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Travels with Caroline and Party Research Part 5
The next few stops on our list were all in the small town of Cuba, Missouri. With a population well below 4,000 people, the residents of Cuba have worked hard to make it a must stop destination for travelers looking to get their kicks on 66. Our first stop in Cuba was the Wagon Wheel Motel. The Wagon Wheel Motel claims its the oldest continuously operating motel on Route 66. Originally named the Wagon Wheel Cabins, It was built in 1935 as a mom and pop “food, fuel and lodging establishment.” The Wagon Wheel originally consisted of a roadside cafe, gas station, and three stone buildings that contained three rooms each and a garage. This style was more in line with the multi-unit motel layouts that popped up in the 40’s and 50’s, as opposed to the mobile court style that the Big Chief Motel featured. The original buildings were built using local sandstone and featured a Tudor Revival style architecture. These pitched roof buildings with rounded doorways were far more intricate and visually pleasing than many other motels or cabins that would pop up along the way. Over time, the restaurant and service station were split from the motel, and in 1947 it was sold and renamed to the more modern sounding Wagon Wheel Motel. That’s also when the iconic Wagon Wheel Motel Neon sign was designed by the new owner and added to the property. The Motel has gone through several owners and transitions. The cafe is now a small shop and front office for the Wagon Wheel. The Wagon Wheel has been completely refurbished to allow for modern amenities such as flat screen tvs and jacuzzi tubs, while still keeping its historic charm. We didn’t stay at the motel, but you can! Of course rates have gone up a bit from the $2.50- $3.00 a night for two people that they were when it opened. Now, they range from $84.00 a night to $124. If only we could use Marriott points!
Cuba, Missouri’s motto is “Where art meets history.” They’ve been working towards upholding that motto since 1984 when they started a long-term beautification project for their town. In 2001 a city organization commissioned 12 Outdoor murals to be done for the city’s 150th anniversary in 2007. The murals show a variety of historical scenes. Some have national importance such as battles from the civil war or the Osage Meeting. Others are focused on local history depicting scenes from a local apple orchard and Cuba based barrel factory. Others contain the proud moments that small towns that are rarely visited by politicians or celebrities hold onto like when Bette Davis and her husband ate turkey dinners at the local Southern Hotel, or when Ameilia Earhart was forced to land in Cuba in an unscheduled stop, or their biggest one: when Harry S. Truman campaigned in Cuba in a close primary in 1940. The mural, that really caught our eye as we were driving through town, featured a Frisco train named the Bluebonnet. As Texans, this seemed a little out of place in Missouri. Despite the train name, the mural carries a very deep and personal meaning for the citizens of Cuba. The Bluebonnet was the Frisco train that notably transported the Cuban boys to basic training during WWII. The mural depicts the town’s “Gold Star Boys,” the servicemen who lost their lives during the war as they headed off most looking excited if not a bit trepidatious.
The overall effect gives the town a pleasant and artistic feel, but some of them are definitely a little creepy close up. Of course, I’m not one to really question other artistic talent… unless you consider stick figures with heart-shaped lips high art.
Our last stop in Cuba was Bob’s Gasoline alley. It was a little off the beaten path, but our internet research said it was well worth the stop, and it wasn’t more than 5 minutes out of the way. According to the little bit of research we did, Bob’s Gasoline Alley featured a large number of road and gasoline station signs that dotted the highways in the 50’s and 60’s. While most of the collection seemed to be outdoors, there were also several “outbuildings” that appeared to contain more of the collection. We drove up to Bob’s at first, impressed with the bit we could see, and then very confused by the “No Trespassing Private Property signs.” Deciding it was better to be safe than sorry, we turned around in search of our next stop. In looking Bob’s up to grab a link for this post, I have found that his place is closed as he passed away last March. It would have been helpful for that information to have turned up when I did the same search a week ago. Of course, we send our condolences to Bob’s family.
Just a quick hop down Route 66 from Bob’s in Fanning, Missouri is the World’s Largest Rocking Chair… or what was once the World’s Largest Rocking chair. The Chair in Fanning, Missouri was built in 2008 and was 42 feet and four inches high with rockers that were over 30 feet long. The chair weighed 27,500 pounds. In order to be “Certified” as the world’s largest rocking chair, it had to actually rock. Having stood right next to, I can only say that would have been insanely scary. The lawyer in me is also just dying thinking about the liability that would come if it fell over. Apparently, the owner thought the same thing and once it was certified, he had it welded to its base. As we saw with the crosses, there’s always someone who is ready to build something bigger, and the Fanning Missouri rocker was eclipsed in size by a rocker that was 56.5 feet high. As a result the Fanning rocker was stripped of its “world’s largest status.” I imagine this was done with some dramatic flair while everyone in town stood by despondent and afraid to look as their chair was driven to shame. In reality, it seemed like the owner would power through painting his now “littler” chair red and calling it the Red Rocker on Route 66. As it turns out, people don’t want to see the 2nd biggest of anything and the little store that the rocker promoted closed. The store was eventually purchased and the World’s Second Largest Rocking Chair is being advertised as the World’s Largest Rocking Chair on Route 66. The store was closed when we got there late Sunday afternoon. Standing in front of the chair I was reminded of Lily Tomblin’s character Edith Ann on Sesame Street (yes, the character started on Laugh In) in the late 1970s.
Our last planned stop for the trip was Gary’s Gay Parita Gas Station in Ashgrove, Missouri. Fred Mason originally built the art déco style gas station in 1934 and named it after his wife Gay. Since then it really appears to have only been through a few owners, most notably Gary Turner and his wife Lena, and his daughter Barb and her husband George who currently run the place. Gay Parita’s may be most know for its small white building that once served as a service station, but the property also included a mechanics shop constructed of native sand stone, a giraffe stone patterned house, a small gift shop and about a dozen cars scattered along the property. We showed up planning to take a few pictures, and then head on our way as we have done at most stops this trip. We had barely crossed through the gate when we were greeted by the current proprietor, George. George had shaggy white hair that hit around his shoulder , He wore baggy denim cargo shorts that hit just below his knees and a tie dyed Route 66 t-shirt. George was quick to ask us where we were from, and just as quickly began taking us on a tour of the property. He walked us into what was once an office for a service station, but not even the best of hoarders could have worked there now. George mentioned he was still finding new things around the property every day. (In hindsight this makes some sense, as he and his wife didn’t take over running the station until a few years ago.) He proudly showed us pictures of the original owners Fred and Gay, and Barb’s parents Gary and Lena. Next we headed over to the garage where Gary pointed out that Fred built it in order to be a more full service station to travelers on the road. He also told us that the original owners had also built cabins like many other proprietors on the Mother Road had done. According to George, the Watson’s eventually made enough money from their property to build the house that he and Barb now live in. While he was at it, he told us about the Giraffe style stone work that the house prominently featured. Now, we’re seeing that rock work everywhere!
George continued to smoke his cigarette as he led us into the garage, he pointed out the cars that he had repaired and managed to get running as well as the ones that still needed work. He also showed us the now rusted sign that had originally advertised the place, as well as the prominent “No tools for Loan” sign that Fred had hung on the tool cage when he first opened the shop. Back outside, he pointed out some of his favorite pieces including a Sinclair dinosaur that he had purchased from someone in Texas, and met at the Blue Whale of Catoosa. Before we headed out, George wanted us to be sure to hit up a few local sites. He didn’t have a map for us but he had the names and addresses written on a whiteboard. He walked Caroline over so she could take a picture and we would know where to go. One thing we’ve learned so far, is if someone that’s a part of the Mother Road experience suggests that you make a stop… make the stop. (By the way, George claims to know Hazel).
Before, we make our way to the 3 sites George recommended; I want to mention that I haven’t been able to find out a lot about the long-term history of the Gay Parita’s Sinclair station. There is a clear record that it was built in 1934, and it appears the station itself burned down in 1955 and was rebuilt by Gary, George’s Father in Law in 2005. As far as I’m concerned this isn’t meant to be a history paper, so I’ll take George’s word for it. Either way, the place was a treasure trove of Route 66 memorabilia and your trip wouldn’t complete without taking some time to hang out with George.
George suggested that we visit Spencer, Missouri, Red Oak 2, and the Boots Court Motel.
Spencer, Missouri was just down the road from the Sinclair station. Since it wasn’t on our original list we had no idea what to expect, but we’re pleasantly surprised. Spencer appeared to be a long abandoned “strip mall” that contained 3 distinct buildings butted up against each other. Each building had its own distinct storefront including different rock and brick work. There was a Phillips 66 gas station with prominent orange gas pumps in the front. One building was clearly labeled a cafe, and the third was labeled Spencer Feed and Seed. When we got home, I looked up Spencer to find it had been rendered a ghost town twice. Spencer originally got its start in the 1860s when a family opened a flour mill along the creek. In 1868, Mr. Spencer (not the mill owner by the way) opened a store and established a post office. The town grew somewhat, gaining a Methodist church, grocery store and blacksmith shop. But, it’s time as a town was short lived and the post office was closed in 1907. By 1912 the road that led to Spencer was impassable, and it soon became a ghost town. 20 years later, Sydney Casey heard about the plans for Route 66 and bought the town for $400. In 1930 he constructed the buildings we saw, and Spencer became a hopping town complete with a motor court, weekly dances and a barber shop in the Cafe (and now I’m really thankful for the health codes we have today). Then Spencer suffered the fate of so many towns reliant on the Route 66 travelers when the route was rerouted in 1961. A new family has since purchased the small town, and is working to preserve it. Apparently, if you stumble upon the town when the owners are there, they’ll let you look around inside and tell you all about the history of the place.
Red Oak 2 is also the result of a rural community being lost to progress, but its story is a little different. The original Red Oak was a small rural town that gradually disappeared after World War II. Lowell Davis, the creator of Red Oak 2, grew up in Red Oak but eventually moved away. When he returned in the 1970’s he was shocked to find it was a ghost town. Davis eventually decided to “rebuild” the town on his cornfield just outside of Carthage, Illinois. He bought and moved buildings and houses from the Original Red Oak and restored them on his property. Once again, we had no idea what we were in for when we pulled up to Red Oak 2, and it did not disappoint. I honestly could have wandered around the place for hours. This place is worth its own blog post, so I’m going to save any more details and most of the pictures for later.
The third place recommended by George was the Boots Court Inn. This was another classic Route 66 motel, and looked more like what I imagined a Route 66 motel would look like. Its described on the website as an “art déco streamlined building”. I can accept that as a fancy way to describe the white stucco building with slightly rounded corners and trim that could easily be pulled from a “Great Gatsby” party invitation. This motel consisted of two buildings each containing 5 or so connected rooms. In between each room was a covered carport. This was unique in that is was really all one building. From the road, you can’t tell there were any carports at all. The sign on the front advertises a radio in every room, and that’s not just a piece of history. They have kept it that way. The motel is currently being renovated with the back rooms complete. The owners decided to keep the history and have a radio, but no television in every room (don’t stress they do have internet so you can still watch Netflix). If you’re riding your bike or motorcycle and need a place to crash in Carthage, apparently you can stay in one of the unrenovated rooms for free (not really my cup of tea).
We made our way to Joplin and began the search for dinner. Our route had provided us with built in meal stops along the way, but we didn’t have anything on the map in Joplin. Alex found a “Route 66 diner” that sounded perfect; until we realized it was in a New Holiday Inn. At that point we hit Freddie’s, which doesn’t have anything to do with Route 66. It was started in 2002 so it’s really not that old, and we could grab a burger from there in McKinney. On the plus side, Freddy’s does have a classical burger joint feel, and gave us the opportunity to continue the condiment debate moving from Fry Sauce to Mayochup. (Its Fry Sauce… there really isn’t a debate on this one.)
