A Springfield Institution

Built in 1962, and its owner, Gary Leonard, has made it a point to keep the retro-looking restaurant looking spiffy. It’s one of two surviving restaurants with the standard design from the 1950s and ’60s. The rest of them have either been altered or razed.

Original features in the downtown structure include:
- The main building, with a poured concrete floor, porcelain exterior wall panels and plate glass windows on glazed tile footings.
- The rooftop and street-side neon signs, and the painted wooden sign overlooking the parking lot’s southern end.
- The curb service window and counter.
- The kitchen cook line, stainless steel kitchen counters and tile kitchen floor.
- The original wood door on the rear entrance.

47th Studebaker International Meet

Enjoy Cruisin' the Mother Road to a special week with your
Studebaker friends.

June 19-25, 2011 Hosted by the SDC
and the Ozark Trails Studebaker Drivers Club
Held at the Ramada Oasis Convention Center
2546 N Glenstone Ave
Springfield, MO 65803

All 100 plus families of the Ozark Trails welcome you to Springfield. Our chapter encompasses members from the four state regions of Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and others with ties to our area. We have successfully hosted the Orphan Car Show in Branson for fourteen years. We have been the host of several All Missouri Meets and all have been well received. We are now in preparation for another International Meet with some of the members that helped with the two previous meets and many new enthusiastic members with ideas and energy to add to the experience of those who have been a part of the chapter for 35 years. All will have a part in making this a Meet to remember.

The Studebaker Drivers Club Site  <--For More Information!

Camera's in hand we'll see you there. 
Get those Stude's shined up and lined up!

Get Your Kicks on Missouri's Route 66

The Missouri Dvision of Tourism's Route 66 Video!

The 2011 Season On The Road

It's been a long cold winter here on Route 66, but the weather is starting to turn with some days getting near 70 degrees so we are charging those batteries and making plans for a few road trips in the next couple of weeks. It's been awhile since we posting anything and we want to let our readers know...it won't be long before were back out on the road, tearing it up and shooting the pics for proof. So hang in there we'll find that hidden treasure, rusted wreck or tasty scenery you're dying to see. I make myself laugh! See you on the road.

T-Bird in the Woods

Just off Route 66 in Red Oak we found a woods full of old rusty autos and farm machinery. This great old T-Bird is a classic. I sure hate to see them in this condition.

IOOF Lodge in Avilla

On our trip to Avilla we noticed the little town was full of old Route 66 era buildings. Some still used, some just a memory. We spoke with an old local that was very helpful, since we are country neighbors they tell us whatever we want to know and probably wouldn't be so outgoing to just a passerby looking to take a few pics.  He told us this was the old IOOF lodge that he was a member of. Once an important service and social organization in town, it now sits abandoned.

stoproute66licensing.com

A note from Johnnie v

Greetings roadies,

We have registered the domain stoproute66licensing.com and obtained web hosting space. We now have a placeholder page posted online at www.stoproute66licensing.com Since this is a new domain name, it might take up to 48 hours for the domain name to be recognized by all of the Internet's routers but most folks should be able to access the placeholder page now.

The web site is under construction.

The e-mail address info@stoproute66licensing.com is now activated.

We will construct the web site cataloging abuses by route66licensing.com.

We will provide well researched and documented resource information on the shield image, route 66, mother road and other identifiers claimed by route66licensing.com.

We will also expose the route66licensing.com tactics used to unethically register route 66 identifiers as trademarks in foreign markets.

After a fact-finding period, we will be organizing aggressive action against route66licensing.com

We should not expect a quick resolution and perhaps even no resolution at all, but we will publicize and expose route66licensing.com so that potential customers and the public can have the facts to draw their own conclusions. Given that route66licensing.com is based in the Netherlands, there are international issues that do not lend themselves to easy resolution.

This is an important issue since the actions of route66licensing.com are interfering with the ability of route 66 artists, authors, and entrepreneurs to offer their unique products to a worldwide market. This is especially egregious to U.S. based route 66 artists, authors, and entrepreneurs.

If an iconic image like the route 66 shield and the phrase "route 66' can be claimed by foreign entities, and even registered in foreign countries, a floodgate is open. Based on this route 66 test case, any U.S. public domain icon could be claimed as a trademark by a foreign entity and enforced in foreign markets.

This will be a volunteer team effort for and by route 66 artists, authors, entrepreneurs, and supporters. As tasks are identified, I hope we can recruit volunteers to take on certain tasks. In addition, we will be registering endorsers of our initiative and in the future we will invite all potential endorsers to add their business names or personal names to our online list of endorsers.

We welcome your ideas and input.

cheers,
Johnnie V

Glenstone Cottage Court

Glenstone Cottage Court opened it's doors to Route 66 travelers in 1947 as the Greystone Cottage Court. It has remained virtually unchanged over the years.

Avilla Methodist Church Steeple

This old church was in very good condition. It's metal covered steeple and stained glass windows were beautiful. Avilla has many original Route 66 icons still standing and being used.

Spencer Phillips 66 and Rick

Our last stop was in the old town of Spencer. You have to jog off what you would think would be Route 66 to get here. Watch for Route sign. It's just a couple miles west of Paris Springs. Mark thought he needed to put me in the pic. The one he posted earlier was in 1946 with the owners son. This is me in 2010.

Avilla OutHouse

As Mark and I traveled the road today I mentioned you don't see many outhouses anymore and of course one popped up a few minutes later in Avilla.. We both remember them but glad they are not used MUCH today.

Rest Haven Motel

The Rest Haven sign is one of Springfield's most famous Route 66 icons. The photos shown above are from the 1950's. According to information I found, Springfield Neon constructed the sign and Munger Moss in Lebanon adapted it around 1953. The Rest Haven opened sometime in 1947 by a family named Brightwell who operated it until '79.

The signage today is in less than perfect shape. The AAA marking at the top is leaking water and is damaged according to the new owners. Let's hope they repair it to it's original condition.

The stonework is near perfect. The motel has changed very little over the years with the exception of filling in gaps between the units which truthfully ruined the charm of the property.

They also purchased the gas station which was in front of the motel. The station was raised and moved to the rear of the property and used for storage.

You can still see the rough lines of the station, the windows, sign and restroom door on the left.

The garage bay is below ground level and the building is starting to deteriorate.

It could be a fine example and possibly a tourist information center if properly restored. I wonder what kind of an impact the station would draw if left in front and restored to it's former glory. The owners of the Rest Haven would surely see an impact in traffic and tourists traveling the road. I can point to Gay Parita Sinclair in Paris Springs as an example. The biggest difference would be in the structure itself. The Rest Haven is the original building and Gay Parita is a repro. Phillips 66 is in my mind the premium brand of Route 66 in a visual link.

Lurvey's Motel

In 1928 The Lurvey's pulled up their camp in Strafford and moved it west on Route 66 to 2939 E. Kearney. The photo above is how it looked in the 1950's. They had 12 sandstone units in six buildings. During the 1970's they were converted to rentals and are now boarded up and abandoned. The Lurvey Motel is just east of The Holiday Drive In and are in jeopardy of being lost forever.

If the city of Springfield were smart they would attempt to purchase these and make them into a tourist destination or a Route 66 Historical park, greeting Route 66 travelers. It would be a positive move for the North Springfield area which is in need of these types of attractions. The sandstone is still in great shape but the roofs are caving in. With some attention and a federal historical grant it could be converted.

Day Trip to Spencer & Avilla

I loved the color of this rusted International I found in Avilla.

Rick and I spent the afternoon running the old Route 66 west of Springfield. We ran across the buck board milk wagon in Avilla. Rick should be posting up his photos soon.

Route 66 is well know for it's unusual yard ornamentation, this man eating frog was no exception. This is not trick photography or weird angles, this yard frog had to be at least 3 foot across and stood probably 3 feet high.


In Spencer, Missouri we found the old Phillips 66 Station and a small cluster of business fronts. Rick also has some more shots at Spencer. The 1946 picture below is of Carl Casey the son of the owner of Spencer. The business fronts included a barber shop, cafe, station and a garage. The restoration shows Phillips pumps from the 1960's but the originals shown are Tydol pumps, none-the-less a great stop on an original stretch of "The Road".

The Vulture of Route 66

Is this the future of Route 66's historic buildings? Maybe by looking at the condition of some of them. A consorted effort could revive some if federal grants were available.

This vulture perched atop an old building in the Route 66 corridor of Missouri could be an omen.

A Closer Look At Paris Springs

Gary Turner's Gay Parita Sinclair Station in Paris Springs MO is a must stop along old Route 66. Just west of Springfield, Paris Springs is like stepping into the past, Gary made sure of it. His collections and displays are open to the public for photo opportunities. He has Gay Parita Route 66 shirts as well as some other merchandise for collectors. Here is a closer look at some of his collection.

Graystone Heights Cabins

With a grand plan to research these long forgotten cabins a story is sure to come forward.
Any information anyone might have would be appreciated.


UPDATE: I talked to the owner of the property and found that it was the Greystone Heights Cabins. According to John Schweke the owner, In 1935 Ben Brewer built six cabins which expanded to eight and was then ran by Shorty West. The Graystone property house a Conoco Service Station and a restaurant. A few years the Brumers bought the place and it is now R&S Floral.


We would appreciate any photos showing the original sign, the owners would like to restore the original sign to it's former glory. Please contact us.

1923 Triple Pony-Struss Bridge over Turnback Creek

This pic is the 1923 triple pony-struss bridge on the old road over Turnback Creek west of Halltown, Mo. I have fished a lot of times under this bridge with my son. Lots of smallmouth and bluegill. Great place to catch a bunch of soft shelled craws, too.

Route 66 Below The Surface

Old Route 66 can still be seen under the Glenstone viaduct at Trafficway in Springfield. The bridge was built in 1939 so I imagine this concrete is pre '39 and then it was not very wide.

Here's a shot from the 1950's looking North at the viaduct down Glenstone (Route 66)
The Rail Haven is on the left. This intersection has changed little over the years, I'll capture a shot from the same angle and post a bit later. The photographer of record for this photo is unknown, anyone know who is responsible? I'll credit them.

Updated 4-29-2001