The first 'pearl' encountered by the early traveler would have been Shamrock.  The name Shamrock was originally coined by Irish immigrant George Nickel when he applied for a post office in 1890, but the luck of the Shamrock didn't follow him and his home burned shortly thereafter.  The name Shamrock wasn't officially adopted until the CRI&G came through in 1902.  Oil was discovered in the area in '26, the same year as Route 66 was commissioned and the Mother Road helped Shamrock become a boom town with all the required amenities.  Here is a view of the road leading into Shamrock (barely visible in the distance).  Note the vintage concrete.  This view hasn't changed much in 60+ years. 

     One of the 1st amenities encountered in Shamrock was this fantastic cafe on the east end of town.  If anyone knows a little history of this place, please drop me a line.  Perhaps a trucker grabbed a cup of coffee here while his rig was parked near this unique parking lot sign down the street.

     The heart of Shamrock is home to a true Texas 66 icon-the U-Drop Inn.  Built in a stunning deco style in 1936, the brick and green-glazed tile structure quickly became a popular stopping point for travelers all up and down the route.  Today, the U-Drop is owned by the city of Shamrock and was nearing completion of a 1.7 million dollar renovation project when I passed through in July 0f '03.  Quite simply, it looks fantastic.  Compare this photo  of the untouched Conoco spire from the winter of '01 with a pic post renovation.  An overall pic shows the buildings renovated exterior.  My only critique-it seems as if maybe the folks have gone a little overboard with the decorative neon.  It now almost seems a little too 'pretty' at night instead of 'historic' (see pic at left-note, large wallpaper worthy pic-long download).  Maybe that doesn't make any sense at all, but hey, that's just my own subjective opinion.  And of course, I'll shut up if someone can prove that all that neon was there originally!

Addendum 03/29/05:  Well, it looks as if I need to shut up!  A note from Jay Firshing says:
"

Thanks for the terrific info Jay!

     Past the historic towns of McLean and Alanreed (I'll profile them at some undetermined future date...), cruise on into the small town of Groom-"The Ideal Spot".  Another little gem spawned by the CRI&G railway in 1902 (when the original town site was platted out), Groom became a centralized rail shipping point for the local ranchers and farmers.  With our beloved 66 being main street (paved in 1928), Rittenhouse described several garages, the elevators, and Wall's Cafe when he came through.  Today, the old abandoned 66 Court still forlornly sits across the street from the domineering elevators, and with a street scene that far too often looks empty like this, is it any wonder the owners of the 66 had to give it up?

     Just as in other states, the 66 we know today is generally not the original. As you travel 66 through Texas, you may notice that there often seems to be another roadbed paralleling you, and the area around Groom is no different. Just west of town, look to the south side of the road to see this 1911 culvert near a corrugated tin storage shed. The date is stamped into the south side of the structure, and I imagine that this little culvert bridge was part of a short cut-off stretch of original 66.

     Another 15 miles or so down the road, be prepared to explore quaint, little Conway.  The area that became Conway can trace it humble beginnings to the Lone Star School-a rural school established circa 1892 to teach the children of area ranchers and homesteaders.  With the arrival of the CRI&G, a depot was built and the town was platted in 1905.  In '46, Rittenhouse describes Conway as having "Gas; small garage; cafe; store; one small court; limited facilities".  I wonder if these 'cabins' just east of 'downtown' were the court referenced?  According to the sign on the ground, it appears as if the last incarnation of these facilities were known as Macler's Court.  Downtown, I wonder if this station set at an angle was the aforementioned Rittenhouse garage? 

     And finally, before we continue West and leave Conway behind, check out this fantastic pic looking back east towards town.  Again, isn't this scene just exactly what comes to mind when you think of 66 and Texas?  Further west of Conrad, where you're forced to jump back on the interstate heading towards Amarillo, I wonder who in the world uses this outhouse way out here...

     Past the panhandles only large city, Amarillo, the roadie again is confronted with the vastness of the Texas horizon.  Our next stop will be the little crossroads town of Vega.  The area was opened up by the state for homesteading in 1879, and what would eventually become Vega developed in bits and pieces over the subsequent years.  The town boomed after the completion of the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Texas Railroad in 1909 (merged into the aforementioned CRI&G) and the birth of the U.S. highway system brought even more growth as Vega sat at the junction of highways 66 and 385.  One of the classics built in the 40's to service this highway traffic was the Vega Motel.  Still hanging in there, the grounds looked very nice and well kept.  I tried to stay there, but was unable to reach the owners on the phone earlier in the week to make a reservation.  I ended up staying at the Best Western Country Inn Motel on the west end of town which was very clean and quiet.  Unfortunately, a couple of abandoned cafe/garage combo's on the west end of town attest to the fact that Vega too, is still struggling with the passing of I-40 to the south. 

     So getty-on-up-there little doe-gies, and let's mosey on into that next great southwestern state-the land of blue skies and red rocks, the "Land of Enchantment"-New Mexico!

--OR--
choose your favorite 66 state to jump to!