Cadiz Inc., which got its name from a small town near Route 66, initially drilled water wells to irrigate grapevines and citrus trees in the desert. The company now has something bigger in mind:

The company is pushing ahead with a proposal to pump enough groundwater every year to supply 100,000 homes and sell it to urban Southern California at prices that could, over the project’s 50-year life, reap $1 billion to $2 billion in revenue. [...]

At times sounding like they are describing a major oil discovery, Cadiz officials are pitching the project as a dependable alternative to water deliveries from Northern California and the Colorado River that have been squeezed by drought and environmental regulations. [...]

Federal lands surround the 34,000 acres the company owns just south of Route 66 near the old railroad stop of Cadiz. A half-dozen congressionally designated wilderness areas are close by. About 15 miles to the north lies the 1.6-million-acre Mojave National Preserve, managed by the National Park Service.

Cadiz’s proposed network of 30 wells, each about 1,000 feet deep, would pump groundwater that flows from beneath these public lands and is replenished by rain and snowmelt from their mountain ranges: the Providence and New York, the Marble and the Clipper.

Environmentalists worry over whether pumping out all that water will affect natural springs that sustain wildlife in oases sprinkled throughout the desert. Critics also fret that the government will be stuck with a bill in hundreds of millions in subsidies for the project if debt-laden Cadiz Inc. goes under.

The Times also spelled out my biggest concern:

Cadiz intends to withdraw more water every year than nature puts back in the ground, lowering the groundwater table and depleting the aquifer. By how much, and whether that will harm the fragile desert environment of nearby public lands, remain important questions.

No one really knows the rate of natural groundwater replenishment in the 1,300-square-mile area that drains toward the Cadiz operation. Scientists can only estimate it based largely on conceptual modeling that has yielded a wide range of numbers over the years.

Federal hydrologists and scientists hired by environmental groups say the natural recharge rate is at most half — and could be less than a sixth — of what Cadiz’s experts say it is.

And the Southwest has repeatedly underestimated water demand or overestimated the capacity of the region’s aquifers. Count me in as one of the people open-minded about this project, but very uneasy about its possible repercussions.

The extension would begin at County Highway 29 north of Towanda and connects an old alignment of Route 66. The state of Illinois would cover 80 percent of the $1 million cost. The county’s share would be just under $50,000.

The county board approved the application by a 15-3 vote.

“We are talking about an enhancement for the community and the benefits of an extension of a bike trail may show up in other areas,” said board member George Gordon.

“This is a great investment for our community,” said board member Sondra O’Connor.

“There is an old saying about being pound foolish and a penny saved. Well, we would look like idiots if we turned this down.”

MoDOT is replacing the Highway 100 bridge that goes over Interstate 44 between Gray Summit and the west edge of Villa Ridge. A Google Street View image of the bridge can be seen here.

The bridge work will force a lengthy detour for both eastbound and westbound travelers on I-44 nightly from Tuesday through Thursday. MoDOT’s detour maps can be seen here.

And the interstate will see lane closures through much of the project. Officials are expecting travel delays in that area through the summer.

Travel on Highway 100, aka Route 66, in that area will be closed through the entire project. MoDOT says detour signs will be posted for local traffic.

Here’s a report by KPLR-TV in St. Louis:

Selby opened his first pizza restaurant at 11th Street (aka Route 66) near Harvard Avenue in Tulsa. It soon was named Ken’s, which later became Mazzio’s.

The original restaurant is still there, although it’s been extensively renovated over the years. The Mazzio’s corporation now counts more than 160 restaurants in nine states.

To mark the 50th anniversary of Mazzio’s, Selby braved summer heat, narrow highway shoulders, and chiggers to walk about 100 miles from Oklahoma City to the original eatery on 11th.

An interesting excerpt from the World’s obituary:

Greg Lippert, Mazzio’s president and CEO, said Selby was an inspiring figure.

“Ken was born to Depression-era parents; he was not a man of means when he came into this world or while growing up,” he said. “He achieved what he did through sheer determination and hard work. The Ken Selby story is a uniquely American story.

“And Ken never forgot where he came from,” Lippert said. “He was comfortable talking to governors and heads of state or to one of our employees making pizzas on a Friday night. He always had great respect for the hourly employees and their vital importance to the company.”

A memorial is set for 2 p.m. May 22 at the Boston Avenue United Methodist Church in Tulsa. His remains were cremated. Survivors included his wife, five children, three sisters, and seven grandchildren.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, preservationists wanted to move the 1845 Rock Hill Presbyterian Church and adjacent Fairfax House from their location on Manchester Road (aka Route 66) to nearby Rock Hill Park. The land had been purchased about two years ago to make way for a U-Gas station, car wash, and convenience store.

However, the church was dismantled and will be reassembled at Cedar Lake Cellars winery. According to winery owner Carl Bolm, the cost of putting the church back together will be between $200,000 to $400,000. Brinkman Contractors will pay some costs of the move.

The St. Louis Patina blog posted several recent photos of the church being taken down.

The Fairfax Home will be moved also, but to a spot on the current property at McKnight Road.

I can sympathize with preservationists’ dissatisfaction with the church’s removal:

Esley Hamilton, St. Louis County preservation historian, said that taking the church apart and reassembling it at the winery would lose the church’s historical integrity and could result in some stones falling apart.

“If it’s done in that way, it’s a replica, not the original building, and it’s totally out of its context as the central focus of the Rock Hill community,” Hamilton said.

However, this scenario seems much preferable to the church and home being razed and the rubble dumped in a landfill. Although the church’s historic status will vanish with the move, at least it survives in some semblance and will continue to be used.

(Hat tip: Norma Bolin)

Here’s the finished product:

He finished the mural last Monday, but the artwork was barricaded for two more days until the paint cured.

I believe one of the fish in the painting is Bruce, the great white shark seen the Pixar film “Finding Nemo.”

The mural is just outside the International Walldog Mural & Sign Art Museum. The 3-D effect occurs when looking south toward the Pontiac Oakland Automobile Museum and Resource Center. And Pontiac boasts plenty of standard wall murals as well.

(Photo courtesy of Pontiac Tourism)

Riddle initially composed this for the “Route 66″ television program.

Try not to be too distracted by the video’s pinup models.

The old Monroe’s Diner building, a landmark on Route 66 in Pacific, Mo., that was shuttered for years, recently reopened as the Down South Cafe.

Monroe’s is known for its stone facade, attached to a Quonset hut structure (photo here). It was built in the 1940s, and closed a few years ago. Its location is 409 E. Osage in Pacific.

The new owner, Dawn Vinson, serves American food as well as Cajun and Creole-style cuisine from her native Louisiana. Included on the menu are muffuletta and po’boy sandwiches, gumbo, etouffe, fried alligator, and beignets, although that may vary on the season.

Vinson says the interior of the restaurant is covered in Route 66 decor, and recently hosted a Chevrolet Chevelle car club.

Hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

The newspaper said:

“I hope the town embraces it,” said Russell Glenn of Stars, LLC, the Florida company that restores historic American theaters. “It’s a good thing to give back to the community.”

Glenn asked that the community support the project with volunteer hours in cleaning, painting and other in-kind donations.

He said there are plans to recognize all the donations the community puts into the restoration.

Plans for the screen include silver stripping for 3-D capabilities. [...]

Once re-opened, the theater will offer first-run movies with the occasional retro movie showing. There plans to charge by the car load, just like in the theater’s heyday.

The company has set up a website, teepeedrive-in.com, that has this message:

IN TWO WEEKS we will BEGIN clean up and restoration of The Teepee Drive-In! We need as many people as we can so we can get the show back on the SILVER screen. We want to re-open mid summer. see our facebook page and our information page.

The website contains a link where you can make donations. The Tee Pee also has set up a Facebook page.

According to AbandonedOK.com, the Tee Pee was built in 1950. It closed in 1999.

Its location is 1705 W. Highway 66, on the old Ozark Trail alignment of Route 66. That semi-rural stretch served as the Mother Road from 1926 to 1952, and also includes the 1925 Rock Creek Bridge as a landmark.

Here’s the company’s slide show and commentary about the journey:

Despite many breakdowns, it seems the Hagerty folks had a good time. An index of Hagerty’s reports from the Mother Road can be found here.

Hagerty says it will publish a full report in its magazine this fall.