Adrian (population 128), Texas, is the midpoint of Historic Route 66 - 1,139 miles from start of the road in Chicago, Illinois, and 1,139 miles to the end of the road in Los Angeles, California. The midpoint line painted across Historic Route 66 is directly in front of the Midpoint Café and Gift Shop that is still in business.
There are a few businesses still open in Adrian, but many of the buildings have been abandoned.
Russell's Truck and Travel Center is located just a short distance from the state line after crossing into New Mexico and is now part of TravelCenters of America (TA). This is a well known stop for truckers because they have 175 truck parking spaces, 10 diesel fueling positions, private showers, laundry facilities, store, diner, gift shop, and a free classic car museum that contains a lot of Route 66 memorabilia. I have passed Russell's several times in the past, but did not ever stop for a visit. I did not realize what I was missing.
As I entered the museum I was greeted by Yoda, where he had been working on a pale blue and white 1959 Corvette with a 283 CID V8 and 4-speed transmission.
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Marilyn Monroe was guarding a 1958 Impala convertible that had a big-block 348 CID V-8 engine with three duces (Tri-Power) and a two-speed Powerglide transmission. The car was decked out with lake pipes, dual antennas, fender skirts, lowering blocks, wide whitewall tires, chrome exhaust extensions, continental kit, and a set of dice hanging from the rearview mirror. This was the dream car for people in my older brother's generation; but the car could never burn rubber, it was all show and no go. The two-speed Powerglide transmission was probably the worst transmission made during that time period. It had so much slippage that the car could probably not even dig out on a gravel road. I would have been embarrassed to be seen driving around in something like this.
By the time I started high school in 1957, it was all about lightweight stripped down cars with modified V8 engines that produced a lot of horsepower. The standard 348 CID engine that was installed in the 1958 Impala was considered to be a dog because it was really a truck engine that Chevrolet sold so that they could say that they offered big-block engines in passenger cars. The engine was so heavy they had to install stronger springs to the front suspension of the '58 Impala. However, some racers did use the 348 engine because with enough money, high performance parts were available in the after market that could greatly improve the engine's performance. (For young readers, ask your grandfather to interpret the above information.)
Chevrolet entered the sports car market in mid-year 1954 when they introduced the Corvette and by 1957 they were really on a roll. Ford tried to compete with Corvette by introducing the Thunderbird in 1955, but then Robert McNamara ruined the Thunderbird in 1958 when he decided to make it into a four passenger family vehicle. For years, Corvette was the only sports car manufactured in the United States.
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Pontiacs were the choice of many older people because they were manufactured with a Straight-8 engine that was known for its smooth performance, reliability, and the ability to run for 100,000 miles without a major overhaul. In 1954, Pontiac introduced the Star Chief, which was a trim package added to the Chieftain and was slightly more expensive than the Impala by Chevrolet.
Meanwhile, Oldsmobile made the more expensive Rocket 88 for older people that had more money to spend on a fast car equipped with more luxury items. The original Oldsmobile Rocket 88 engine was manufactured in 1949 and helped General Motors win NASCAR's Manufacturer's Championship in 1950, but it was in 1952 that Oldsmobile introduced the first "muscle car" with a new big-bore 324 CID Rocket Engine and dropped the engine into a lighter series of cars. The new Oldsmobile could go from 0-60 mph in under 13 seconds and had a top speed of 97 MPH. It was considered to be a really fast car. (Current production Tesla cars can go from 0-60 mph in 2.3 seconds.)
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Ford outdid all of the other car manufacturers when they introduced the Mustang on April 17, 1964. The car was named after the WW II P51 Mustang fighter plane and became an instant hit with younger buyers. Ford had projected an introduction sales volume of 10,000 units, but dealers took orders for over 22,000 units.
I was never a Ford person growing up, but when I drove a 1965 Mustang I lost my allegiance to General Motors and purchased a tan two-door coupe with a 289 CID V-8 engine, counsel shift lever, deluxe Pony interior with bucket front seats and embossed ponies running across the back seats, deluxe wood steering wheel, and knock off spinner wheel covers. An AM radio and interior heater came as standard equipment. At that time, little did I know that after graduating from college with a mechanical engineering degree four later later, I would go to work for Chevrolet Division at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan. Thus, I sold the Mustang and purchased a Chevelle.
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Fairlane was Ford's most popular sedan from 1955 to 1970 and the Crown Victoria was an upgrade trim package. From 1957-1959 Ford also made a Fairlane 500 Skyline with a retractable hard top. It never became overly popular because it took up too much trunk room.
Ford produced the popular V8 flathead engine from 1932 through 1953. This was the engine of choice for young people building hot rods, until Chevrolet introduced the 265 CID V8 in 1955. The Ford flat head was cheap, light weight, and readily available in every junk yard. When stealing cars, Bonnie and Clyde always picked a Ford with a V8 flathead engine because they were fast and could typically outrun the police chasing them. Clyde even wrote a letter to Henry Ford extolling the virtues of the Ford V8s as the best getaway cars. A copy of the letter, along with other Bonnie and Clyde exhibits that include the blood-stained shirt Clyde was wearing the day he was killed, are located in Buffalo Bill's Resort & Casino in Primm, Nevada (45 minutes from Las Vegas).
The museum also contains other automotive related equipment, and a substantial amount of 1950s and 1960s memorabilia featuring singers and actors from that time period.
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San Jon (population 195), New Mexico, was once an important stop on Route 66 and had several gas stations, cafes, motels, souvenir shops, and other tourist-related businesses. However, when Interstate 40 bypassed the town, most businesses closed. Today, San Jon is known as home of the World's largest Flip Flop that is 40-feet long and 15-feet wide, which is the equivalent men's shoe size 166 1/2.
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Tucumcari (population 5,278), New Mexico, was founded in 1901 as Ragtown, but because of the many gunfights it soon became known as "Six Shooter Siding." As more settlers moved into the area, the town's name was changed to Tucumcari, which is the name of the nearby Tucumcari Mountain range. There is some question of how the mountain range received its name, but it is believed it came from the Comanche work "tukamukuru," which means "ambush." There is a 1777 record that tells about a member of the Comanche tribe that was ambushed in the area by a rival Indian tribe.
In its heyday, Tucumcari was a popular overnight stop because it is the largest city between Amarillo, Texas, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. At one time the city boasted that it had 2,000 motel rooms. It was reported that the Tepee Curio shop along Historic Route 66 still has some of the best Route 66 souvenirs, but when we stopped we did not find anything we really needed. I'm not sure what the skeleton standing in the back of a truck represents. Maybe it is an alien skeleton - after all, this is New Mexico.
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In 1997, the New Mexico Arts Commission, City of Tucumcari, and New Mexico Highway Department, commissioned artist Tom Coffin to create a sculpture representing the Mother Road across New Mexico. I am not an artist, but the resulting "Route 66 Monument" appears to be a sand dune with tires along a bumpy road. At the top of the sculpture there is a large chrome fin that looks somewhat like a Cadillac tail fin pointing westward with three taillights, and on top of the fin is a chrome "Route 66."
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