US Route 66 was arguably the most well-known highway in the country. Traveling from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, it was affectionately referred to as the Main Street of America. Popular culture is abound with references to the Mother Road, including (but not limited to) its unofficial theme song made famous by Nat King Cole, an eponymous television series from the 1960s, and John Steinbeck’s classic 1939 novel, “The Grapes of Wrath.”

Route 66 enjoyed nearly 60 years in the spotlight before being officially decommissioned in 1985 (ADOT had already decommissioned its portion of the road one year earlier). By that time, it had been replaced piece by piece by the Interstate Highway System. Here in Arizona, segments of former US Route 66 can still be found alongside Interstate 40 and as city streets in towns like Winslow, Flagstaff, and Williams.

But there is one stretch of the former Will Rogers Highway that still manages to capture the essence of a mid-century road trip.

ADOT-maintained State Route 66 travels 85 miles between Kingman and Seligman and encompasses a stretch of US Route 66 that didn’t get absorbed by I-40.

 

One highlight on this journey is the town of Seligman. In 1886, the community was named in honor of a New York banker named Jesse Seligman. He had bankrolled the railroad that rolled through town, which was apparently a popular way to name a municipality at the time. Trains made way for automobiles and Seligman became a popular pit stop for cross-country tourists. Even stopping there today is like going back in time. Seligman is so proud of its Route 66 heritage that it’s known as the “Birthplace of Historic Route 66.” This is thanks to locals who lobbied for the road to receive the acclaimed designation.

Another neat stop on State Route 66 is Peach Springs. Relics from the bygone era of the Mother Road still stand proudly in this community. You’ll find the Historic Peach Springs Trading Post and the John Osterman Shell Station, which were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 and 2012, respectively. Peach Springs was named after the peach trees planted at nearby springs by Spanish missionaries in the 18th century. These days, Peach Springs is the administrative headquarters for the Hualapai Reservation.

Peach Springs and Seligman are known to be heavy influences on Disney’s “Cars” franchise. Many of the facades seen throughout the film are near facsimiles to real places in the two. In the first "Cars" movie, Radiator Springs appears on a map exactly where Peach Springs stands today.

If your Route 66 itch isn’t scratched by now, a few miles down the road Hackberry provides another helping of roadway nostalgia. Originally a mining town, Hackberry was named after the local silver mine which, in turn, was named after a hackberry tree that grew nearby. The Hackberry General Store continues to serve hungry, thirsty and otherwise curious travelers to this day. Around town you’ll find an old café, motel and even a music hall. Reminders of the once bustling town, circumvented like its brethren by the much more efficient Interstate Highway System.

You can bring a little bit of Route 66 along with you wherever you go! The Arizona Department of Transportation offers a rather snazzy Route 66 speciality plate for your car, truck, motorcycle or golf cart.

Arizona is not unique in its incorporation and designation of the once ubiquitous US highway. Several states that US Route 66 once served have since restored the familiar numbering for various surface streets and state roads, commemorating Route 66’s important place in American transportation history. You can too! Take a detour from I-40 and soak in some early 20th century charm on State Route 66.

Along Interstate 40, nestled between Flagstaff and Winslow, is the ghost town of Two Guns. As you drive by, you may see the remnants of an old gas station, now nothing more than a repository of graffiti after a 1971 fire nearly burned it to the ground.

But there’s more to this curiously named town than a former pit stop.

Not too far away is the Apache Death Cave. We learned more about the history of this grisly-sounding spot from the writings of authors like Gladwell Richardson. In 1878, the Navajo discovered the rival Apache were using it for undetected travel. So they gathered sagebrush and lit a fire near the entrance. When Apaches ran out to breathe, they were killed on sight. Between the smoke and the Navajo, 42 Apaches met their end.

By the early 1920s, homesteaders Earle and Louise Cundiff owned nearly 320 acres of land in the area and had built a trading post, restaurant, gasoline station and even a post office. Travelers along the National Old Trails Highway (which became US Route 66 in 1926) would stop for a much-needed respite.

Then came the eccentric Harry E. Miller, who had a much grander vision for this blip on the map. Miller leased some of the Cundiffs' land and by 1925 had opened a trading post and his own zoo, complete with mountain lions, cougars, snakes and Gila monsters.

And how about that name? Well, the story goes that Miller named the town in honor of Western silent film actor William Surrey Hart, also known as Two Gun Bill because his twin Colt 1851 Navy Revolvers appeared in most of his 77 films. Take it with a grain of salt, but Miller claimed to have worked with Two Gun on numerous projects.

Miller also claimed to be full-blooded Apache, going so far as to refer to himself as Chief Crazy Thunder. He gave tours of the Apache Death Cave, selling skeletal remains to tourists. But simply being the site of an epic native battle wasn’t good enough for Crazy Thunder, who jazzed up the cave with electric lights and added a concession stand.

All seemed to be going well until 1926. Only one year after leasing the land, Miller and Earle Cundiff got in a disagreement over the lease’s terms. Miller shot Cundiff in cold blood, killing the unarmed man.

After Miller was acquitted, he was mauled by not one, but two of his mountain lions. If that wasn’t bad enough, he was then bitten by one of his own venomous Gila monsters.

He left Two Guns (and the state) soon after this series of unfortunate events. But he made sure to take ample amounts of turquoise jewelry, silver and other expensive merchandise with him.

Louise Cundiff charged on, opening a new trading post and tourist shop after Miller’s burned to the ground. She soon opened a new gas station too. Over time, Two Guns shed its outrageous reputation and thrived as several businesses including motels, taverns and even campgrounds sprung up. Even Miller’s zoo was revived and reopened.

This renaissance did not endure. After the lone service station caught fire in 1971, folks began to find their gasoline elsewhere, and tourism sharply declined. Two Guns was left to dust.

So, next time you travel down I-40, take a detour and visit the death cave, old trading post, the remnants of Miller’s exotic zoo and one photogenic burned-down gas station.

In 1972, the Eagles made a Route 66 stop in Arizona nationally famous with the No. 12 (No. 8 in Canada!) hit “Take it Easy.” I think we all know the line I’m talking about, and we’ve all heard the lyric so many times that I probably don’t even need to write it out for you here. But I will:

Now I'm standin' on the corner in Winslow, Arizona,
With such a fine sight to see
It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford,
Slowin' down to have a look at me

You sang along, didn’t you? Or at least had the tune in your head? Good luck getting it out.

Believe it or not, this scene is actually based on a true story.

As legend has it, Jackson Browne (yes, the one who needed a doctor’s help with his eyes) was on his way to Sedona via Route 66 when his car broke down in the middle of Winslow. So at some point or another during that unfortunate ordeal, he probably stood on some corner in the city of Winslow, presumably waiting for a tow or a jump.

But the girl in the Ford? That, according to Mr. Browne, “was an image that came from east Flag.” He says that particular experience occurred outside what used to be a Der Wienerschnitzel in east Flagstaff, on what’s now the corner of US 180/Business 40/Historic Route 66 and Switzer Canyon Drive.

Now, you may be thinking: Wait, Jackson Browne was never a member of the Eagles. And you’d be right. But he did live in the same Santa Monica apartment complex as Eagles lead man Glenn Frey. As the story goes, Browne was working on this song one day when Glenn dropped by and helped him finish the iconic second verse.

“Take it Easy” catapulted the Eagles into the American consciousness. Jackson Browne released his own version a year later, but his single did not fare as well.

Winslow commemorates its place in pop culture with a statue of Glenn Frey circa 1972 on the corner of Old Hwy 66 (W 2nd St) and Kinsley Ave. Meanwhile, the owners of the Dog Haus in Flagstaff claim their corner as the true location inspiration.

So where do you think the true corner is? We say, whichever one gives you that peaceful, easy feeling.

Interstate 40 can take you to some odd places throughout Arizona – including this gravesite. It's rumored to commemorate the final resting place of the only man who died peacefully near a rough Arizona town.

Canyon Diablo ("Devil's Canyon" in Spanish) was truly "lawless." When the town was founded in 1880, the closest law enforcement was over 100 miles away. The 2,000-person town was considered meaner than Tombstone and Dodge City combined. Saloons, brothels and gambling dens operated 24 hours a day on "Hell Street;" drifters, gamblers and outlaws flocked to the small town. Canyon Diablo's first peace marshal was sworn in at 3 p.m. and killed by 8 p.m. Many citizens went the same route, ending up in Canyon Diablo's "Boot Hill."

Hermann Wolfe (also spelled "Herman Wolf" and "Johann Hermann Wolf") stood out. The mountain man and beaver trapper was born in 1831 in Sachsen-Anhalt in north-central Germany. That's why his headstone – said to have been put up after World War II by a relative – is written in German. For those who don't speak Deutsch or have trouble deciphering the epitaph, it reads "Hermann Wolf, died on 3 September 1899, 89 years of age." 

After immigrating to the states and heading out west, Wolfe owned a trading post on the Little Colorado River north of Leupp. To avoid being robbed (a regular occurence in the area), he buried his profits around fences on his property. He ran his trading post from 1869 to 1899. It's said he died a natural death there and then his body was shipped to Canyon Diablo for burial. Since natural deaths were uncommon for the time and place, Wolfe is often said to be the only man close to the lawless community to experience one.  

Originally accessible through US Route 66, you can still see Wolf's gravestone in Canyon Diablo's cemetery, along with some town building foundations today. If you exit Interstate 40 at 2 Guns and head north, it will lead you there.