard site, and other places of immense historic interest.
On the return trip to Newberry Springs we did not travel over that same damaged section
of Old 66 — we headed west on I-40 to the first off ramp east of Newberry. That put
us back on the better stretch of Old 66, and our coach returned to the town once just
called Newberry. The post office in D.C. changed the town’s name early in its history
to Newberry Springs because of its abundance of water since most of its mail was going to
Newberry in Ventura County.
Upon our second arrival in Newberry Springs, both Bill and Joe extensively narrated a
very in-depth tour throughout the community. Since that our coach was a Scenic Cruiser
with split level seating, Joe handled the lower area, and Bill the upper level. We
traveled through large residential neighborhoods with huge farm or ranch style houses,
several with large lakes in their front or back yards. There were even boat docks and
fishing on many of the lakes. One home we saw was in the middle of a large lake.
Newberry Springs is also recognized as the Water Ski Capital of Southern California
with five championship ski lakes. Some more creative residents made houses out of old
railroad box cars or cabooses. As is typical in the desert, some houses were mobile homes.
We also went by the largest ostrich breeding farm in California, some ranches where
alfalfa and other related vegetables are grown, and stopped at the largest pistachio nut
factory in Southern California where most of us purchased the nuts at $3.00 a pound.
What with the informative tour in Ludlow and the very extensive tour in Newberry
springs, we had used more time than originally planned. There were no complaints since
everyone had a great time. Dinner was at 6:00 p.m. on Route 66 at Sidewinder Café, used
in the movie Bagdad Café. We boarded our coach about 7:30 and headed west stopping
at the same places we pick up our travelers.
Our driver Terry Moore owns the coach that we traveled in and operates it for his
company, Legendary State Lines. The coach is immaculately maintained and is fully
operational. The air conditioning worked flawlessly and the rest room was clean. The
fabric head rests topping the seats looked as if they had just come from the laundry,
which they probably did. Even though the entire day’s tour went much longer than
originally planned, Terry hung in there without any complaints. His family had accompanied
us on this trip and were impressed with the travelers and enjoyed what was seen and
learned during the day.
WHAT IS PLANNED FOR OUR NEXT TRIP?
The Pacific Bus Museum, the Western Railroaders’ "Hall of Fame" and
Museum, in cooperation with the California Historic Route 66 Association envision
continuing their tours. When the wildflower season arrives, that would be great tour. Some
discussion was also done between myself, Bill Smith, and Joe Pizzitola regarding the
viability of another Old Route 66 tour in their areas. Keep your eyes and ears open for
information on these future tours.
Terry Moore, Legendary Stage Lines, can be contacted at 213-585-8305. Stephen
Schwarzwald, Pacific Bus Museum is at 818-783-3454.
SMITHSONIAN BUS TOUR by JoAnne Willis
For the third consecutive year, author Michael Wallis and his wife, Suzanne, hosted a
bus tour called "Route 66, Main Street of America" October 13-26, 1995. They are
sponsored by the Smithsonian Associates Study Tours and Seminars.
I happened to catch them in St. Louis, Missouri, when I went to Ted Drewes frozen
custard stand to drop off some California newsletters. Their trip started from the lovely
reconverted Union Station in St. Louis this year, as opposed to starting in Chicago. This
would enable them to make it all the way to Santa Monica Pier this time on as much of the
old highway as possible.
What we learned: They met up with Margie McCauley and her dog Lollie in Lebanon,
Missouri, doing their cross-country walk
Michael had a birthday on the road and luckily he doesn’t try to hide his age. The
marquee of the defunct 66 Drive-In outside of Carthage, MO boldly read, "Happy B-Day,
M. Wallis – 50 on 66!", courtesy of the Missouri Route 66 Association.
In California, Maggie McShan, President of our High Desert chapter in Needles, had an
interesting group to greet them. Besides imparting her own knowledge, a representative
from Bureau of land Management pointed to examples of wildlife native to the desert on the
Route 66 Nature Trail. They met Mojave tribes people, including a woman who was recipient
of this year’s "Living Treasure" award; in this case, for her skill in
beading and for rekindling her tribe’s pottery making.
In Victorville, our former president, Dan Harlow had them stop to see the new
California Route 66 Museum, although no exhibits were ready. However, the neat thing is
that Michael Wallis is the first signature on the guest register!
Our state had a marquee welcome too, from Azusa City Hall, who honored our first
president Jennie Avila’s request. (Azusa had a parade / party for Michael’s
first Mother Road book tour in 1990.)
The tour’s last day made the most of very little time, including a narrated
drive-by of Monrovia and the Aztec Hotel, a stop on Pasadena’s Colorado Street
Bridge, and then on to the Pier.
Everyone enjoyed it. The travelers had come from all over the country. Michael himself
expressed having had a great tour and said that Route 66 was just like one big family.
For information about future tours contact: Smithsonian National Associate Program,
1100 Jefferson Drive, S.W., Room 3045, Washington D.C. 20560, or call 202.357.4700.
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE COMPLETES ROUTE 66 STUDY
The National Park Service Route 66 Resource Study Team has issued its final newsletter
detailing possibilities for federal involvement in the preservation, promotion, and/or
commemoration of the road and its resources. The team was commissioned by an Act of
Congress in 1990 stemming from a bill introduced by Senator Pete Domenici from New Mexico.
The team spent most of 1992 and 1993 on the route cataloging its many alignments, points
of interest, landmarks, and oral histories from residents along the way. The team then
conducted a series of town meetings across the route soliciting feedback from Mother Road
enthusiasts to the four alternatives the team described in their Fall ’93 newsletter.
The team did some "fine tuning" on their original proposals, created a wholly
new, fifth one, and submitted the complete study to Congress.
Alternative 1: The Resources Preserved.
This alternative would allow for a traditional National Park Service (NPS) approach to
the preservation and management of old Route 66. Property would be purchased by a
congressionally authorized commission, and a large number of sites, facilities, and
personnel would be needed. Partnerships with property owners would be stressed. This
alternative would concentrate on saving the most representative features associated with
Route 66.
Preservation based on national register criteria would concentrate on resources from
1926 to 1970. Although the entire Route 66 story would be emphasized along with the local
and regional stories of each site, no effort would be made by the federal government to
mark the entire length of the route. Only key areas would be highlighted.
Alternative 2: National Historic Trail
This alternative would provide for national recognition of Route 66 as a unit of
the national trails system. The purpose of a national historic trail is to preserve
significant resources, interpret the route’s history, and provide opportunities to
retrace the route and promote outdoor recreation. A national historic trail (NHT) is
dependent on a partnership between the federal government to administer the program and
grassroots organizations, agencies, and individuals, including private landowners, for
day-to-day management.
Route 66 as a national historic trail would provide focus on important resources along
the road and emphasize the links between them. Managing Route 66 as a NHT would require
defining the historic period of the highway. Resources not considered as part of the
historic period would not be included as potentially certifiable sites or segments. The
Route 66 NHT would extend along the entire route from Chicago to Los Angeles.
This alternative would provide a comprehensive vision of the grass roots preservation
and interpretation of Route 66 while maintaining federal standards. As in the first
alternative, the emphasis would be centered more on resource preservation and
interpretation than on visitor experience and the spirit of Route 66.
Alternative 3: No New Federal Action
No new federal action means that existing conditions on the highway, including
currently active federal programs, would continue with out any additional federal action
or involvement related to this study. Should Congress choose to continue the current
conditions on Route 66 and not involve the federal government in new programs, these
conditions would persist unless others took action. This alternative recognizes that it
would be advantageous to existing Route 66 organizations to combine their assets and
energies under an umbrella organization and offers a possible scenario for such action.
A nonfederal consortium would help preserve and interpret the resources associated with
a corridor following the various alignments of Route 66. Although the consortium could
require significant expenditures of nonfederal public funds, private funds, and a
professional staff, there would be no new federal programs. Despite the need for local
funds, existing federal, state, and other programs could help fund the consortium. The
consortium could be made up of representatives from the eight states that the corridor
would pass through.
Numerous groups and organizations have an interest in the history and future of Route
66. These groups include chambers of commerce, state historic preservation offices, civic
clubs, state Route 66 associations, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, tourist
industry groups, and other public and private organizations. This alternative suggests the
concept of bringing together as many interested parties as possible in an umbrella
organization to focus energy and resources on Route 66.
Alternative 4: Commemorative
This alternative would provide for a consistently signed Route 66 driving experience.
It would.
