The October 2015 meeting of the Madison County Genealogical Society was held at the Edwardsville Public Library on Thursday, October 8, at 7:00 pm.
President, Robert Ridenour, called the meeting to order.
The following is the Treasurer's report for the month of September:
Do you have a family member that
is interested in (or even obsessed with) genealogy? A membership
in the Madison County Genealogical Society would be a very thoughtful
gift. A gift card will be sent to the recipient of any gift membership.
The following memberships are available:
Individual/Family Annual Membership $20.00
Patron Annual Membership $30.00
Life Membership $250.00
Contact our Secretary, Petie Hunter, at [email protected],
about a gift membership.
On October 8, 2015, Cheryl Eichar
Jett, historian, author, blogger, and Route 66 "roadie,"
presented a program on Route 66 in Illinois. Route
66 has had many effects on our culture. It symbolizes America,
especially to foreign visitors. So much of our history happened
on the highways, i.e., our vacation/trip memories.
It was part of the Good Roads Movement, for bicyclists, then motorists,
and Federal action to improve roads and number highways.
Maps were printed with US Route 60 before the final decision to
use 66, a less important sounding number, due to Kentucky governor's
complaints. All east-west highways were even numbered and the
numbers ending in zero were reserved for "important highways."
Cyrus Avery was involved in the highway associations that met
in Springfield, Missouri, for final planning. Route number 60
was assigned. Avery changed the plan from a cross-country highway
to a highway between St. Louis and Chicago. The Governor of Kentucky
complained and the route number was changed to 66.
One of the first events to take place on Route 66 was the Trans-American
Footrace "Bunion Derby" in 1928. "Cash and Carry"
Pyle, sports promoter, was partially responsible. The race was
from Ascot Speedway in Los Angeles, California, to Madison Square
Garden, New York City. 199 runners started on March 4, 1928. 55
finished May 26, 1928. Andy Payne from Foyil, Oklahoma, won.
The movie, Grapes of Wrath, starring Henry Fonda was released
in 1940. This movie was based on a book of the same name by John
Steinbeck published in 1939. It told the story of the Joads fleeing
the Dust Bowl on Route 66 - and coined the name "Mother Road."
"Get Your Kicks on Route 66" was composed in 1946 by
Bobby Troup. It was recorded by Nat King Cole and numerous others
including Chuck Berry. The popular TV series "Route 66"
starring Martin Milner and George Maharis ran from October 1960
to March 1964 on Friday nights on CBS. However, many episodes
were not on Route 66. The theme song, composed by Nelson Riddle,
had a haunting and intriguing melody and orchestration.
Chicago
Route 66 originally began at Jackson Boulevard and Michigan Avenue.
In 1937, Jackson Boulevard and Route 66 were extended to the new
Outer Drive, which became Lake Shore Boulevard in 1946. In 1953,
Jackson was made one way, eastbound, west of Michigan. From Michigan
to Lakeshore, Jackson continued to carry two-way traffic. But
westbound traffic had to turn north at Michigan and then west
on Adams Street. Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park was dedicated
in 1927 and modeled after the Latona Basin at the Palace of Versailles.
A grand building on Michigan Avenue was constructed for use during
the 1893 Columbian Exposition, with the agreement that it would
become the permanent home of the Art Institute of Chicago. The
entrance is flanked by two bronze lions sculpted by Edward Kemys.
Cicero
In 1904, Western Electric, the manufacturing arm of Bell Telephone,
began transforming 113 acres of prairie into the massive Hawthorne
Works. Over 45,000 people once worked at one of the largest manufacturing
plants in the world. Research at the facility led to the high
vacuum tube, sound motion pictures, radar, and the transistor.
The plant closed in 1983, and the site became a shopping center.
Whoopie Coaster
The Whoopee Ride was a unique roadside attraction. It was sort
of a roller coaster for automobiles, a wooden oblong track with
dips and turns. Drivers paid 25 cents to take their own vehicles
once around. The Skyline Motel occupies the former site of the
Whoopee Ride today.
Chicken Basket
Irv Kolarik ran a gas station and lunch counter in Willowbrook,
but decided to focus solely on food. He was offered a fried chicken
recipe by two local women, and Kolarik soon needed more room.
In 1946, his Nationally Famous Chicken Basket moved into the former
Club Roundup and Triangle Inn. To attract business in the winter,
Kolarik flooded the roof of the restaurant and hired ice skaters.
Dell Rhea and his wife, Grace, bought the restaurant in 1963.
Their son Patrick took over in 1986.
Joliet
The Ruby Street Bridge carrying Route 66 over the Des Plaines
River in Joliet opened in 1935 and is one of only three movable
bridges on Route 66. It was reconstructed in 1972 and renovated
in 2012. Sherb Noble opened the first Dairy Queen location at
501 N. Chicago Street in Joliet on June 22, 1940, using J. F.
"Grandpa" McCullough's soft-serve ice cream recipe.
A cone sold for a nickel. The building now serves as a Spanish-language
church. Route 66 originally followed Chicago Street right downtown
past the beautiful Rialto Square Theatre. It's a mix of architectural
styles with a lobby modeled after the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace
of Versailles outside Paris. It opened in 1926 and was restored
in 1980. In 1940, Route 66 was moved to pass through Plainfield
and the Joliet route became Alternate 66.
Old Illinois State Prison
Early Route 66 passed the Illinois State Penitentiary on Collins
Street in Joliet. The prison was built in 1858 by convict labor.
Its 25-foot-tall, five-foot-thick walls are made of pure Joliet
limestone quarried on the site. It was closed in 2002. The classic
prison architecture made it a perfect set for several movies and
television productions, including the motion picture The Blues
Brothers.
Elwood
On the eve of WWII, the government assembled over 36,000 acres
of land for the Elwood Ordnance Plant and the Kankakee Ordnance
Works. Over one billion pounds of TNT and 926 million bombs and
shells were made here during the war. The facilities were combined
and re-designated as the Joliet Arsenal in 1945. Over 10,000 people
were employed at the ammunition plants during World War II. A
memorial honors 48 workers who died in an explosion at the Elwood
Ordnance Plant on June 5, 1942. Most of the land is now the Abraham
Lincoln National Cemetery, the second-largest national cemetery
in the nation, and the 19,000-acre Midewin National Tallgrass
Prairie, the largest single area of open space in Illinois.
The Riviera
In 1928, former miner James Girot combined a church building,
a mine office, and part of a school to create the Riviera Roadhouse.
Al Capone is said to have been a frequent guest. The interior
was a maze. The toilets sat atop a "throne" due to frequent
floods, and the bar ceiling was decorated with papier-mache stalactites.
Bob and Peggy Kraft owned the Riviera for 37 years before retiring
in 2008. This landmark on the Mazon River burned to the ground
on June 8, 2010. A horse-drawn streetcar was brought to Gardner
to serve as a diner in 1932. It was moved behind the Riviera in
1955 to use for storage. After the Riviera burned, the Krafts
donated it to Gardner, and it has been restored.
Fill 'Er Up!
Two outstanding examples of restored gas stations are just nine
miles apart - in Dwight and Odell. Jack Schore opened a Texaco
station in 1933, where Route 66 met Illinois Route 17 at Dwight.
Basil "Tubby" Ambler added service bays and ran the
station from 1938 - 1965. It changed hands several times before
Phil Becker took over in 1970. It was one of the longest-continually-operated
stations on 66 before closing in 2002. Becker donated it to the
City of Dwight, and it is now a visitor's center. Patrick O'Connell
constructed his station in Odell in 1932. It was first a Standard,
then Phillips 66, and then Sinclair. Robert Close bought it in
1967 and operated a body shop until the Village of Odell bought
it in 1999. The Route 66 Association of Illinois restored the
station, which now serves as a visitor's center.
Pontiac
The Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame and Museum is
located in the restored city hall and fire station in Pontiac,
which the city moved out of in 1986. In 2004, the hall of fame
was relocated from the Dixie Trucker's Home to this historic building.
In addition to its Route 66 exhibits and resources, the museum
is now the home of the van and bus used by Route 66 artist and
icon Bob Waldmire. Rodino Square, on the southeast corner of Reynolds
and Ladd Streets, was operated by the Carmen Rodino family beginning
in 1927. It included a store, hotel, restaurant, and gas station.
Carmen also sold produce grown by the family, making the rounds
in his 1921 Model T truck. He continued to make deliveries into
the 1960s. Rodino Square is gone, but it lives on in one of the
Walldog murals on Main Street in Pontiac.
Bloomington
Gus Belt's Shell Inn Restaurant and gas station in Normal was
struggling until he turned it into the White House Steak and Shake
in 1934. Gus adopted the slogan "In Sight it Must be Right,"
because the beef was ground in front of the customers. Franchising
began in 1945. The original location at Main Street and Virginia
Avenue was sold to Monical's Pizza in the 1990s.
Bloomington - State Farm
State Farm Insurance, founded by George J. Mecherle in 1922, originally
specialized in automobile insurance for farmers. The firm moved
into new headquarters in downtown Bloomington in 1929. The company
rapidly outgrew the building, and four more stories and a penthouse
were added in 1934. Additions in 1940 and 1945 brought the building
to its present height. Employees on roller skates sped delivery
of mail and documents at the State Farm Insurance home office
in the 1940s. The company supplied the skates, but employees were
allowed to bring their own as long as they had rubber wheels.
A new headquarters campus for State Farm was constructed on Veterans
Parkway beginning in 1972.
Dixie Truckers Home
General store operator J.P. Walters and his son-in-law opened
gas stations in Shirley and McLean and started delivering their
own product, Dixie Gas. They opened Dixie Trucker's Home at Route
66 and US 136 in McLean on January 1, 1928. Walters was from Kentucky
and said the name Dixie symbolized Southern hospitality. The Dixie
was open continuously until a fire on June 28, 1965. Within hours,
the gas pumps were in operation, and a cabin on the property was
moved up front to house the operation. A new building accommodating
250 people at a time opened in 1967. Owners Charlotte and Chuck
Beeler made the Dixie one of the best-known truck stops on any
highway before selling it to a corporation in 2003. It became
the Dixie Travel Plaza and received a major renovation in 2009.
The Road Ranger chain took over in 2012.
Atlanta
The charming town of Atlanta has one of the shortest, but best
Route 66 streetscapes along the route. The Palms Grill Cafe was
opened in 1934 by James Robert Adams, who was inspired by palm
trees he had seen in California. The cafe closed in the late 1960s,
but was restored in 2009. It occupies half of the Downey Building,
which was constructed in 1867; the Atlanta Museum occupies the
other half. "Tall Paul" originally stood at Bunyon's
Hot Dogs in Cicero for 42 years, but he was brought to Atlanta
and restored in 2003. Top candidates each year in the statewide
Route 66 shield art contest are displayed in Route 66 Park. The
1909 Seth Thomas clock from the demolished high school stands
in front of the octagonal Atlanta Public Library, built in 1908.
Lincoln
Lincoln is the only city named for the 16th president while he
was still alive. Legend says that Abraham Lincoln himself christened
the town with watermelon juice in 1853. He supposedly said, "You'd
better not do that, for I never knew anything named Lincoln that
amounted to much." The intersection of Illinois 10 and Beltline
66 was known as the "Four Corners." "Coonhound"
Johnny Schwenoha was a bootlegger and hunting buddy of Al Capone
and he ran a roadhouse on Route 66 north of Lincoln. Coonhound
Johnny's son Vince Schwenoha opened the Tropics in 1950. Vince
soon sold it to Lewis Johnson, who made the Tropics a center of
the community from the 1950s to 1997. The place closed in 2005.
The building stands empty, and sadly, the sign was taken down
just recently.
The Mill
Waitresses dressed in blue with white aprons greeted the first
customers at the Blue Mill in Lincoln on July 25, 1929. Paul Coddington's
windmill-themed sandwich shop was painted blue with white trim.
Albert and Blossom Huffman took over in 1945, painted it burgundy,
and added a war surplus barracks to serve as a dance hall and
barroom. Once famous for its schnitzel, the Mill closed in 1996.
The Route 66 Heritage Foundation of Logan County has begun restoration.
The Old Coot and the Pig Hip
One day in 1937, a customer at the Harbor Inn in Broadwell asked
proprietor Ernie Edwards for a slice of "that pig hip,"
and a Route 66 landmark was born. Edwards changed the name to
the Pig Hip and ran the restaurant until 1991, when it was turned
into a museum. Ernie's sister built cabins next door, which were
later enclosed as the Pioneer's Rest Motel. Fire destroyed the
Pig Hip on March 5, 2007, and Ernie Edwards, the beloved "Old
Coot," passed away in 2012.
Williamsville
Route 66 typically expanded and bypassed many rural communities
in Illinois. Original Route 66 (Elm Street) ran through the heart
of Williamsville. A two-lane bypass was constructed in 1940. In
1953, two additional lanes were added to complete the four-lane
highway around the town. Interstate 55 bypassed it all in 1977.
Springfield
Springfield was originally named Calhoun, in honor of Secretary
of War John C. Calhoun of South Carolina. When Calhoun became
vice president, his fiery speeches in favor of slavery spurred
residents to rename their city. The name was changed in 1832,
and the state capital was moved from Vandalia in 1837. The move
was due partly to the efforts of a young politician named Abraham
Lincoln. The sixth Illinois capitol took 20 years to construct
and is 74 feet taller than the U.S. Capitol.
The Cozy Dog
While stationed in Amarillo during WWII, Ed Waldmire Jr. and his
friend Don Strand developed a battered and French-fried hot dog
on a stick. In 1946, Waldmire began selling his "Crusty Curs"
from a small shack on Route 66. His Cozy Dog Drive In opened on
September 27, 1950. Waldmire's son Bob, a renowned Route 66 artist
and free spirit, died in 2009. A Walgreens now occupies the original
Cozy Dog site, and the restaurant moved next door.
Illinois 4 Alignment
From 1926 to 1930, Route 66 zigzagged a narrow path through the
fields along the original Illinois Route 4 between Springfield
and Staunton. Segments south of Chatham, were paved in brick to
create jobs in 1931, after the Route 66 designation had been removed.
A precious 1.4-mile brick section can still be driven north of
Auburn.
Carlinville
On the 1926-1930 alignment, Route 66 passed the "Million
Dollar Courthouse" in Carlinville. It was designed by prominent
architect Elijah E. Myers, who also designed the Macoupin County
jail. When completed in 1870, it was the largest courthouse west
of New York City, but it was dogged by scandal and outrage over
the price tag. Judge Thaddeus Loomis and his associate, County
Clerk George Holliday, were at the helm of the building committee.
The Loomis House, which opened in 1870, was also built by Loomis
and Holliday. They faced more criticism for using limestone from
the courthouse project for their hotel. Holliday disappeared,
and Loomis lost the hotel. It became the St. George Hotel and
is said to be haunted.
Post 1933 Route
The post-1933 route no longer used Route 4 but came straight south
out of Springfield to go through Farmersville, Litchfield, and
Mt. Olive. The Shrine of Our Lady of the Highways has watched
over travelers since it was dedicated on October 25, 1959. Frances
Marten donated the site on his farm near Raymond, and members
of the local Catholic Youth Council erected the statue of Mary.
Marten kept the shrine lit around the clock, and he was one of
the original five members of the Route 66 Association of Illinois
Hall of Fame. His sons Lee and Carl have maintained the shrine
since Frances died in 2002.
Litchfield
The Saratoga was built in 1946 by Lowell "Hydie" Orr
to replace an earlier building. This was said to be the most beautiful
restaurant between St. Louis and Chicago. Eventually a Hardee's
replaced it on that corner. Russell "Ruts" Brawley established
Rut's Corner Tourist Camp and Cafe in 1928. It was replaced with
a larger tavern and restaurant after a 1936 fire. It changed hands
several times before becoming known as Shaw's Corner for many
years. It's now known as Shaw's Club 66 Bar & Grill. CC and
Opal Simpson opened the Gardens Cafe & Lounge in 1954. A motel
was added in 1964. The Mansholt family owned/operated it from
1978 - 2003. There is now a Walgreens on that corner. The Annex
opened in 1951 by Joseph Roseman & Estell Felts across Route
66 from the Litchfield Airport. Motel units remain but this beautiful
building is gone.
The Ariston
In 1924, Greek immigrant Pete Adam opened the Ariston Cafe in
Carlinville. The name is derived from the Greek aristos, or "best."
Adam and partner Tom Cokinos relocated the Ariston to Litchfield
in 1929. The current structure, on the other side of the highway,
opened on July 5, 1935. Cokinos sold his interest in the Ariston
in 1936 and went on to run the Blue Danube and the Ranch Inn.
The Ariston added a new neon sign in the back when four-lane Route
66 opened behind the restaurant. Since 1966, Pete Adam's son,
Nick, and Nick's wife, Demi, have continued to offer the traditional
service expected of a family-owned-and-operated restaurant. Paul,
eldest son of Demi and Nick, and his wife, Joy, joined the family
business in 2004.
Litchfield Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center
Vic Suhling built his station across from the Ariston in 1957
and hired Harry Wagner as manager. The station later became Stewart's
Deep Rock, but it was demolished in 1990. The Litchfield Museum
and Route 66 Welcome Center opened here in 2013. The museum was
the dream of Martha Jackson and Anne Jackson widow and daughter,
respectively, of longtime Litchfield newspaper editor David A.
Jackson, whose collection formed the base of the museum exhibits.
The sign was restored in 2013.
Mount Olive
Cemeteries refused to accept the bodies of the victims of the
labor violence at Virden on October 12, 1898, so the miner's union
established a cemetery at Mt. Olive. Mary Harris "Mother"
Jones, a crusader for the rights of workers and children who had
played an important role in the strike, was buried here near the
miners, whom she called "her boys," in 1930. A monument
to the "Grandmother of all agitators" was dedicated
on October 11, 1936. Henry Soulsby and his son Russell opened
a Shell station at Mt. Olive in 1926, and it is now one of the
oldest still standing on Route 66. Russell started a television
repair business in the back of the building about 1949, and he
ran the station with his sister Ola until 1993. The Soulsby Station
Society and owner Mike Dragovich maintain the site today.
Rich Henry's Rabbit Ranch
Rich Henry, his wife Linda, and some furry friends greet visitors
to Henry's Rabbit Ranch in Staunton. Volkswagen Rabbits are lined
up nose-down in the ground in homage to the Cadillac Ranch in
Amarillo, Texas. Rich Henry and his father, truck driver Hubert
Henry, are in the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame,
along with Linda's father, farmer Wilton Rinkle. Stanley Cour-Tel
signs were salvaged from a suburban St. Louis motel slated for
demolition.
Hamel
Much of the original alignment of Route 66 followed the Illinois
Traction System, an interurban electric line that linked small
towns across central Illinois with Peoria, Springfield, and St.
Louis. These Illinois Terminal cars passed through Hamel on their
last run between Springfield and St. Louis in 1956. George Cassens
opened the Tourist Haven for his wife Louise to operate at the
intersection of Route 66 and Illinois 140 in 1938. It was later
known as the Village Inn, Earnie's, and Scotty's. Today this historic
roadhouse is Weezy's Route 66 Bar and Grill, owned by Karen Wiesemeyer
and Coleman Wiessman. At one time the buildings on each corner
of the intersection were built and owned by Cassens.
Edwardsville
Coming into Edwardsville, travelers found Cathcart's Restaurant
and the Hi-Way Tavern and Cafe right across the road from each
other. In 1922, George Cathcart and his wife bought the Joseph
Hotz house and opened it as a tourist home, and built a modest
hamburger stand next door a couple years later. As business grew,
he expanded the building into a large restaurant and grocery.
The Hi-Way Tavern was established by Frank and Dora Catalano in
1934. Several buildings were joined together to expand the business
and in the 1950s an addition made the front of the building flush
and the entire place was bricked. Both of these historic businesses
are now on the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame.
The Bel-Air Drive-In at Mitchell opened in April 1954 and was
in operation until 1987. During the 1970s, it had two screens,
could accommodate 700 vehicles, and boasted a small indoor seating
area. The drive-in is gone, but the marquee remains. Herman Raffaelle
opened the Luna Cafe in Mitchell on September 1, 1932. Al Capone
was said to be a frequent guest. Legend said that the cherry in
the glass on the neon marquee was lit when the ladies upstairs
were available, but restoration of the sign in 2012 revealed that
the cherry could not be lit separately. Larry Wofford operates
the landmark today. The beautiful Chain of Rocks Bridge opened
in 1929 and carried Route 66 traffic from 1936 to 1955 and Bypass
66 from 1955 to 1965. The bridge was famous for its sharp bend
in the middle. The Corps of Engineers ordered the bend to prevent
hindrance to river navigation.
For further information or to contact Cheryl, use the following
links:
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.route66chick.blogspot.com
www.66postcards.com
www.facebook.com/Route66inIllinois
"Along Route 66" monthly column in www.thebuzzmonthly.com
This presentation was very well received and provoked many questions
and comments.