From the very beginning, there always existed an intimate relationship between the railway and our beloved route.  The earliest routes often paralleled the tracks as much as possible.  Therefore quite often, you find the tracks, you find the earliest incarnations of the road. Check out this card (no postmark) of a Santa Fe Streamliner train barreling through the sky above Canyon Diablo near Two Guns, AZ!  Perhaps one of the travelers on this train was the one that sent this 1941 postcard back east indicating that they spent the night in Gallup!

The States:  

    It all began in Illinois...the long drop to St. Louis, then the gradual turn towards 'the west' and a dream.  Somewhere along the way, perhaps in Springfield, the motorist stopped for a cozy-dog then once again ventured on over the 6th street bridge pictured here.  

    Missouri.  Heading southwestward out of St. Louis, the fields and plains of Illinois become a memory as the early travelers entered the hilly Ozark country.  Land of rolling hills and many a spring-fed creek, a trip through this part of the Route hasn't changed much in 50 years.  Still full of camping, rafting and fishing opportunities, be sure to spend some time and enjoy the area much as your fathers did.  The Devil's Elbow bridge is still there, and of course, so are the bluffs! 

       Kansas.  Hit hard by the coming of the interstate, the 66 towns of Kansas struggle to remain intact.  The old Capistrano Courts on the south side of Baxter Springs, if they still exist at all, are most likely apartments now.  Can anyone verify for me if the Capistrano Courts are still around in any shape or form?

    Oklahoma.  Born of oil and water (irrigated water that is...) Oklahoma treated the 66 motorist to the finest city accommodations available in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, while quickly pulling a chameleon act and showing its rural, western side within a few miles of these urban areas.  As an example, it would have been very possible, and I'm sure probable, that many folks stopped here at the 5 Tribes Trading Post (no postmark) near Claremore for one of their first exposures to the 'West' while continuing on just a few miles further and spending the night in one of the upscale Park Plaza Motels in Tulsa (on U.S. 66-75-169 per the card).  

    Texas.  Considered by most to be the gateway to the true 'West', Shamrock would have been the 1st town encountered by westward 66 travelers.  Imagine the surprise of early motorists when instead of finding cowboy and Indian paraphernalia all over, they encountered tributes to the Irish!  This is even evident on this 1949 postcard.  Instead of horses and cattle, a Texas town featuring a 4-leaf clover?  Isn't this somehow blasphemous??  Well, I guess the card also features oil, so maybe it's OK.

    Entering the 'Land of Enchantment', it's not too long before the much advertised town of  Tucumcari sprang into view.  For hundreds of miles, promises of a cozy night sleep have been drawing the traveler inexorably onward.  The Conchas Motel on the west end of town was one of the many places offering a pillow and a bath for the weary.  Is the Conchas  today masquerading as another motel we are more familiar with, or has it passed on into the realm collectible memorabilia?  Please drop me a line and let me know. 

     Of course, being the largest city of New Mexico and having both pre/post 1937 alignments of 66 passing through, how can it be any wonder that postcards from Albuquerque abound?  I realize that there are oodles of postcards from the downtown area, but I thought that this card was interesting in that it was taken from a little further west (looking back east) than generally seems to the norm and that you can clearly see the sign for the El Rey.  The El Rey is still there, and is currently undergoing renovations for re-opening as a small performing arts center.  Let's wish them luck.

    The deep blue skies of the Southwest carry right on from New Mexico into Arizona.  Past the Petrified Forest and into the San Francisco peak region, Arizona is quite the study in contrast.  Take for example, this great postcard booklet (no PM) of the Painted Desert/ Petrified Forest region.  Note the starkness of the terrain.  Now couple that image with this card of the Garland Prairie Vista Picnic area (no PM) west of Flagstaff.  Hard to believe you're in the same state with the mountain views and Ponderosa/Juniper forest surrounding you!

    Finally, past the Colorado river onward into California!  Visions of oranges and beaches fill the mind, but first, one must cross the Mojave!  Often accomplished at night, the drive across Mojave  was a formidable obstacle.  Thankfully, Barstow contained all the necessities required to satisfy the 20th century traveler.  Unfortunately now gone, the Beacon Motel (1960 PM) had served the early roadies well for decades.  Now the site is occupied by the Beacon Bowling Center, but I doubt that few, if any of its patrons realize where the name came from and the historical significance of the site.

     You would hardly ever know it today, but the L.A. basin is (was) a great fruit growing mecca.  Where now miles of concrete and repetitive box stores deaden the eye, orange blossoms and pastoral scenes once thrived.  For example, take a look at this postcard (1923 PM) of a not yet 66 Foothills Boulevard near Monrovia.  Sadly, it doesn't look like this anymore... 

Guest card showcase!!!
     

Guest card here:  I'm waiting!  Please provide any background info you can.  Especially if the establishment is no longer with us.

  Here's an e-mail link.  

          I hope you enjoyed these cards.  As I mentioned above, too often these little pieces of paper are all that remains to pique the curiosity of a wanna-be roadie such as myself.  Who would have guessed that such a simple souvenir could ever become such an important piece of history and valuable piece of collectible memorabilia?

Continue your 66 journey by choosing your favorite 66 state to jump to!