Jackson Hole

Located in the shadows of the Teton Range, this beautiful town in Wyoming offers much to the traveler. The usual lineup of good-looking gas stations and cafes are seen. This 1950s view of  downtown is highlighted by the famous Cowboy Bar. Although the bar has undergone a few changes since this picture was taken, one thing that remains is the splendid sign. Imagine the sign lit up with sparkling bulbs and neon. What a sight! Check this site out for more historic photos, including a night shot.

A few miles to Williams

The tha-thump - tha-thump of the concrete seams on your tires would be clear on this section of Route 66. This 1950s photo shows the highway heading west toward the town of Williams, Ariz. Williams is a good stop along the Mother Road, offering lots to see and do, including the nearby Grand Canyon. Oh, that mountain in the distance is called Bill Williams Mountain, named for a old-time frontiersman.

Looking for a motel in 1933

One of the earliest motel referral services was United Motor Courts. This association was based in Santa Barbara, Calif. and was made up of “a friendly group of independent owners of motor lodges…” During the 1930s and 1940s, United Motor Courts produced some dazzling motel guides, most with pictures of each court. This 1933 guide has a simple cover illustrated with a speedy car. The U.M.C. shield logo sign could be found hanging out in front of the best motor courts.

The back of the guide uses persuasive language to encourage travelers to stop in. Interestingly, the guide notes the variety of accomodations that could be found. No cookie-cutter architecture here.

The interior of the guide has a splendid layout showing an array of motor courts. The A-1 Motor Court in Redding, Calif. has a stand out front that even sells milkshakes. Which one would you choose?

Coast to coast host

Most everyone can remember the magnificent signs that signaled a Holiday Inn. These signs are extinct now. But postcards, brochures and matchbooks carried the symbol for decades. This postcard, from the early 1960s, is from the Holiday Inn in Clinton, Okla. The motel was located along U.S. 66 and offered all the amenities found in the rest of the chain, including free TV.

Take 66 to the World’s Fair

In 1939, the Highway Travel Service produced this neat map to guide motorists to the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. The map focuses mainly on U.S. 66 - The Will Rogers Highway - and all the great stops along the way.

Using maps and lists, a Fair-bound traveler could plot out places to eat, stay and visit. Caverns and other cave attractions were big advertisers in this edition of the map. I like to folksy-style of writing used to describe sights along the way.

In addition, the map has a great line drawing on the Chain of Rocks Bridge, which crosses the Mississippi River near St. Louis. Today, the bridge is just for pedestrians.

A new dawn for the Sky-Vu Motel

The Sky-Vu Motel is still in business along the edge of U.S 40 in eastern Kansas City, Mo. This ranch-style motel was built in the late 1940s and was crowned by a gorgeous sign made of porcelain, neon and chasing light bulbs. Metal awnings and classic seashell metal chairs decorated this 24-room lodge. Sadly, the sign was removed a few years ago and replaced by a generic plastic one. Luckily, the freshly-removed old sign was spotted by Jim Seelen, a Kansas City-area photographer and vintage motel sign admirer. He snagged the sign, protected it and today it is part of the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio. Shown below is an original postcard from the motel. It was sent to California in July of 1951. The larger photo is by Jim Seelen and was taken in the late 1990s. Thanks for saving the sign, Jim.

Stopping at Stuckey’s

Who can forget the pleasure of pulling off the highway to visit Stuckey’s. Headquartered in Eastman, Ga., these familiar stores were found throughout the highways of the Southeast U.S. This 1960s brochure has a stunning illustration of the now-famous Stuckey’s Pecan Log Roll. Think of the miles you could make with one of those resting in your gut. Each store offered the traveler a wide selection of fine candies, rare jellies and marmalades. Of course, fresh pecans were available. Judging from the charming spot illustrations shown on the brochure, motorists would receive great service and snacks. All the more reason to stop the car.

Main Street in Yuma

A crisp, clean view of downtown Yuma, Ariz., just off U.S. 95. What a fantastic streetscape of cool signs and cool cars. These kind of photographs really show what has been lost as our commercial and retail habits have shifted to big box and power center shopping. Just one block, of this rather small Arizona town, offered banks, theaters, drug stores, cafes, car parts, night clubs and a bowling alley. Today, much of this area is a historic district.

Louisiana to Minnesota

Travel U.S. 71 from New Orleans to the Canadian border. This highway stretches for 1,723 miles. The All-American System provided these handy travel guides to motorists. Each guide had a map, accomodations and services, and highlighted key radio stations along the way. Want to catch the latest news and weather conditions in Carthage, Mo.? Well, tune your radio to AM 1490 KDMO. This guide, probably from the late 1950s, is illustrated with a rather generic illustration that was also used on the other highway guides produced by All-American. I do like the crude representation of a drive-in movie in the distance.

Matchless 66

Matchbooks were an easy and cheap way to advertise a business. For very little expense, a motel or cafe could  buy thousands of these little billboards, which doubled as useful souvenirs for smokers and everyone else.  Here are a couple from the Mother Road. McLean, Texas is still a great stop on U.S. 66. This matchcover from the early 1940s uses a generic illustration of a hamburger to promote a tourist camp. The Clock Inn Motel in Oklahoma City had a fantastic sign that this matchcover doesn’t show off. Today, the original sign from the Clock Inn can be found here.