Robert’s Routes

I’ve started something of a memoirs type writing of my travels.

This will be something of a review of the routes I have taken. I am including notes of some of my favorites places for food, lodging and points of interest from those trips. Most of the restaurants and motels from those early trips are no longer in business, but you may still be able to find a few of them still open for business today.
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Ashore and Afloat in the Navy-
June 25, 1951- May 11, 1955

When I was in the Navy from 1951 to 1955, my travels took me to Japan, with a short stint on an aircraft carrier operating off the coast of Korea. However, my longest sea duty was aboard a seaplane tender based in the Inland Sea of Japan. There was a cruise tour to Hong Kong, which is the farthest west I have been.

When I got out of the Navy, I started making yearly cross-country vacation trips. Either dating back to my single bachelor days and recent family trips, I and we have pretty well boxed the compass as far as destinations have been. Clockwise, they have been Niagara Falls and Quebec in Canada and then down the Atlantic seacoast to the Southernmost Point In the USA at Key West, Florida and then west to Point Loma at San Diego, California. Then up Victoria, British, Columbia, Canada and then back to the starting point….And all points in between. More to follow.

My Naval Service officially began at the Union Station at Dallas on June 25, 1951. Transportation to the United States Naval Recruiting Training Center at San Diego, California was via the Santa Fe Railroad. This in itself was quite an experience since the farthest I had even been from home before that was a vacation trip one Summer to Jackson, Mississippi-about 400 miles. Our little group incuded those from big towns such as Dallas and Waco and little towns such as Crandall and Waller and some from East Texas .

At that time the length of “Boot Camp” was eleven weeks. Incidentally,the term “Boot Camp” came from the wearing of Boots with lace up leggings during Recruit Training. Part of the time was spent at the main complex on Rosecrans Boulevard in San Diego with a few weeks at the Camp Elliott Annex which was located just east of the present Miramar Naval Air Station. The only real difficulty I had in “Boot Camp” was finally getting up enough nerve to jump off into the swimming pool and qualifying to get off the “Non-Swimmer’s Detail”…however and of course I eventually got over that hurdle. This was sort of a “culture shock” thing since the members of our Company including everything from the “youse guys” of the “Yankees” from the northern and eastern states to the “y’alls” of those from the south. On graduation from Boot Camp we were given a week or two Leave. Trailways Bus System had a special rate for a round trip to Dallas, and those of us in that group took advantage of this for our trip to Dalas and back to San Diego.

After completion of Boot Camp I was assigned to the thirty-six weeks Naval School, Electronics, at Treasure Island, California. The Navy furnished transportation aboard the Destroyer USS Mc Cord (DD-534) which was my first taste of sea duty.

I had previous training in electronics at Arlington State College (now The University of Texas at Arlington) so the first twenty weeks of the course were fairly easy. This was really one of the most enjoyable parts of my service and I spent quite a bit of time on Liberty exploring the Bay Area . Another pleasant bit of this duty was the Locker Club. You were allowed to wear civilian clothes on Liberty and you could blend in with the crowds…everyone would probably think you were just another high school or college kid enjoying the weekend. During that time you formed some friendships of which you still remember. My “Lab Partner” with whom we worked on experiments of electronic circuits was something of a colleague – he had attended a similar course at Compton Junior College in California. He also told tales of the trip to California – He was an “Okie” . Another classmate was from Pocatello, Idaho. The person on the lower bunk in the barracks was from Brooklyn, New York. (He was a few weeks ahead of me and when he graduated I inherited the lower bunk !) The class was divided into segments of several weeks each. If you passed that segment, you went on to the next. If you didn’t you would repeat that segment. I don’t know how many chances you got, but there were those who eventually “flunked out” and were sent to sea duty. One of those unfortunates was the one whom we considered the most intellectual of our little group, but however, he and electronics didn’t seem to mesh. However, some years later, I had the opportunity to visit him on the USS Titania (AK-55) and he seemed very happy in duties in the Sick Bay as a Pharmacist’s Mate and was very proud in showing me how he had organized the medical supplies.

There was a break for Christmas Leave during the training period. I was unable to get reservations on the train so I had to settle for a round trip via Greyhound. This was a forty-eight hour non-stop grind and in my opinion, the closest thing to the Chinese Water Torture. I was more fortunate on my next trip home during the Summer of 1952. I took the Santa Fe’ railroad this time..Ah ! Were those reclining chairs ever comfortable ! Although of course I enjoyed being home for a few weeks those train trips were highlights of my Leave periods.

Still another feature of the duty at Electronics School was the Treasure Island Radio Amateur Station, whose call letters were W6HMA. The station was equipped with some of the most powerful amateur radio transmitters and sensitive receivers and had a large antenna mounted on the roof of a two story barracks building so it offered ideal operating conditions.
I was able to make contacts on a regular basis with a ham in Dallas , “Butch” Dorman, W5RYU. He would connect me up with his “phone patch” and I was able to talk back to my home in Dallas by this device which connected his receiver and transmitter to the local telephone lines. I later learned that “Butch” was in his eightie’s at the time. One other bit of trivia was that I later learned that two of my shipmates on the USS Kenneth Whiting were responsible for the construction of W6HMA.

After I graduated from Electronics School, my next assignment was to the Escort Carrier USS Sicily (CVE-118) then operating off the coast of Korea. I got my fill of sea duty in finally catching up with the Sicily. From the embarkation point at Fort Mason in San Francisco I traveled aboard the troop ship USNS General Daniel I. Sultan (T-AP-120) via Honolulu and Guam to Yokosuka, Japan and spent a short time at the barracks at the Naval Receiving Station at Yokosuka . (The barracks area at that time consisted of screened shelters, very similar to those at some of the Texas State Parks…apparently there was a problem with mosquitos since the bunks also were enclosed with mosquito netting.) Then I was a passenger again on the Destroyer Tender USS Bryce Canyon (AD-36) to Sasebo, Japan. The barracks at Sasebo were aboard the Barracks Ship Ex-USS Du Page (APB-53). I finally caught up with the Sicily. By then It was September, 1952 and my duty on the ship only comsisted of a few operations off the coast of Korea before returning to the home port at the Naval Air Station at San Diego.

Again, I was lucky to enjoy Christmas Leave and a round trip on the Santa Fe Railroad. I was fortunate to have Christmas Leave all four years of my Naval Service.

In March 1953 I was re-assigned to the Seaplane Tender USS Kenneth Whiting (AV-14).
This ship had served during World War II in the forward areas and had narrowly missed being hit by a Kamikaze aircraft. Gunners on the Kenneth Whiting were able to shoot down the aircraft before it did much damage to the ship. After the war was over the ship was de-commissione and then re-commissioned for the Korean Conflict. The ship’s namesake, Captain Kenneth Whiting was a pioneer in Naval Aviation. His first commands were on submarines, but he decided to get into Naval Aviation some time before World War I. He received his training from the Wright Brothers, was instrumental in the planning of the conversion of the Collier (Coal Supply) Ship USS Jupiter (AC-3) to the Navy’s first Aircraft Carrier the USS Langley (CV-1). He eventually became Pilot, Executvive Officer and Commanding on some of the Navy’s early Aircraft Carriers…..You might say he worked his way up from the bottom !

Two cruises to the operating station at Iwakuni, on the Inland Sea of Japan were made in 1953 and 1954. Some of the familiar sights including fields of rice paddies and the famous Kintai Bashi, or three hump bridge. In 1953 a cruise was made to Hong Kong , where many of the crew enjoyed guided tours of the city. These inlcuded visits to the Tiger Balm Gardens and a several course dinner at the Repulse Bay Hotel.

Christmas Leaves again in 1953 and 1954 with enjoyable train trips home. Upon completion of service on May 11, 1955 another train trip home was via the Southern Pacific and Missouri Pacific railroads.

I had enlisted as Electronics Technician, Seaman Recruit (ETSR, Enlisted Pay Grade E-1) and my rank at the time of separation was Electronic Technician, Petty Officer Second Class (ET2, Enlisted Pay Grade E-5) although if I had re-enlisted I would have been promoted to First Class Petty Officer having passed examinations and requirements.
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After I had completed my Naval Service, I returned to finish up the two year course at Arlington State College and graduated in January, 1956.
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First auto cross country trip
January – March , 1956

My first cross country trip by automobile was to Poughkeepsie, New York to look into a job offer .
After investigating the possibilities of this I decided to return to Dallas.

Some of the details of that trip were that I found that I really enjoyed traveling across country by car. The DeLuxe Restaurant at Ruston, Louisiana was one of the better places for food and service. The Triangle Motel at Meridian, Mississippi was the first night’s choice for lodging. The next stop was at Massey’s Motel in Anderson, South Carolina and then on to the Spring Lake Motor Courts at Stafford, Virginia…These were some cozy Colonial Style “cabins”, very welcome on a cold rainy night after a day of driving in similar conditions. I spent a night at the Golden Manor Motel in Hyde Park, New York and a few nights at the Nelson House Hotel in Poughkeepsie. I returned on more or less the same route, stopping off at Chattanooga, Tennessee to visit another of my Kenneth Whiting shipmates.

Retracing the route
Summer, 1956 and Summer, 197

In the following Summer, I retraced the route, also including a visit to the Gettysburg Battlefield.
I must have been attracted to the area and route, since I made similar trips in both the Summers of 1956 and 1957. I believe it was on this trip that I visited old shipmates Junius Garrett in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Otis Robinson, who was attending Auburn University in Alabama. If memory serves me correct I believe his sister Barbara favored us with some delicious home made ice cream.

In 1958 I was back in college for a while at Texas A&M and my trip for that year consisted of attending the National Convention of the American Radio Relay League, the Amateur Radio Organization , which was held at Galveston, Texas that year. Collins Radio Company was introducing their new Single Sideband type transmission equipment. I decided to stop overnight instead of going back to the dorm and stayed at the Parkway Motel in Houston. This was one of those old motels with the carports between the cabins. I paid $4.00 for the night which was the cheapest I have ever paid for lodging.

In 1959 I was on assignment with Collins Radio Company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and took a weekend trip to Chicago. I visited the site of the 1933 Century of Progress World’s Far. I also made a purchase of some amateur radio equipment at Allied Radio Company, which was one of the largest mail-order ham radio outlets and also had a large retail store in Chicago. One of the best motels between Cedar Rapids and Dallas at that time was the McHoma Lodge in Mc Alester, Oklahoma.
I believe it was in 1959 or 1960 that I also had an assignment with Collins Radio on an installation at Barksdale Air Force Base and I visited Conrad Spivey, another Kenneth Whiting shipmate…he had just gotten married and was living (and still does) in Shreveport, Louisiana.

My first trip out to the wild and wooly west was in 1960. Some of the highlights of that trip were the Mountain Passes in Colorado, most above 10,000 feet in elevation and a stop at Ouray, Colorado and a drive along the “Million Dollar Highway” between Silverton and Durango, Colorado. The Box Canyon Motel at Ouray was one of the nicest motels on that trip.

By 1961 I had begun my employment with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Civil Service was a bit more generous in their vacation benefits than my civilian employment.
I took advantage of this just as soon as I had the necessary ninety days of employment and was eligibile for for vacation time. This was my first trip to California since my Navy Days. It was either on this or on other trips that I started out at Midnight after completing the 4:00 PM to Midnight shift and didn’t stop until I got into Tucumcari, New Mexico the next afternoon. This was my first stay at the then new Tucumcari TraveLodge and a meal at the adjacent Del’s Restaurant, both of which continued to be favorite on later trips to California. My brother was stationed at Mc Clellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, California, so I paid him a visit and also took a day trip to San Francisco and back , visiting my old “home town” of Treasure Island in the process.

My duty at Treasure Island had whetted my appetite for interest in World’s Fairs. In 1962 there was to be a World’s Fair at Seattle, Washington, so that was my destination. I wasn’t particularly impressed with the fair and just spent a few hours there and then on again to Sacramento and San Francisco on the return part of trip. This was also my first trip on Route 66 between Texas and California. There were many parts of the route which had not yet been by-passed by Interstate Highway 40. I must have started out at Midnight again, since I drove through the night and my first stop was at the TraveLodge at Denver, Colorado.

I had been taking “solo” trips up to that time by myself, but in 1963 my parents accompanied me to visit my brother in Sacramento. I think this was also the year my brother got married and they were going along for the wedding. The wedding was to be a bit later, so I had to return home before it took place. The parents stayed for the wedding and enjoying an extended train trip back to Dallas. I remember we left Dallas early in the morning on the first day of the trip and our first night’s lodging was at the TraveLodge at Tucumcari.

World’s Fairs were again on the itinerary – the 1964 New York World’s Fair. I wasn’t very well organized that year and was a bit intimidated by the long lines at the major exhibits and confined my visit to admiring the ground and buildings. The Holiday Inn on West 57th Street was the highlight of the trip as far as the lodgings were concerned and there was a direct connection with buses to the exposition ground. I paid my first visit to Colonial Williamsburg on the return trip. I had also included a visit to the National Headquarters of The American Radio Relay League at Newington, Connecticut and a visit to the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station, W1AW.

It was back to the New York World’s Fair for the 1965 session. This was also what will probably go down as the record for my longest vacation trip ever – 6,278 miles- and the most documented and recorded trip up to that time. This was the trip that I called “Dallas to Yellowstone National Park by way of the New York World’s Fair. Since that trip was so well recorded, I remember more details from that trip than any other. I visited Junius Garrett again, and also Otis Robinson, who was working for the Navy Department and gave my a guided tour of the Washington Navy Yard; when I got to New York I visited another Kenneth Whiting Shipmate , Joseph Francavilla who was married by that time and living in Brookly. Junius and I were still single, but Otis and Joe had gotten married . At the New York World’s Fair I managed to take in most of the major exhibits this time – I was a bit more organized and took the first bus out to the fair and got in line and enjoyed seeing the General Motors Futurama, The Ford “Magic Skyways”; the Chrysler Exhibit; The General Electric Pavillion with its changing stage scenes representing different eras in the advance of electricity; the Bell Telephone exhibit and some of the smaller exhibits.
I spent several days at the Fair and stayed for the nightly sound and music fireworks show. I also visited some of the ships that year – The RMS Queen Mary and the SS France – one of the oldest and one of the newest afloat at the time. The Sheraton Skyline Motor Inn was the choice for lodgings in 1965 and there was a viewed from my motel room of the ships lined up along the Hudson River Piers, especially specatular when they were lighted at night. Then it was westward bound on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and other toll roads…Roadside Ameriica at Shartlesville, Pennsylvania – “the world’s largest indoor village”……Badlands National Park…Yellowstone National Park and back to Dallas.

Since that 1965 was so long in time and mileage it must have been an omen…maybe sorf of a swan song or some kind of omen…it was my last year as a free and single bachelor. On May 20, 1966, a date which we refer to as “‘Liza Doolittle Day” (from a line in the Musical “My Fair Lady”) the former Miss Raytheda Nelle Dubberly became the latter Mrs. Robert Paige. We left after the ceremony and spent our first night on our honeymoon at the Holiday Inn at Denton, Texas. There were several highlights of that trip…while we having breakfast at the Holiday Inn at Amarillo, Texas we spotted Robert Mitchum. We visited Grand Canyon and then on to California and visited my brother John and his first wife, Diane, and introduced their young daughter Joanne to her new Aunt Raytheda. Although I had been stationed at Treasure Island for nearly a year I had never ventured forth in China Town, so my bride introduced me to the Kuo Wah Restaurant at 950 Grant Avenue. This must have been something of a Marathon Trip in itself since we stopped at Yellowstone National Park on the return part of the trip.

Our first trip out of the United States was in 1967, the year of “Expo ‘67″ at Montreal, Quebec, Canada. We visited most of the major pavillions at the Fair and visited a French Cemetery. We thought we were going to get locked into the cemetery since the gates had closed but eventually found the way out. We also visited Colonial Williamsburg and stayed in the Allen-Byrd Laundry which was one of the Colonial Houses of converted historic buildings open for lodging for the general public at the time.

The World’s Fair in 1968 was a little closer to home – The 1968 San Antonio Hemisfair. We visited the fair and also had dinner at the revolving restaurant at the top of The Tower of The Americas. Our return trip included stays at the Flagship Hotel at Galveston, Texas. This hotel was built on piers over the beach at Galveston. Then on to New Orleans for a stay in a motel in the Vieux de Carre’, or Old French Quarter.

More to come.

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The Final Chapter

The Flight of the Vampire

I retired early to my sumptuous room in the Oriental Hotel, lodgings which had been generously supplied to us by a young George Bannerman Dealey, an editorand publisher of one of the leading newspapers in the town of Dallas, along with generous contributions from many of the leaders of the town. As you may recall from my previous narrative, he had invited us to the town to investigate rumours than Count Dracula had been seen about during the dark hours of the night.

It was the night of the Thirty-First of October in the year 1893. We had arrived in the State of Texas a few days earlier after an exhausting trip on the steamboat Conqueror , landing at the Chief City and Port of Galveston, Texas. After a few days of visiting the island city, we then boarded a train of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad which took us through the central part of Texas to the town of Dallas.

It was here that the railroads had joined and Dallas was rapidly becoming a centre for rail travel in addition to the burgeoning trade in cotton. From the east to the west had come the Texas and Pacific Railroad and from the south to the north had come the Houston and Texas Central, and they crossed tracks in Dallas.

I had been dreaming of the train trip through pleasant surroundings and was enjoying my first really sound sleep in days. But the pleasant revery of my slumber was not to last long.

My peaceful slumber was interrupted as Holmes stood over my bed and whispered, “Up, Watson ! The game’s afoot and we must be out on the streets!” “Holmes, do you realize it is nearly midnight and I have just been enjoying the most restful night since we left Baker Street”, I remonstrated.

“It is time we investigated the strange going-ons for which we have been summoned to investigate,” said Holmes. “Quickly now, let us be on our way. I havean idea of where we may see the sanguinary count.’
“Just where might that be,” I queried . . . ”And at this hour of the night.”
“What date is this Watson?” asked Holmes. I was taken aback by his interrogation. “Why, if I am correct, it is the Thirty -First Day of October in the Year of Our Lord Eighteen-Ninety -Three.” I replied.
“Elementary,” replied Homes. “And what is the particular significance of that date?” was the next question he put to me.
“I must confess I have not the slightest idea.” was my answer.
“Come Watson, think back in you childhood days. We have seen school children practicing the American custom of “Trick of Treat” on our walks this evening. Think back to your own childhood . . . of days of ghosts and hobgoblins.”
“Why, of course, it is All Hollows Eve or Hallowe’en, as the Americans call it.
“Yes, Watson and I do believe we will find the Count active tonight of all nights”
“But Holmes”. I remonstrated “Just as you did in our little adventure which the American Author, Mr. Loren D. Estleman has written about in ‘The Sanguinary Count”, you have destroyed his means to remain in Dallas just as you did in England and the Count has no ways or means to stay in this town now.”
“Yes, Watson, but I do believe our adversary is planning some dramatic little event in which he wants to draw our attention, and if I may not seem overly egotistic,I believe I know just the place where he will stage this bit to impress us.”
I dressed quickly and we made our way unnoticed through the lobby of the hotel, past the slumbering desk clerk at the bookings counter who had nodded off and was snoring loudly.

Then out into the streets of the town of Dallas, down Commerce-Street, crossing Akard-Street and always keeping to the shadows for the moon was full and bright.
The stars shone brightly, with a brilliance unequaled in our own British skies
Ever keeping in the shadows of the buildings along Commerce-Street, we made our way gingerly westward, finally passing the new Court House between Jefferson Street and Houston-Street, then across Houston-Street to the west side of that street facing the red sandstone structure, which towered above us.
Holmes then chose a covered entrance in one of the buildings, looking eastward into the full moon, which provided us with a cover of darkness for our observations.
I gasped as I witnessed the scene from our vantage point. Holmes had chosen well since the clock and bell tower were silhouetted against the full moon.
“Quiet, Watson”, Holmes cautioned, “For our adversary has exceptional powers and may hear us from even this distance.”
Just then, the huge two ton bell of the clock boomed out the hours as the clock’s hands moved to the midnight hour.
Then much to even my initial amazement, the unmistakable outline of the figure of Count Dracula appeared below the lighted face of the clock.
Then he stepped out on the low railing around the space in the tower and spread his cloak so that he appeared much as a huge vampire bat.
“He is going to jump to his death!” I whispered to Holmes.
“Nay, Watson !He is beyond the power of that at this time of the night. I believe he is planning his route of escape.”
Then an amazing thing happened. Instead of falling to the ground, Dracula took flight and soared upward into the night sky, circling the bell tower, his figure standing out against the lighted clock, upwards around the cupola, which was some two-hundred -nine- feet above and then swiftly receding eastward and soaring even higher ere he was lost to sight.

“What do you think the Count has in store for his future designs of evil ?” was my next query to my friend. “Who knows what evil lurks in the minds of men ?” was his answer. “Not being of the same mind as yours, Holmes, I would not venture a guess.”, I replied. In a deep sepulchural voice, Holmes intoned, “The Shadow knows !” But the meaning of this cryptic sentence was quite lost to me.

With my thanks and apologies to Bram Stoker,A. Conan Doyle and appreciation for inspiration from Loren D. Estleman… and lest we forget, Edmund S. Ions

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See also: http://oldred.org/

“Old Red”, the Dallas County Court House, was built in 1892 in the “Richardsonian Romanesque” type of architecture of Red Sandstone from the area around Pecos, Texas and Blue Granite from Arkansas. Henry Hobson Richardson was the designer of many similar buildings. However, the architect of “Old Red” was Maximillian Anton Orlopp, Junior who attended the United States Naval Academy. He was in the Class of 1881 but apparently did not graduate from the Academy. His name shows up later as Lieutenant Junior Grade Max Orlopp, United States Navy, apparently having received his commission and serving briefly during the Spanish-American War . His career achievements, however, are more notable in the fields of architecture and engineering.

When completed, The Dallas County Courth House was the tallest building in the city (209 feet from street level to the top of the clock tower )and located at Main and Houston Streets, the crossroads of east-west and north-south routes through Dallas County. When the automobile came into being U.S. Highway 80, one of the main east-west interstate highway and others crossed by the court house.

Nowadays, the main routes are on the newer interstate highways and the court house is dwarfed by the surrounding skyscrapers but it still holds a commanding location on the entrance to Downtown Dallas.

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Over the years, the court house suffered many remodelings and changes.

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The clock and bell tower were removed in 1919 due to structural problems as shown in this earlier picture taken several years ago from the Reunion Tower.

The Grand Staircase was removed in 1927 to provide more office space. The George Allen, Jr. Court House was completed in 1963 and “Old Red” was mostly vacant and deserted by the 1990’s.

There had been several attempts to raze the old building and replace it with a new court house, but all failed, including a bond vote in the 1940’s.

In 2001, a major restoration program was begun and The Old Red Museum of Dallas County History and Culture opened on May 15, 2007. Mr. James Pratt was the chief architect in the restoration program.

The clock and bell tower , which were removed in 1919 due to structural problems, has been restored and was put back into operation on June 23, 2007. It now strikes the hours as it did between 1893 and 1919 and is built in the original design around a steel computer designed framework, designed to withstand the winds which led to its downfall in 1919.

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The Old Red Museum is located on the western end of the Downtown Dallas Business District. It lies within the block bounded by Main Street on the North, Commerce Street on the South, Record Street (a pedestrian mall) on the East and Houston Street on the West. The official address is 100 South Houston Street.

There are convenient connections at Dallas Union Station, an easy three blocks walk to and from the museum. Light rail and commuter trains which have park and ride stations are recommend for those who do not wish to drive to downtown Dallas. For those who, reduced rate parking is available for visitors. For more information see: http://www.oldred.org

FIRST FLOOR

On the north-west corner of the first floor is the Dallas Convention and Tourist Bureau Information Center. It is entered from the Main Street or Houston Street entrances.

Items from the gift shop have been relocated in a new ticket counter located about midway between the Houston Street entrance and the “Flying Red Horse.”

At the center of the first floor is a restored “Flying Red Horse”, or the trademark for the Magnolia Petroleum Company, now part of Mobil-Exxon.
This particular edition of “Pegasus” began life as part of an exhibit at the 1939 New York World’s Fair and later was part of a Mobil Station in the Casa Linda Shopping Center in Dallas.

The Grand Stair Case is just opposite Pegasus on the Main Street entrance cross-corridor. The Grand Staircase was removed in 1927 and the space covrted into offices. The staircase was one of the most daunting and expensive features of the restoration, which began in 2001. It is faithful to the original down to the design of the cast iron steps, railings and oak balustrades. One concession to modernity was in the balustrades are two inches higher than the original….OSHA required this since “people are taller than they were in 1892.”

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Changing exhibits are located in an area on the north-east side of the first floor, just off the Main Street entrance. Recent exhibits have included 500 years of Texas Maps and a pictorial display of the city of Irving.

Rest rooms are located on either side of the Grand Staircase.

Museum Staff Offices occupy other spaces on the south-east corner of the first floor.

There are elevators and handicapped entrances in addition to the Grand Stair Case to all floors. The handicapped entrance is reached by a walk from the Record Street side of the building.

SECOND FLOOR

The exhibits on the second floor are grouped in four areas, beginning in the north-west quadrant and continuing in a counter clockwise direction.

Most of the exhibits are located on the Second Floor. This is divided into four eras of history: Each exhibit area has a theater with a video presentation of an overview of that period and includes information on many of the artifacts on display.

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“The Early Years” – Pre-History to 1873

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This area is located in the north-west quadrant of the second floor.

The history of Dallas County is traced to the pre-historic days when Native Americans used this area for hunting – Buffalo, bears and other wild animals were numerous. In 1839 Joh Neely Bryan, a native of Tennessee explored the area and returned in 1841 to found the town. Bryan had envisioned his town to be a river port and Indian Trading Post, but navigation of the Trinity River proved to be difficult and in 1843 Sam Houston met with the Indians and a treaty was enacted which moved the Indians west of Dallas. In 1850 an election was held in which Dallas was selected as the County Seat over Hord’s Ridge and Cedar Springs.There was slow growth and a disastrous fire which practically destroyed the entire town in 1860. The hard times of the Civil War were suffered, but the real growth was ushered in with the arrival of the railroad in 1873.

Among the many artifacts displayed are John Neely Bryan’s Family Bible, a copy of the original plat of the town of Dallas and a replica of Sarah Horton Cockrell’s toll bridge over the Trinity River.

There are also several touch-screen interactive displays to explore other facets of the history and culture of the city and county.

John Neely Bryan stated that “I named the town for my friend Dallas.” The actual person is in quite some doubt and controversy, although Vice-President George Mifflin Dallas is said to the namesake for the County. It is doubtful that Bryan had even heard of the Vice-President and vice-versa.
There are many candidates for the name of the city, including a Commodore Dallas of the Navy.

“Trading Center” – 1874-1918

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Moving across the corridor to the south-west side of the second floor ,the visitor enters the “Trading Center” era exhibit area.

The arrival of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, from the south to the north and the Texas and Pacific Railroad east to west ushered in the next chapter of Dallas History. Attempts to make Dallas a river port were disappointing. In 1885 a young George Bannerman Dealey arrived from the Galveston Daily News to establish the Dallas Morning News. The population had doubled between the years of 1880 and 1890. In 1892, a new red sandstone County Court House (”Old Red”) was built.The automobile came to town in 1899 and about the same time came the telegraph, the telephone and the electric street cars. Dallas became a center for the manufacture of saddle goods and the leading inland cotton producing center. In 1914 Dallas was selected as the site for a branch of the Federal Reserve Bank.

Just as the railroad had started this chapter, World War I and the growth of aviation when Love Field was begun as a training ground for aviators ended the chapter, along with Dallas’ part in the World War.

There are many facets to the exhibits, including an early “high-wheel” bicycle, a model of an early Curtiss “Jenny” bi-plane in addition to the dark side of displays of reports of a 1910 Lynching .

“Big D” – 1919-1945

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The Texas Centennial Exposition of 1936 plays a prominent part in the video program in the theater of this section, on the south-east corner of the second floor.

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The post World War I era entered in to the era of the “Flappers” of the 1920’s. Charles Lindbergh visited in 1927 and promoted Love Field as a future crossroads of the air.One example is a display of film clips from the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition, including excerpts from the Gene Autry movie “The Big Show”, which was filmed on location at Fair Park during the Exposition. The exposition is said to be the point at which Dallas became known as “Big D” and moved in to prominence amongst the cities of the United States.The dark side of the picture was the rise and fall of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920’s and the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Dallas’ part in World War II and the great Post-War boom era ended this chapter in the history of the city and county of Dallas.

Among the artifacts to be found are the pants of “Spanky” Mc Farland, who went on to fame as the child actor in the “Our Gang” series of movies, produced in Hollywood in the 1930’s. There is also an area in the turret room devoted to exhibits from the Texas Centennial . Depression era exhibits include photographs of the C.C.C. (Civilian Conservation Corps) Camps which provided employment when many were out of work.Souvenirs from the ill-fated submarine which Samuel Dealey commanded are on display, with illustrations showing the Dallas efforts during World War II.

“World Crossroads” – 1946-2007

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The video program in the “World Crossroads” exhibit area, located in the north-east corner of the second floor, began by showing that most of the major cross roads cities began with some natural advantage, such as a seaport or a river port….none of which Dallas had. In 1940, the population of the city of Dallas was 294,734 and this had more than quadrupeled to more than one million by the year 2000. Along with this growth was the growth of the suburban towns, once sleeping villages such as Irving, Garland, Richardson, Grand Prairie and a multitude of others. Many companies, such as Mary Kay, 7-11 , Southwest Airlines, Chili’s Restaurants and Half Price Books stores began in Dallas. There were also the dark days in which Dallas was painted in a bad way following the assasination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. A new spirit of progressivism soon overcame this and the Dallas Cowboys professional football team and the television series “Dallas” only added to the attraction of Dallas as a desirable destination, along with the growth and prestige of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and other orchestral and operatic endeavors, as city and county moved into the the twenty-first century.

Among the many artifacts on display are the hats of Tom Landry, much honored long-time coach of the Dallas Cowboys; the straw hat of “Mr. Peppermint”, personified by personality Jerry Haynes in a popular children’s television series…..along that of the devious “J.R. Ewing” of the television series “Dallas”. In sports, the Heisman Trophy awarded to Southern Methodist University Quarter Back Doak Walker is on display. There is a video display of the “Blues” genre of folk music, which originated in the “Deep Ellum” section and a movie of an African-American film production, produced in the “Harlemwood” area of Dallas. There is also a panel of the front page of the newspapers following the Kennedy assassination, and artifacts connected with J.F.K., Lee Harvey Oswald, Jack Ruby and others.

The Children’s Museum Area

Commanding the area in the middle of the second floor, just opposite a large floor map of Dallas County, is the special Children’s Museum, with touch screen displays for children to play games and answer questions on history. There are “Discovery Carts” laden with the games that children used to play before the advent of the Personal Computer.

THIRD FLOOR

There are additional rest rooms on the third floor which is mostly devoted to storage space and offices for the museum staff. The ceilings on this floor are much lower to compensate for the high ceilings on the second and fourth floors.

FOURTH FLOOR

The Hatton W. Sumners Court Room

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The Hatton W. Sumners Court Room is one of the more notable features found on the fourth floor. Mr. Sumners was a notable figure in judicial circles, having served first as the Dallas County Prosecuting Attorney and later in the U.S. House of Represenatives from 1913 to 1947.
It is said that Mr. Sumners probably missed his opportunity at being appointed to the Supreme Court and even Chief Justice as a result of his successful opposition to voting down President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “Court Packing Bill” .

The Court Room (first on the guided tours and located in the north-east corner of the fourth floor) has been restored to the appearance of 1892, complete to the decorations of cactus blooms on the Judge’s Bench. Unfortunately, the semi-circular, or “lunette” stained-glass windows were removed in a “remodeling and modenization” project. Only one of these remains, the others having been replaced with clear glass. In addition to the Judge’s Bench area, most of the details of chairs and woodwork were restored from old photographs. During the restoration process it was said that there ten layers of paint were removed before the original was reached. There was also a lavish use of color and it was estimated that there were originally 126 different colors in the building. The turret rooms at either ends of the court room were mostly likely used as Judges’ Chamber and Jury Deliberation Room.

The Restoration Room

Across the corridor (south-east corner) from the Court Room is the Restoration Room….or as Mrs. Steffanie Evans, the Museum Education and Tour Director, describes it to the many school children-visitors “The How We Know What We Know Room.” Portions of the ceiling and walls have been left bare to show how the original details of brick, tile and other materials used in the original construction. This room is now available for weddings and other receptions and is quite popular.

Another feature of “Old Red” are the “turret rooms” , or rounded rooms at the ends of the court room and other rooms. In addition to a large expense incurred in The Grand Staircase restorated, no expense was spared to replicate the original curved glass and window frames in the turret rooms. A close up view of the red sandstones may be seen (about 45% of these were found to be in need of replacement – no two stones were identical and each stone had to be cut in place during the restoration.)

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Perched on the four corners of the steep roof are the “Wyverns” ,the grotesque animals said to ward off evil spirits.

The center of the corridor on the fourth floor is a good viewing place for looking down on the Grand Staircase. The only remaining portion of The Grand Stair Case which had survived was the flight of stairs on the east end of the stair well. All of the rest of the area had been converted into office space and a large expense of the restoration process was used in the complete restoration of The Grand Stair Case. Casts were maid of the iron stairs and railings.
One compensation was that the railings had to be made several inches higher to comply with OSHA regulations….people are taller than they were in 1892….so they say.

The Fourth Floor Corridor

There is also a window in the ceiling which affords a view up into the clock tower.

This is also a good place for viewing of the Grand Staircase. All except the flight of stairs ont the east end of the stair well had been ripped out in the 1927 remodeling to provide more office space. The original stairs may be identified by the darker wooden railings and the somewhat more worn appearing of the cast-iron stair treads. All of the rest of the Grand Staircase….cast iron treads, bannisters and wrought-iron railings had to be completed redone and replicated, along with the distinctive floor tiles.

The Great Hall

On the west end of the fourth floor is The Great Hall, has been restored to its original grandeur and and is also popular for wedding dinners and receptions. This is also a good “Observation Room” for viewing Houston Street, from the 1916 Beaux Arts Union Station to the south; the Lawrence Hotel, the one remaing hotel from the railroad era and still open for food and lodging; the George Allen , Jr. Courts Building, previously mentioned, is just across Commerce Street; next is the 1936 Art Deco Federal Office Building, the former United States Post Office Terminal Annex; Dealey Plaza, with the statue of George Bannerman Dealey (1859-1946) long-time founder, editor and publisher of The Dallas Morning News and founder of The Dallas Historic Society.

Colonnades on Dealey Plaza mark the locations of the homes of the early founders, John Neely Bryan and Sarah Horton Cockrell.

To the north are the Dallas County Criminal Courts (1913) ; The Dallas County Records Building (1920’s) and other buildings including the former Texas School Book Depository Building, which now contains The Sixth Floor Museum, devoted to the events of the assasination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

And finally, other compensations to modernity were made….the floors are now carpeted, there is a concealed air conditioning and all the former details of 1892, which were ripped out in a ” modernization” in 1968 have been restored as closely as possible to the original appearances.

Some more additional suggestions for Route 66 travelers.

We stayed overnight at the Historic Route 66 Motel in Seligman, Arizona.
It can be highly recommended for a restful stop along the way on Historic Route 66.

It’s an older motel, but it has been well maintained. Our room was larger than the average typical motel. Two Queen Sized beds were placed on either end of the room with a large space between them. The air conditioner and the TV worked well, although there was some “snow” on the TV. There was a large bath room, although the shower was a bit on the small side. Rounding out the furnishings were chairs and a writing desk. On many of the doors are plaques indicating the names of notables who have stayed at the motel including Burl Ives, Will Rogers, Jr., Bobby Troup, and many, many others. Outside along the covered walkway are chairs for sitting and admiring the view or watching the world go by on Historic Route 66. The rooms are non-smoking but there are cigar stands next to the chairs.

The lady at the check-in lobby was cheerful and helpful. All in all a delightful “find”.

Next door is the Road Kill Cafe, which is also recommended. Reasonable prices, a fairly large collection of choices on the menu and good service.
Among the delicacies are such haute cuisine as Slab of Lab (Ham and Eggs), Awesome Possum (Shrimp), Rigor Mortis Tortoise and many others.

Seligman is located on Historic Route 66, Mile 140. From I-40, there is a loop from exits at Miles 121 and 123.

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For the benefit of new travelers who plan to travel Route 66, this is intended as a general guide for finding Route 66.

Route 66 was officially known as “U.S. Federal Interstate Higway 66″ and was certified along with many other routes which came into being in 1926.

Before that, there was no system of numbered U.S. Highways. A “trails system” of routes marked out by private interests was in use before 1926. These bore names such as “National Old Trails Highway”, which was to become a part of Route 66. Eventually, so many of these had come into use that there was a great confusion in trying to travel cross country.

The “trails” were marked by colored bands, painted on telephone, telephone and electric power poles and just about any convenient place. For example The Lincoln Highway, which ran from New York to San Francisco was marked by red, white and blue bands of paint, with an “L” in the center, or white band. Some of these markers may still be found, for example, along the present route of US Highway 30.

Sometimes there were so many of these “trails” that they overlapped each other and the telephone poles would often be covered with paint from top to bottom. As George R. Stewart wryly remarks in “US 40 – Cross Section of the United States” : “It was not a time to be color-blind !” Mr. Stewart’s book is an excellent source of information not only for US Highway 40 but for the history of roads in the United and is highly recommended as “required reading”.

These new “U.S. Highways” were marked with signs in the shape of a shield, with black numbers.

East-west routes were even-numbered, such are U.S. Highways 2, 10, 40, etc. Main transcontinental routes ended in “0″ . Since it only ran from Chicago, in the midwestern part of the U.S. to Santa Monica on the Pacific Coast, Route 66 was not a true coast-to-coast highway. Routes branching off from these main routes would have three numbers, such as U.S. Highway 180 branches off from U.S. 80. Routes were numbered in numerical order from north to south. U.S. Highway 2 ran across the northern part of the U.S. and U.S. 90 through the southern states.

North-south routes were odd-numbered, such as U.S. Highways 1, 15, 95, etc. U.S. Highway 1 ran down the Eastern, or Atlantic Ocean Coast. U.S. Highway 101 was somewhat of a an exception to the two-number rule and ran down the Western, or Pacific Ocean Coast. Main north-south highways were usually numbered in numbers ending in 5 or 7, such as U.S. Highways 15 or 77. The numbering was from east to west.
Branch highways followed the same system as for east-west system.

The present system of Interstate Highways was begun during the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The system is basically the same as the older U.S. Highway numbering system, only the order of numerical succession is from west-to-east and south-to-north. Interstate Highway 10, or I-10 runs across the southern states while I-90 across the north; I-5 runs down the Pacific Coast while I-95 down the Atlantic.

Now for Route 66. There has been a recent effort by most of the states along to mark the highway on a local, if not official basis. The route is marked “Historic Route 66″. There were many deviations and changes in the route, but it originally began (or ended) in Chicago , Illinois and ended (or began) in Santa Monica, California. There have also been many estimates as to the length of Route 66, one of which is 2,278 miles. The Route 66 Midway Cafe’ at Adrian, Texas lays claim to being the halfway point – 1139 Miles to Chicago, 1139 Miles to Los Angeles.

Historic Route 66 lies parallel to or has been supplanted by Interstate Highways as follows. These are listed as a guide to finding the old route if traveling on present day Interstate Highways.

Interstate Highway 55 (I-55) from Chicago, Illinois to St. Louis, Missouri

Interstate Highway 44 (I-44) from St. Louis, Missouri to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Interstate Highway 40 (I-40) from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Barstow, California

Interstate Highway 15 (I-15) from Barstow, California to San Bernardino, California

Interstate Highway 10 (I-10) from San Bernardino, California to Santa Monica, California

I’m listing a few items for translation between two variations from the English language. I mentioned the quote from (I believe it was attributed to George Bernard Shaw)- “England and America are two countries separated by the same language.” – which applies to the below.

If there are corrections or additions, please feel free to post your comments for same.

For the most part of the following list, I am indebted to Mr. Ken Cooke, one of the leaders of the British Expeditionary Force of Austin Seven Vehicles making a tour of Route 66 , which they have entitled “Five Baby Austins on the Mother Road.”

http://a7route66.typepad.com/

British =
American

Petrol =
Gasoline, or just plain Gas

Bonnet =
Hood

Hood =
Top (as on a convertible or open car)

Boot =
Trunk, or Luggage Compartment

Tyre =
Tire

Kerb =
Curb

Nearside =
The passenger’s or curb side of a car

Offside =
The driver’s or steering side of a car

Pannier =
Sidebags on a motorcycle

Dual Carriageway =
Divided Highway

Central Reservation =
Median Strip on a divided highway

Bookings =
Reservations, as at a motel

Dynamo =
Generator (old style)

Wonky =
Not operating properly

Sump =
Crank case

Motorway =
Expressway, Freeway, Interstate Highway, etc.

Pavement =
Sidewalk

Mud Guard =
Fender

Windscreen =
Windshield

Metalled =
Paved

Mobile =
Cell Phone

Amateur Wireless Operator in a private vehicle =
Mobile Amateur, or Ham Radio Operator

Roundabout =
Traffic Circle

Flyover =
Overpass

Spanner =
Wrench

Adjustable Spannner =
Monkey Wrench

Can you think of any additions or corrections ? Feel free to do so.

On a recent trip to Oklahoma, I traveled parts of old Route 66 from just west of Oklahoma City to Sayre. The first point of interest was the old bridge at the north edge of Lake Overholser between Bethany and Yukon. It’s on a short loop of the old paving just south of the present divided highway marked as Oklahoma State Highway 66. To reach Route 66 , take Exit 123 on I-44 and then proceed west on Route 66 , which is marked Oklahoma State Highway 66; from I-40 exit at Mile 138, then north to OK-66 and then west.

The Yukon Flour Mill was the next point of interest, about 5 miles west of the Lake Overholser Bridge. According to Tom Snyder’s Guide Book, it’s much more interesting at night when the lights are in action. Braum’s, across the street from the flour mill is a very good place to have a meal or just take a break. In addition to all the good flavors of ice cream, they also have a good menu for breakfast as well as good hamburgers. A very clean, neat place with good service and good food.

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This is the celebrated 38-Span Bridge over the Canadian River on old Route 66. The bridge is now on U.S. Highway 281. Going westbound on I-40, take the exit at Mile 108 and continue west to the junction, and then take the “US-281 South” to the bridge. Eastbound Exit 101 and follow “US-281 North” to the bridge. A plaque at the west end of the bridge states that it was built 1932-1933.

A granite marker has been placed in front of the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Oklahoma. If you’re headed west on I-40, take the Exit at Mile 69, and appropriately enough if you’re “going the wrong way” – eastbound, that is , the Mile 66 exit.

Inside the glass-brick fronted museum are many treats, including a 1957 Chevrolet that looks as if it had just been placed on the showroom floor, a full-size reconstruction of a typical Route 66 diner , complete with vinyl and chrome trimmed stools and a snazzy 1940 Ford convertible.. There are many other displays and other classic and antique cars awaiting your inspection
Outside is a reconstruction of a typical Route 66 Roadside Diner. One of the new “Route 66 Roadside Attraction” signs is seen next to the diner. These have been placed at many of the attractions along old Route 66.

In the Old Town Museum at Elk City, there is a collection of old cameras, most of the 1950’s vintage. The Kodak Pony 135 was my first 35-mm camera, purchased at the Navy Base Exchange on the Treasure Island (San Francisco) Naval Station while attending Electronics School. Everything was manual – no autofocus/autoexposure.
The procedure was as follows to take a picture.:
1. Measure the distance to the subject or use a range finder . (I used a small pocket range finder. You turned the lens until two images came together and then read the distance marked on the range finder .)
2.Then set the distance marked on the lens housing of the camera.
3.Take a reading with a light meter .
4.Convert the readings for shutter speed and lens opening for the film speed being used.
5. Then set the shutter speed and lens opening according.
6.Wind the film.
7.Cock the shutter
8.Press the shutter release and take the picture.
9.For flash pictures, set the lens opening and shutter speed according to the tables that came with the flash bulbs for the distance to the subject and the film speed being used.
Film speeds of 200 upwards to 800 are common these days, but Kodachrome in the 1950’s had ASA ratings of 12 and 25. It took a lot of bright sunlight, a long time exposure or close-ups with a flash !
Pictures on this website were taken wth a Canon AL-1 35 mm camera with a coupled range finder – turn the lens distance setting until a green dot shows and the lens is set for correct focus. Once the film speed setting is set , shutter speeds and lens opening settings are automatic. Kodacolor film speed 400 was used for the photos.

The next major town west of Clinton is Elk City, Oklahoma, the home of The National Route 66 Museum.
There are several buildings in the complex, including Route 66 exhibits, historic homes, stores and offices, a barn, a railroad station and the Old Town Museum shown here, which has two floors of interesting exhibits of all types of historic interest. Plan to spend at least several hours here. I found the lodgings at the Motel 6 at Elk City to be very good. This is one of the newest in the Motel 6 chain. Exits for Elk City are at Miles 32, 34, 38, 40 and 41 on I-40.

I turned south from Sayre to return home. However, I did stop to take a picture of the Beckham County Court House in Sayre, which is seen briefly in the movie “The Grapes of Wrath”. The Court House looks much the same today as it did when the movie was being filmed sometime around 1939, when the movie was released. The part of Tom Joad was played by Henry Fonda, and Jane Darwell, who played the part of Ma Joad ,received an “Oscar”. The route of old Route 66 through Sayre is reached from Exits 20, 23 and 25 on I-40.

Route 66 fanatics will find “The Grapes of Wrath”, to be of interest for its scenes of Route 66 from Oklahoma City to the Mojave Desert. The movie is available on DVD.
Out of a total of 129 minutes, about 23 minutes of the movie are devoted to the Route 66 sequences. Many of the scenes will be very familiar to today’s travelers. In addition to the Court House at Sayre, there are many others which include the Desert Inn Museum at Petrified Forest National Park.

My brother sent me this.

I don’t know the answers to the location or any other details, so any comments will be welcomed. Is this company still in business ?, Just to name one questtion.

The graphics look 1950-ish, so the only assumption I can make is it that it dates from that time, which would have been during the heyday of the Post – World War II era , before the days of the Interstates.

Any ideas on the subject ?

Many of the attractions along Route 66 have been around for quite some time.

La Posada at Winslow, Arizona for example. It ws designed by Mary Jane Coulter, who also desiged many of the other show places of the Fred Harvey establishments. La Posada was built in 1930 and survived the depression only to be later converted into offices for the Santa Fe Railroad. It was saved from the wrecking ball when the Santa Fe moved out and has since been restored to much of its former glory. Rooms in the hotel section are named for famous guests who once stayed at La Posada, such as Amelia Earhart and Carole Lombard. The Turquoise Dining Room is another reconstruction project which has been completed, with a stained glass window and the orginal type of chandeliers. La Posada is also a train watcher’s heaven for watching trains rumble by, since the original main entrance, shown here, was designed to face the brick concourse along the tracks for the benefit of rail passengers in the heyday of the long cross-country trains in the 1930’s and 1940’s. If you were to step off the train, this is theview you would have gotten as you entered La Posada. Exits from I-40for connections to Historic Route 66 in Winslow are at Miles 252, 253 and 257.

If you had traveled on a train during that time, it would have most likely been pulled by a steam locomotive. Some of these have been restored to their original appearance and operating condition and now offer excursions from the classic station at Willliams, Arizona to the log cabin type station at the South Rim of Grand Canyon. Exits to Historic Route 66 at Williams are at Miles 161 and 163.

Although it wasn’t a place which train passengers would have stopped for refreshments, Delgadillo’s Snow Cap at Seligman, Arizona has been around for many years for the motorist on Old Route 66. Angel Delgadillo, who recently passed away, was one of the pioneer leaders of the Route 66 Preservation activities. You can still get a refreshing “Snow Cap” of shaved ice liberally covered with tasty and refreshing fruit juices , or even get an order of “Dead Chicken” as advertised at Delgadillo’s in Seligman (On the old road between I-40 exits at Miles 121 and 123 from I-40.)

A long loop of a section of Old Historic Route 66 begins just east of Seligman and passes to the north – far from I-40 through small towns such as Peach Springs and Hackberry before it rejoins I-40 at Kingman. The Grand Canyon Caverns has survived being bypassed and offers tours in addiiton to lodging at the Caverns Inn near Peach Springs. Exits from I-40 to the Historic Route 66 loop are at Miles 53 and 121.