Total Pageviews

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Road Tripping in Western Arizona: Part 1, Welcome to Kingman

 




Entering Kingman, on








Wish You Were Here

Kingman, Arizona

Historic Route 66








Our first stop is










The historic Powerhouse was reclaimed to house Kingman's Welcome Center.







Kingman is proud to
promote Route 66.




The cheerful woman at 
the front desk took
this socially distanced
photo for us.



















There are many brochures to
browse & lots of souvenirs
to tempt shoppers.





GET YOUR KICKS ON
ROUTE 66






Eric & I visit the
 Route 66 Museum.










Historic Route 66 includes
the history of Gas Stations.












this area for millennia.

Starting in the 1800s, white
migration brought many changes.








Mines were opened. 





Miners found: Flourite, Iron Ore,
 Chalcedony, Gold Ore & more. 
 





 Towns blossomed overnight. 






Settlers brought farming & 
livestock to this arid area.  







The need for a stable roadway that could be used for settlers, the military, and travelers through the region became a necessity.  The Native population was eventually forced onto reservations.





Technological advances 
brought the Railroad to
Arizona along with
more people.










The advent of gas-powered vehicles put the necessity of improved roads in Arizona front and center, again.





was created to promote the
the development of routes
across America.  






Follow the Santa Fe Roadway
National Old Trails Highway
All The Way

Look at the lower right side of the door...  That Swastika in this early 1900a photo was used as a sign of prosperity and good luck.  Adolf Hitler ruined this beautiful, ancient symbol.  





Families from the Dust Bowl States
in the Midwest traveled through
 Arizona to California in search of
 new, sustainable life





Federal funding for Route 66
made its construction possible
in 1938.

What followed was an explosion
of development, travel &
tourists from across the US.








 was one of the millions of cars
that toured Arizona after



This green cylinder was a major
innovation for those traveling
by car.

The Car Cooler made travel in
 this region comfortable.



Another Gas Station 

This one has a Penzoil sign

The Gas Pump looks like
it's from the 1950s.











The car's fueled up.

The family is well-fed after
 a stop to stretch their legs.











Besides sweeping vistas and tourist traps, what else do travelers through Arizona see?  Burma Shave Billboards...


Slow Down Pa

Sakes Alive

Ma Missed

Signs Four 

And Five

Burma Shave


This company's billboard campaign was wildly popular from the 1920s through the early 1960s

A whimsical reimagining of Route 66 of yesteryear.

Interstate 40, built in the 1950s, allowed for faster travel in Arizona and cut off many cities and towns that depended on Route 66.   Nostalgia brought car tripping tourists back to The Mother Road.  Towns like Oatman that were literally depopulated are again thriving.  Kingman hosts visitors from all over the world and is happy to share their community with those getting their kicks... on Route 66.

No comments: