 The team scheduled gathering sessions in 10 communities to learn
what the residents think is important on their section of the route.
Zimmerman said that the Lincoln and Logan County portion was
recommended as an important place to stop, having a number of
interesting things to contribute to the route.Zimmerman said that
the team is enjoying the experience of driving the route, looking
for points of interest firsthand. It has been interesting to see a
section and then find out later, from the locals, what they may have
missed. Through this experience they will be able to make
recommendations to communities.
The sense of adventure and discovery on the "Mother Road" is not
new to Zimmerman. It is with fondness that he remembers seeing the
area around Lincoln and Logan County as a hitchhiker on Route 66
back in the '60s. Touring it today has an added interest to see how
things may have changed and how they are the same.
You can go from one end of Logan County to the other -- passing
through Atlanta, Lincoln, Broadwell and Elkhart -- and stay on Route
66. The route features the only stretch of the original single-lane
roadway, which is located behind Graue Chevrolet; the ghost bridge
going over Salt Creek, by the Lincoln Sportsmen's Club; several
well-known businesses that served travelers in days past; and it
passes or is within blocks of a number of museums and historic
sites, many featuring Abraham Lincoln connections.
About 30 or more Logan County residents attended the
presentation. They were community leaders, historians,
restorationists and business owners, or just people interested in
bettering our community through the tourism opportunity. They were
asked to identify important Route 66 places, objects and people in
our communities.
-
When a Route 66
tourist is in town, what are some "must see" places, things or
activities that he or she should experience?
-
What stories about
your community would you share with travelers?
-
What documents,
people or other resources will help us learn about Route 66 in
your community?
Many contributed local facts and lore to the questions that were
posed. They even proposed means to generate funds locally that could
be used to bring the route back to life.
Ernie Edwards retold the naming of the Pig Hip, which happened
one day shortly after he took over the business. When a customer who
was passing through town was asked for his order, he said, "Just
give me a sandwich made from a slice off that pig hip over there,"
motioning toward a ham.
Wanda Lee Rolfs recalled driver's education training -- how they
were all warned about dead man's curve.
[to top of second column]
 |
 The new owners of the Redwood Inn Motel are industriously working
to restore the motel to reflect its original Americana motif. They
are aiming to provide guests with that original Route 66 experience.
The Redwood has a register with guest names from all over the world
and some that were famous. Guests today receive an original postcard
of the inn.
Stories were shared of visits by Al Capone, Shirley Temple and
other well-known people. Even today, business owners along the route
have numerous foreign visitors stopping in, as Gillette Ransom from
Elkhart shared.
The future for the road is in the hands of the people and what
they do to draw and welcome visitors. Bruce Huskins hopes to see
other areas join the newly established Route 66 garage sale. It not
only draws people but also can be a revenue generator to restore
Route 66 sites. This year's event was to support The Mill
renovations. Next year's "37 miles of smiles" is set for June 13 and
14.
Other attraction suggestions included getting a postage
cancellation made especially for each community on Route 66.
Travelers would stop to send themselves or others a card that would
show a special postmark, making an inexpensive collection, and tour
memories could be easily created.
Similar to the postmark concept, there could be an official Route
66 passport card established that travelers have stamped at
designated locations.
The team is still collecting notable information and suggestions.
Contact information:
[Jan
Youngquist]
Past related articles:
Related sites on the
Web:
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