2012 NPS Route 66 Cost-Share Grant season is now open!

From Kaisa Barthuli, Program Manager Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program:

“The National Park Service, Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program is now receiving applications for the 2012 Cost-Share Grant season. Applications may be submitted to the program office now through Friday, April 6, 2012.

Additional information and application materials can be found at:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/rt66/grnts/index.htm

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact the program office to
discuss eligibility requirements and project ideas prior to submitting an
application.

Thank you for your support in spreading the word about this grant
opportunity, and helping to preserve the legacy of historic Route 66. We
look forward to seeing more excellent projects get underway this year!”

The History of a Route 66 Icon: The Wagon Wheel Motel on Route 66

The History of a Route 66 Icon: The Wagon Wheel Motel on Route 66

The Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Missouri is the oldest continuously operating motel on Route 66. The Ozark stone cottages with their Tudor style architecture have attracted thousands of travelers since the 1930s. The building in front served as the Wagon Wheel Café with a small building next door for a gas station. The famous neon Wagon Wheel sign was added in 1947.

Travelers came to eat, buy gas, and some stayed at the modern tourist cabins with the advertised steam heat. Now, Riva Echols, sister of Wagon Wheel Motel owner Connie Echols, has written the history of this Missouri Landmark in her book The History of a Route 66 Icon: The Wagon Wheel Motel on Route 66.

Connie Echols purchased the old motel in 2009, and with hands-on work and a financial commitment, restored the motel as a premier Route 66 lodging that holds its place on the National Register of Historic Landmarks.

Riva became intrigued with the motel’s history and began interviewing, checking old records, and compiling the history of the motel that will soon reach its 75^th birthday. With 102 pages of text and photos, both historical and current, Echols, follows the history of Route 66 development and the evolution of the motel through the decades.

The book begins with the development of Route 66 and travelers’ options in the early days of Route 66 travel. The Wagon Wheel’s first owners Robert and Margaret Martin put their hopes and resources into the Wagon Wheel Cafe, tourist cabins, and a small gas station building.

Leo Friesenhan, stonemason and designer of the Wagon Wheel, has a colorful life that is detailed in the history. The old buildings have had many changes, but time has proven they were built to last, and the book covers the architectural details of the buildings.

Conversations with waitresses and others associated with the motel provide some flavor and humor in the chronicle of the Wagon Wheel, as do the characters and personalities of the Wagon Wheel owners.

The second owners John and Winifred Mathis took over in the 1940s and added the neon sign that still beckons travelers to the Wagon Wheel. The Mathises also changed the name and made other changes to modernize what had become a popular stop along the road for both lodging and café food.

Sadie Mae Pratt and her husband Bill added vitality to the running of the Wagon Wheel Café during their years of the café’s history.

Pauline Roberts and her first husband Wayne took over the motel in the 1960s.  Later, when Wayne passed away, Pauline ran the motel by herself with the help of her faithful assistant Roy Mudd until she remarried to Harold Armstrong.  It was always said that the motel “was Pauline’s,” and she was instrumental in the motel getting Landmark status.

After Pauline and Roy Mudd passed, and Harold became ill, the Wagon Wheel went downhill until 2009 when Connie Echols purchased it.

Riva Echols chronicles the changes that her sister Connie has undertaken as the Wagon Wheel Motel steps into another decade with restoration and a new generation of travelers. Many before and after photos fill the pages of the last part of the book.

If you want to appreciate the Wagon Wheel’s place in Route 66 history, read Riva Echol’s book. Purchase The History of a Route 66 Icon: The Wagon Wheel Motel on Route 66 on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk. Signed copies are available at Connie’s Shoppe at The Wagon Wheel Motel.

Work Day at Henry’s Rabbit Ranch

Work Day at Henry's Rabbit Ranch

On October 16, 2010, Kip Welborn, Carolyn Hasenfratz, and Robert Schulz came to Henry’s Rabbit Ranch in Staunton, IL to perform some stabilization work on the rescued signs from the Stanley Cour-Tel and Lin-Air motels. The two motels were torn down for St. Louis airport expansion, and were rescued by Friends of the Mother Road and moved to Henry’s Rabbit Ranch in 2004 were they are on display.

Welborn, Hasenfratz and Schulz are members of both the Route 66 Association of Missouri and Friends of the Mother Road. Friends of the Mother Road is working on raising funds to fully restore the signs. In the meantime, since the signs are stored outdoors it was thought that the signs needed some rust protection, so a work day was scheduled to remove what rust was there and apply rust-inhibiting paint to sides of the signs. Car wax was also applied to the porcelain-veneered fronts for additional protection. The weather cooperated and the work day was a great success! See more photos here: Work Day at Henry’s Rabbit Ranch

Iconic Route 66 Wagon Wheel Motel debuts restored rooms

Cuba, MO: In June, Connie Echols, the owner of the iconic Wagon Wheel Motel, writes a new chapter in Route 66 history with the debut of restored rooms in the 1930s Historic Landmark motel.

When Echols purchased the Wagon Wheel in the fall of 2009, the motel was in need of a facelift. This winter and spring, construction crews tore down, built up, and made the old new again.

Remodeled Bathroom at Wagon Wheel Motel

The Ozark sandstone Tudor-style rooms have been gutted, updated, and restored until they are better than ever. New plumbing, heating and cooling systems, bathrooms, and bedding are just some of the upgrades in the historic motel. Flat screen TVs have been added to the rooms, and WiFi is free throughout the property.

Connie's Shoppe at the Wagon Wheel Motel

Before starting on the motel, Echols, restored the original Wagon Wheel Café building in the front of the motel as the motel office and Connie’s Shoppe, which houses purses and jewelry, Wagon Wheel memorabilia, and much more. The small station building is next door.

Echols has added a deck behind Connie’s Shoppe and the old station building for guests to use while they are staying at the Wagon Wheel.

“I hope that the new Wagon Wheel will be a destination for car clubs and other groups that are looking for an authentic Route 66 experience. It is part of our country’s history that people traveled Route 66 to the small mom and pop motels along the road. I hope they can find that experience but in a more comfortable, updated way at the Wagon Wheel, “ stated Echols.

Another of the updates includes the Jacuzzi room with both a Jacuzzi tub and a shower. Another unit is a suite with a kitchenette and two Queen beds. The motel will also rent single and double rooms. Rates will run from $50-$100, depending on room size and amenities.

“We have worked with the unique historic architecture, used modern upgrades, thrown in a little eclectic decorating, and have created a new Route 66 experience that tips its hat to history,” Echols commented.

The Wagon Wheel is located at 901 E. Washington (Old Route 66) in Cuba, MO. Call for details and reservations at 573-885-3411. Visit us on Facebook at the Historic Wagon Wheel Motel Featuring Connie’s Shoppe.

Relighting Ceremony at the Sunset Motel

Sunset Motel Neon Sign Relit After Restoration

The evening of Saturday, November 14, 2009 was very special for members of the Route 66 Association of Missouri. Following our meeting in St. Clair, a festive gathering was held on the grounds of the Sunset Motel in nearby Villa Ridge to celebrate the relighting of the outstanding sign, which had been dark for approximately 30 years.

Just under half of the money to restore the sign and reroof the motel, refurbish dormers, cornice, fascia and soffits, and replace the neon on the gables was granted by the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, with the owners picking up the rest of the tab. Kaisa Barthuli, deputy manager, was on hand to present a plaque to the proud owners. Work on the motel building continues and is expected to be completed in a month or two. In recent history, the motel had been rented as apartments, and when it reopens the owners plan to reserve half of the rooms for Route 66 travelers.

Exactly one year ago, members of the Route 66 Association of Missouri had attended the relighting of the Donut Drive-in sign in St. Louis, another day where we were blessed with exceptionally mild weather for celebrating a momentous occasion in the history of Route 66. In both projects, the property owners were assisted with their grant applications by members of the Route 66 Association of Missouri Neon Preservation Committee. We invite you to help us keep this streak going!