The Daily Oklahoman caught up with Laddie Williams, who’s cycling east across the country to raise money for the families of nine firefighters who died in a furniture store fire in Charleston, S.C. He was in Oklahoma City on Monday, and had raised $6,000 to $7,000 so far.

Williams’ site is here; information on how to donate is here.

Longtime readers Dan and Cyndy Imming, who are relocating from Las Vegas to Route 66 in Galena, Kan., have informed me that the Green Parrot Tavern in Galena will be torn down Thursday.

The building, which is more than 100 years old, became structurally unsafe when a sinkhole unexpectedly opened up behind the property in August 2006, causing part of the building to fall into the hole. The sinkhole was caused by a collapsing underground mine that was abandoned many years ago. The town is peppered with such mines.

The Immings sent me these photos of the demolition preparations around the building on Tuesday:

You can see in the second photo how badly damaged the building is, even before it was torn down.

The Immings said this about the razing operation:

The plan is to drill holes through the masonry walls, marked by the little white crosses on the side of the building, run a cable through the holes and connect the cable loop to the giant backhoe pictured. As you might guess, the backhoe will then begin pulling the cable tighter and tighter until the first floor wall is pulled out far enough for the second floor walls to collapse inward. At least that is the plan.

In the photo above, the Immings say it is the first of more than 300 test holes that are being drilled. The idea is to find the most dangerous undermined spots and fill them with coal ash and water. It’s estimated it will take up to $60 million to rectify Galena’s problem mines.

It’s a shame the Green Parrot is coming down. But the residents of Galena may look back in future years and say that the historic tavern’s demise provided the impetus to do something about the long-ignored mines. Galena didn’t want to become another Picher, Okla., that is being abandoned because of undermining.

The residents of Pulaski County, Mo., were asked to choose the cover of its tourism bureau’s brochure. According to the Waynesville Daily Guide, the cover that spotlighted Route 66 won by a 2-to-1 margin.

You can see the cover image here, which will undergo some minor revisions before going to press.

About a week ago, I received a message from a reader in Albuquerque, expressing concern about the old Nob Hill Motel on Central Avenue, aka Route 66.

And, well, I’ll let the reader explain what he saw:

The Nob Hill Motel (3712 Central Ave. SE) is just a few blocks from where I live and I pass it daily. It has recently been condemned and shut down. […] So I was quite surprised when one day I passed it and noticed that the neon had been stripped from it and that one side was now a different set of colors, like it was being prepped for restoration. Then sure enough, yesterday I saw them out there putting in new neon and the sign was completely repainted in a new color scheme. This place is going to be bulldozed and I don’t understand why someone (who?) is spending the money to replace a sign that will never be turned on.

After talking to someone in the city and a co-owner of the property, we’re not sure what’s going to happen to the Nob Hill Motel, but bulldozing it isn’t one of the likely options.

Ed Boles at the City of Albuquerque confirmed that the Nob Hill Motel had been condemned earlier this summer because of several violations. He also confirmed that the Nob Hill sign (shown above) was being restored with the help of matching funds from the National Park Service.

Boles said the owners of the Nob Hill probably won’t reopen it as a motel, even if the problems are repaired:

They are weary of running motels and dealing with on-street residents of the area. We don’t know what these owners will do with all their properties but we are trying to help them find ways of preserving as many motels as possible.

Matthew Terry, one of the partners in the group that owns the Nob Hill and several other vintage Route 66 motels in Albuquerque, said the future of the Nob Hill Motel is “up in the air” for at least a couple of months while the group consults with preservationists and architects. Terry casually mentioned he was about to talk to Kaisa Barthuli at the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, so the group seems earnest about preserving at least some of its motels.

Terry said the group is looking at the possibility of converting the Nob Hill and other motels in its portfolio into other commercial ventures, but he said it was too early to tell which direction it’s heading.

Stay tuned.

(Photo of Nob Hill Motel sign by Steven Doherty.) 

The Joplin (Mo.) Globe reports that the first of 10 public meetings about designating Oklahoma’s Route 66 as a national scenic byway was held Monday at the Civic Center in Miami, Okla.

Those meetings will help develop a corridor management plan to help market the road.

Pam Lewis, with the Oklahoma Byways Program at the University of Oklahoma, said a national designation would provide federal grant funds for communities to upgrade infrastructure along the route, put up signs, and develop brochures to market the section of the route that passes through the communities.

If the plan is approved, communities could submit joint grant applications for a regional approach to encouraging public awareness of the historic route. […]

“By summer, we should know something,” Lewis said. “We’re hopeful and optimistic.”

The eventual goal is to make all of Route 66 a contiguous national scenic byway. The states of Arizona, Missouri, Illinois and New Mexico are part of it. Oklahoma is working on it. All that’s left is to get Texas, Kansas and California aboard the program. The Lone Star State will be the toughest nut to crack, but people are working on it.

I’ll post more about the Oklahoma meeting times when I get them.

UPDATE: Just got the meetings schedule.

Tulsa
Tuesday, Sept. 25, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Central Park facility, 1028 E. Sixth St.

Sapulpa
Tues., Sept. 25, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
1st United Bank, 2nd Floor,
Dewey Ave and Route 66

Stroud
Wed., Sept. 26, 7-8:15 p.m.
City Hall, 220 W. Second St.

Edmond
Wednesday, Sept. 26, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Holiday Inn Express, East Second Street

Weatherford
Thursday, Sept. 27, 2-3 p.m.
City Hall, Blair Hall, 522 W. Rainey

Clinton
Thursday, Sept. 27, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Frisco Center, 101 S. Fourth St.

El Reno
Thursday, Sept. 27, 10-11 a.m.
County Commissioners Chamber,
201 N. Choctaw

Elk City
Friday, Sept. 28, 3-4 p.m.
Elk City Chamber of Commerce

Erick
Friday, Sept. 28, 6-7 p.m.
Roger Miller Museum

There a few things coming up that should be of interest to Route 66ers:

• On Friday, Sept. 28, a ceremony will be held at 2:30 p.m. to dedicate a historical marker at the site of the former Pig Hip Restaurant Museum in Broadwell, Ill. The Pig Hip was destroyed by fire in March. Longtime Pig Hip owner Ernie Edwards is scheduled to be there. For more, call 217-732-8687.
• The Oklahoma Route 66 Association is holding a Fall Museum Cruise on Saturday, Oct. 13. It begins at POPS in Arcadia, Okla., at 9 a.m. and works its way west to the Oklahoma History Center, Canadian County Historical Museum and Historic Fort Reno. A few details for meals are still being worked out; for more information, call 405-258-0008.
• On Saturday, Oct. 20, the Railsplitter Antique Auto Club and the Route 66 Heritage Foundation of Logan County are teaming up for a car-show fundraiser at The Mill, a long-closed historic restaurant on Route 66 in Lincoln, Ill. There will be tours of The Mill, meals of schnitzel strips, chips and soda for $7, a drawing and, of course, all the antique cars there. All proceeds will go to The Mill’s restoration. For information, call 217-732-8687.
• A sharp-eyed reader noticed in a newspaper article that the McKinley Bridge that connects Venice, Ill., to St. Louis will reopen on Nov. 10. The historic bridge, which once carried an alignment of Route 66, was closed in 2001 for major repairs. This site says the bridge was originally dedicated Nov. 10, 1910, which may explain why the date was chosen for the reopening.

On an obscure 1926-38 alignment of Route 66 between Kellyville and Bristow, Okla., sits the remnants of old motor court. It’s mentioned in Jim Ross’ “Oklahoma Route 66″ guidebook, but little else seems to be known about it.

It’s been closed for many years, but its seems the owner is doing a good enough job to keep the stone structure usable for storage.

Near the entrance of this half-mile alignment from newer Oklahoma 66 is a rusty old sign that says “Stop — Private Drive,” although it’s probably county jurisdiction. But I’ve heard the owner is very protective of his property, and there are dogs around. So if you check it out, it’s best if you stay in your car, or at least stay on the old road if you’re there for a photo op. The alignment dead-ends near this property, so you’ll have to double back to Oklahoma 66.

Also, on Sunday evening we went back to POPS in Arcadia, Okla. The wait for dinner seating was less than 15 minutes this time, and the food was delicious. It was apparent that the operational kinks seen during the restaurant’s first week had been ironed out.

A certain song once said:

Seems it never rains in southern California
Seems I’ve often heard that kind of talk before
It never rains in California, but girl, don’t they warn ya?
It pours, man, it pours

That sure seemed to apply at the annual Route 66 Parade in Duarte, Calif., on Saturday.

At least cooler heads prevailed.

In Mark Muckenfuss’ column in the Inland Press-Enterprise, he said he was doing some research about old Route 66 in Southern California when he uncovered a 1967 newspaper article by Earl E. Buie about Interstate 40 road-construction plans through the Bristol Mountains.

Normally, construction crews would have blasted their way through the hills with dynamite and bulldozers. But the project directors had more intriguing materials in mind.

Nuclear bombs.

No kidding.

According to Buie’s column, “Two nuclear blasts at either end of the proposed cut would be set off, literally lifting an estimated 68 million tons of rock out of the mountain.”

The resultant gash in the ground was expected to be 2 miles long, 300 feet deep and 1,200 feet wide at the top.

The minor annoyance of radioactivity didn’t seem to have bothered the planners, or Buie for that matter. Its potential problems aren’t mentioned in the piece. Perhaps the designers felt such negative aspects would be outweighed by being able to drive the highway at night without needing headlights.

They did expect to save money.

Conventional explosives, Buie reported, would have cost $22 million for the project. Nuclear bombs could do the blasting for $14 million.

Wow, radioactivity and a savings of nearly 60 percent.

You certainly couldn’t accuse these folks of not thinking outside the box.

Such a plan would have given Route 66 travelers more than just a nostalgic glow.

On Friday, the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program of the National Park Service announced its cost-share grant awards for 2007. These grants cover 50 percent of the cost of historic properties’ preservation efforts or programs about Route 66.

John Osterman Gas Station, Peach Springs, Ariz., $28,000 grant. From 1929 until its recent closure, the station served customers on the Mother Road. The Hualapai Indian tribe plans to rehab the building and bring back fuel service.

Wigwam Motel, Holbrook, Ariz., $10,685 grant. This grant for the popular teepee-shaped motel complex will be used for plumbing and concrete base repairs.

Town of Amboy, Calif., $30,000 grant. Funds will be used to develop a preservation plan for select historic buildings in the nearly deserted Mojave Desert town, including Roy’s.

Ariston Cafe, Litchfield, Ill., $13,000 grant. Funds will be used for a new roof and a long-term preservation plan for a restaurant that has operated on Route 66 since 1935.

Sprague Super Service Station, Normal, Ill., $20,000 grant. Built in 1932, this Tudor-style gas station will get a new roof and a condition assessment as part of long-range rehabilitation plans to convert it into a diner, bed-and-breakfast, vistors center and events site.

Curt Teich postcard collection archive, Lake County, Ill., $8,000 grant. Teich had one of the largest collections of Route 66 and other travel-related images. Funds will be used to scan and catalog the collection, which will eventually be made available to the public at the Digital Past site.

Blue Swallow Motel, Tucumcari, N.M., $8,000 grant. The money will be used to repair the historic motel’s windows and distinctive neon that were damaged during a severe storm.

Santo Domingo Trading Post, between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, N.M., $17,000 grant. This trading post was severely damaged a few years ago by fire. However, the Santo Domingo Indian tribe plans to rehab the structure — which remains 85 percent intact — as a trading post or interpretive center.

Triangle Motel, Amarillo, Texas, $26,056 grant. This long-neglected 1940s motel was saved from the wrecking ball by its new owners, who hope to reopen it as a motel again. Funds will be used for emergency stabilization and to form a long-term preservation plan.

Route 66 curriculum development, Central Connecticut State University, $2,775 grant. This project wants to develop a curriculum guide for university audiences and help public schools educate their students in a variety of classes, using Route 66.

For more about the grants and recipients, including photos, see this four-page Acrobat document.