The Pond Hotel

In June of 1897, the hotel was being run by Mrs E Hillenbrand. 

In 1910, the Automobile Club of St Louis chose the Pond Hotel as their lunch stop during their third annual owner's reliability tour. Pre-event media coverage note that "it is reported that the fare at this inn is of the best" and would be available for a "nominal charge" during the one hour layover there. Plans were made to oil Manchester Road through town so the cars of spectators would not get dusty. 

Miss Emma Essen passed away June 7, 1940. She had been the proprietress of the hotel for more than five decades retiring shortly before her death. She died of a heart attack at her home in Pond. Her services were held at the nearby Methodist Church and was buried in Bethel Cemetery. She was 75 years old and was survived by brother Fred and Hugo, and sister Lottie Kern.

The contents of the hotel went up for public sale in April of 1951. Among the fine antiques offered were buggies, a marble-topped chest, bureaus and walnut furniture. In June, an auction was held to liquidate the remaining contents. A few weeks later, a two room apartment, apparently unfurnished, was made available for rent. The hotel along with five acres of land was again for sale in March 1952. A large auction was held there on September 10, 1960, the items being offered for sale by Mrs Warren Dixon, owner. The property did not appear to be up for bidding, but that may have been the end of the road for the Pond Hotel. 

In 1996, a local developer proposed using the old structure as a 200 seat restaurant and microbrewery. The $1.7 million project was passed by the Wildwood City council despite strong opposition of the site's immediate neighbors. Plans were still moving forward in late 1997, but apparently fizzled out. The project was the last ray of hope for the historic structure. 

Some time between my visit on October 26, 2012, and today, March 13, 2021, the structure was destroyed. At this moment Google Maps still shows the building in their ground level imagery, but the satellite view show the land cleared of the structure. The hotel was on the south side of Manchester Road and just west of Christy Avenue. satellite view  street view

Heading Home

Hatch, New Mexico. Peppers are dried on the roof then strung in hanging bunches and wreaths.

"TRINITY SITE

The nuclear age began with the detination of world's first atomic bomb at the Trinity Site on July 16, 1945. The site may have been names Trinity by J Robert Oppenheimer, director of the Los Alamos Nuclear Physics Laboratory, who said at the blast, 'Now, I am became Death, the destroyer of worlds,' quoting from the Bhagavad Gita. The detonation of the bomb marked the culmination of the Manhatten Project."

Rolling into Carrizozo, New Mexico.

Ruins somewhere along the trail.

 

Lincoln, New Mexico, primary site of the Lincon County War.

Grave of Billy the Kid, Fort Sumner, New Mexico.

Presbyterian church in Taiban, New Mexico, built in 1908.

Sante Fe railroad depot, Melrose, New Mexico.

The Cruce Building, Texico, New Mexico.

Day Four

This little cactus represents everything in the desert. Survival is a struggle for every animal and plant. This little guy has made his home on the deck of a bridge.

Cool tombstone, Kingston, New Mexico.

View from Emery Pass on the Black Range Highway, New Mexico, 8,000 feet.

Black Range Highway, New Mexico.

Vacation Day Three

I rolled out of Elk City, Oklahoma, this morning. First stop was the old Britten Truck Stop in Groom, Texas. Despite it's seemingly precarious angle, this water tower was placed like that intentionally to attract attention. As you can see, it worked.

The legendary Cadillac Ranch just west of Amarillo, Texas. Graffitti artests are welcome, just bring your own paint. Every few years the cars are whitewashed to allow for fresh 'art'. Despite no connection whatsoever to Route 66, it is still a must-see attraction

This crispy critter was in the parking lot on of Russell's Truck and travel Center in Springer, New Mexico. 

 Abandoned church in Newkirk, New Mexico.

Old building, Newkirk, New Mexico.

Deserted school house, Cuervo, New Mexico.  Keep an eye out for a follow-up post abouth this little town.

Sign at a car museum on Route 66 in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. Unfortunately, it was closed.

Santa Rosa, New Mexico. No, I don't know what it is. Any guesses?

The La Mesa Motel, Santa Rosa, New Mexico.

Not a lot of text tonight. Ready for a good night's sleep in Albuquerque. Tomorrow? Silver City, New Mexico and Safford, Arizona!!

Picher, Oklahoma: Death of a Modern Day Mining Town

As with all journeys, there is the occasional detour that alters the route. This is such a detour.

When I initially drove through Picher, I thought the local employer was a massive gravel pit. Towering piles of gravel were clearly visible on both sides of the highway. The town itself had an incredibly eerie feel. Empty houses missing doors, windows, signs of life. Not really run down or unsound, but average middle class brick  'starter'-size. Just south of these houses was an area of overgrowth. No buildings there, but streets leading to nowhere in particular, just to more empty streets. The trees in the area even look strange. A bit farther south was where I started getting a bigger picture. There was heavy equipment and concrete forms consistent with mining operations. At this point, I consulted Google, then Wikipedia and other sites, for more information. In a nutshell, the area was heavily mined for lead and zinc. Soil and water contamination was wide spread. The gravel piles are actually contaminated mine tailings. To further complicate the situation, much of town was undermined. This literally means that mining had removed enough subterranian structure that the town was at risk of caving in. The EPA came in and provided funding to the residents for their relocation. Evacuation was mandatory and the area was declared uninhabitable. The massive contamination also claimed the nearby towns of Cardin and Treece. The explanation for the areas with no houses whatsoever would have been the 2008 mile-wide F-4 twister that took out 20 city blocks. This town that boasted 14,000+ inhabitants had plumeted to 20 by 2010. Today, I am not sure there was a single person left. Anyone want to buy a Superfund site??

Vacation Day Two

Another fantastic day on the road! I got to bed late last night so I didn't get the early start that I had hoped for, but since I am not punching a clock, it's no big deal. 

I rolled into Springfield itself and caught Route 66 right away. The first stop was the Gillioz Theater. This beautiful building celebrated it's 86th birthday (built in 1926) earlier this month. Don't let the narrow facade fool you. His little beauty seats 1130 (690 on the lower level, 440 in the balcony). 

It's hard to see in the head-on shot, but this stained glass is in the center of the arched window behind the marquee.

1928
[Cinema Treasures]

It is unknown what this building was during its useful life. Some type of business, perhaps a hotel. But these days it grows trees and houses critters.

Later research on TheRoute-66.com revealed that this building was a store on the lower level with living quarters and a social area upstairs. The structure was among the last surviving remnants of the town of Plano, Missouri.

I visited Baxter Springs Cemetery just across the line into Kansas. HERE is more information about the history of this national cemetery.

Miami, Oklahoma is the home of the Goodman Theater built in 1929 by George Coleman and is on the National Register.

A 1929 postcard 
[Route 66 Mother Road Postcards]

The Mother Road.

This segment of road is original 1922 construction near Afton, Oklahoma. The single lane is nine feet wide and has a concrete base and curbs. The road is still in regular use by locals, but is quite rough. 

Another night, another hotel. This time in Elk City, Oklahoma. Looking forward to what adventures tomorrow bring!!