Route 66 in Arizona

Images of America: Arizona

by Joe Sonderman

Route 66 in Arizona is a ribbon tying together spectacular natural attractions such as the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, the Painted Desert, and the Meteor Crater. There were plenty of man-made diversions along the way, too. Roadside businesses used Native American and Western imagery to lure travelers to fill up their gas tank, grab a meal, or spend the night. Roadside signs featured shapely cowgirls and big black jackrabbits, or warned of killer snakes and prehistoric monsters. Between wails of "Are we there yet?" children pleaded to stay at motels shaped like wigwams, explore the Apache Death Cave, or pick up a rubber tomahawk at a trading post.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2010

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great pics for those of us who remember Route 66. Brings back a lot of memories.

[Nranger7 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly I am unimpressed with what could have been a great opportunity to for a book on Route 66 in Arizona. What they should have done is title it Mostly Motels of Route 66 in Arizona. While it was really cool to see photos of all the old motor courts in their prime (especially those that have since been demolished), that was pretty much all this book was.

The descriptions were basically just listings of who owned the motels. There was some personalization to the stories, but what little there was did not give enough details. I get that there was limited space, but usually in these books there is a introductory page of text at each chapter. None here. The stories could have been fleshed out more on that page. It would have been great to have said more about the Delgadillos in Seligman starting the Historic Route 66 Association.

It mentions the Take It Easy park in Winslow, but has no photo of that. It mentions the Twin Arrows from the Twin Arrows Trading Post but again has no photo of the arrows. Also irritating is how the author made it known he disliked the stereotypical snoozing Mexican figure in front of the Siesta Motel, but had no problem at all with Native American stereotypes or degrading images of women. A historically based book should stick to the facts rather than opinions. A map would have been nice.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to peruse the photos and descriptions of mainly long-gone places along Route 66 in Arizona. Keep in mind it was written in 2010, so some of the "still in operation" businesses (mainly motels and restaurants) may no longer be in business.

[Scott Whitney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is long on hotels and cafes and short on much else. There are a few references to things to see on the great road. Judging by the way the book was written, the history of Route 66 was based on sleeping.

[Annette · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was more just photos of old motels.