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Rt 66 Bridges


black85vette
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I have started putting photos of the bridges on RT 66 that I have photographed. Many of them are not all that spectacular but they are still interesting. I started in Oklahoma and have put most of the bridges between here and Chicago in a web page. I will keep adding them to the west where most of my real favorites are.

 

I may go back and add another page showing where the remains of even older bridges were at one time. I have quite a few shots of "missing" bridges.

 

Anyway have a look at what I have so far:

 

http://route66images.publishpath.com

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Definitely interesting! You have some great shots there, and I like the way you've displayed them in that link/webpage.

 

 

 

Cort | 38.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker | 5 Monte Carlos + 1 Caprice Classic

CHD.MCs.CC + RoadTrips.models.RadioShows.legos.HO.us66 = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"We go through life so sure of where we're headed" __ Brad Paisley __ 'Find Yourself'

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Definitely interesting! You have some great shots there, and I like the way you've displayed them in that link/webpage.

 

Tnx. I got most of them posted and then added GPS coordinates as well as a link that will open Google Maps and take you directly to the location on the map. So finding these bridges should be easy

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I have started putting photos of the bridges on RT 66 that I have photographed. Many of them are not all that spectacular but they are still interesting. I started in Oklahoma and have put most of the bridges between here and Chicago in a web page. I will keep adding them to the west where most of my real favorites are.

 

I may go back and add another page showing where the remains of even older bridges were at one time. I have quite a few shots of "missing" bridges.

 

Anyway have a look at what I have so far:

 

http://route66images.publishpath.com

 

First, the bridge shots are great! If I found ones like the wooden ones in eastern NM on any route, I'd be really pleased. Thanks!!

 

My road "intuition" tells me that at least the wooden bridges predate Route 66....that is they were on the route before it became route 66. (That is great by my book, because my personal road interests predate the numbered routes.) I'll take a look at the coordinates.

 

Second, In all events, thanks for sharing. I can see in my mind's eye an old rig crossing any one of those bridges!

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

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Really enjoyed the bridge photos! I left you a comment on the page regarding the Painted Desert bridge site. Excellent work!

 

I corrected the name of the park. Thanks.

 

I have a question about 66 going through Adamana. I don't see it on any 66 map all the way back to 26 when it may have been labeled 60. I see Adamana and the tracks south of 60/66. I do have a 1913 map with the only road going along the tracks and right through Adamana. The note on that map said "extremely rough and no bridges". I will have to dig through some of the USGS topo maps from that time and see if they have any details. Most of the road maps of the time don't have enough detail to them.

 

Just a quick check of the "Historic 66 Forum" and Stefan Joppich's site - www.stjo66.de, both show the 26 alignment to the north. I am always looking for new information. I know of at least one alignment in Illinois that was designated T-66 for "temporary" while they paved 66. It went through the town of Lemont which was never shown as a town on 66.

 

Do you have any maps for the route in 26-27

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I corrected the name of the park. Thanks.

 

I have a question about 66 going through Adamana. I don't see it on any 66 map all the way back to 26 when it may have been labeled 60. I see Adamana and the tracks south of 60/66. I do have a 1913 map with the only road going along the tracks and right through Adamana. The note on that map said "extremely rough and no bridges". I will have to dig through some of the USGS topo maps from that time and see if they have any details. Most of the road maps of the time don't have enough detail to them.

 

 

Do you have any maps for the route in 26-27

 

From what you say, and from what I have gleaned from the University of Arizona's road map archives, I believe you are correct in that the alignment was probably moved pre-66, back in the Old Trails Road era of the teens and early 20s.

From what I recall, the U of A's map collection has the same two maps that you have, the 1913 map and the 1926 map which was the first to show US route numbers, and on which 66 is called 60. Unfortunately, i don't recall them having any from between those two dates.

 

The oldest Arizona road map that I personally have is from 1953, so no help there. The U of A does have a nice collection, though.

Edited by mga707
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The upside of these bridges is that the area's around them probably haven't changed all that much in 70 or 80 years. Bridges, if you look at them in a positive manner, are fascinating.

 

Thanks for sharing

 

Hudsonly,

Alex Burr

Memphis, TN

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Wonderful pictures. I was totally unaware of several of those bridges. The wood decked one near Thoreau is especially cool. Apparently my delay in getting to this thread was beneficial. Either you've added some western bridges since the first post or you drive through Albuquerque on the way from Oklahoma to Chicago.

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Wonderful pictures. I was totally unaware of several of those bridges. The wood decked one near Thoreau is especially cool. Apparently my delay in getting to this thread was beneficial. Either you've added some western bridges since the first post or you drive through Albuquerque on the way from Oklahoma to Chicago.

 

Yes most photos are added now. There are a couple that I determined that I did not have or could not find the photos. Like the 1926 in Chelsea, OK.

 

You discovered the secret to our explorations; we often make detours. This past June we went from Oklahoma to the Rt 66 Festival in Amarillo by way of Ash Fork, AZ. :-) I got more focused on getting everything entered and did not put them in order. Probably ought to go back and do some clean up.

 

Some of the bridges I found by using DeLorme Topo software on the laptop. As we drive near abandoned sections I look for creeks, rivers and canyons on the topo map and then look to see if a bridge was there visually. I located quite a few concrete culverts and bridge abutments like that. When we find something we shoot a picture of it and then place a push pin in Delorme so we know where it was. Later I go back and link the photo to the pushpin. So I can go back to any location and with a click pull up the picture of it. Have not done it yet, but my next camera will have geo-tagging and a built in GPS.

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From what you say, and from what I have gleaned from the University of Arizona's road map archives, I believe you are correct in that the alignment was probably moved pre-66, back in the Old Trails Road era of the teens and early 20s.

From what I recall, the U of A's map collection has the same two maps that you have, the 1913 map and the 1926 map which was the first to show US route numbers, and on which 66 is called 60. Unfortunately, i don't recall them having any from between those two dates.

 

The oldest Arizona road map that I personally have is from 1953, so no help there. The U of A does have a nice collection, though.

 

This has me interested and digging. May have to wait for the USGS. Their topo maps of Arizona should be done by next spring. In the meantime I found this map: RT 66 Adamana Since it is identified as a 1928 map, it is likely an error. Not uncommon to have some minor errors. I know of several in the Chicago area plus 66 was a moving target in those days and hard to pin down. But I thought the map on the link was interesting anyway.

 

Anyone else have an early map showing when the road was moved north and bypassing Adamana?

 

Another tidbit; One of the early text descriptions of 66 has it routed through St Michaels AZ. Never made much sense to me but I just looked at this 1913 guide on line and it shows the road going from Gallup to St Michaels and then to Holbrook. St Michaels AZ

Edited by black85vette
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...my next camera will have geo-tagging and a built in GPS.

I don't want to get between you and a camera purchase but here's a possible alternative. The free Microsoft Pro Photo Tools supports adding geotags from a GPS track. If you already have a GPS receiver going, there's a good chance it's recording a track file. If so, then all you need do is make sure the camera clock is in sync with the GPS and do a little work at the end of the day. That work consists of loading the track and the photos into Pro Photo Tools, directing Pro Photo Tools to add the location exif information, and saving the modified photos. You can also manually position photos on a map or enter coordinate information by hand. The price is right and the result is geotagged photos.

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I don't want to get between you and a camera purchase but here's a possible alternative. The free Microsoft Pro Photo Tools supports adding geotags from a GPS track. If you already have a GPS receiver going, there's a good chance it's recording a track file. If so, then all you need do is make sure the camera clock is in sync with the GPS and do a little work at the end of the day. That work consists of loading the track and the photos into Pro Photo Tools, directing Pro Photo Tools to add the location exif information, and saving the modified photos. You can also manually position photos on a map or enter coordinate information by hand. The price is right and the result is geotagged photos.

 

Cool tnx for the tip. May open up more options on which camera I select. Currently shooting a Canon S5is. OK for what I do most of the time, but no lens options.

 

I may have found something useful in another collection. A Rand McNally 1925 travel map: RM 1925 Arizona / NM

 

It shows that by 1925 the northern road was at least in place bypassing Adamana. Not labeled or named on the map but there anyway. Another little piece in place. Look at the bottom of the map. Since it predates the numbered road system, it has symbols for the Trail and Highway Markings. I also see that in Winslow in big red letters says "Harvey Hotel" which I would assume is the La Posada. Really nice map.

Edited by black85vette
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It shows that by 1925 the northern road was at least in place bypassing Adamana. Not labeled or named on the map but there anyway. Another little piece in place. Look at the bottom of the map. Since it predates the numbered road system, it has symbols for the Trail and Highway Markings. I also see that in Winslow in big red letters says "Harvey Hotel" which I would assume is the La Posada. Really nice map.

 

That IS indeed a cool map! And correct you are on the La Posada. Where I've slept!

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We love the La Posada and arrange our schedule to spend the night when possible. It's our favorite on Rt 66.

 

If you're ever in Winslow and looking for another historic site to see, check out the Winslow airport terminal building off of AZ87 south of town. It dates from 1928 and was designed by Charles Lindbergh when he was consulting for Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT), the main predecessor company to TWA. It has really not been altered much if at all, and the adjacent hangar is from the same period. Lindbergh laid out all of the stops on TAT's Ford Tri-Motor transcontinental route, which was originally in conjunction with two railroads. Fly by day, rails by night, coast to coast in three days! There was a similar Lindbergh-designed terminal in Kingman, another original stop on the route, but that one was demolished about 20-25 years ago, sadly. The Kingman stop only lasted a few years, being replaced with Boulder City (NV) once that town came to life circa-1930 for the construction of Boulder (Hoover) Dam.

TWA continued to serve Winslow (INS) well into the 1950s with DC-3s, and the original Frontier continued the service right up until deregulation in 1979. Since that time INS has struggled to maintain any scheduled air service as it is not an Essential Air Service (EAS) city. Of course, having a much bigger town (Flagstaff) right down the road is the main problem.

Most people don't realize that Winslow used to be the 'hub' of northern Arizona, and was larger than Flagstaff right up through the 1940 census. Since that date, Flag's population has mushroomed from about 5000 to well over 50,000 (plus the NAU student population), while Winslow still has about the same 6000-7000 people that it had 70 years ago. OK, end of Arizona aviation history lesson! B)

Edited by mga707
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Ran down another little rabbit trail. Read a blog by author Jim Hinckley about 66 and Adamana that got me looking for even earlier maps. I suspected that since there was a stage coach stop just west of the painted desert that a search for stage coach routes might be interesting.

 

Found this map: stage routes in AZ

 

Not dated but it predates railroads showing their surveyed routes and it has what appears to be a stage route where RT 66 would travel through the Painted Desert. So we know some sort of trail/path has existed there for a long time.

 

This is an 1889 Rand McNally: 1889 Rand McNally

 

It shows the railroads in place and the same section going through the Painted Desert. Interesting that this is not shown on every map of that time.

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Ran down another little rabbit trail. Read a blog by author Jim Hinckley about 66 and Adamana that got me looking for even earlier maps. I suspected that since there was a stage coach stop just west of the painted desert that a search for stage coach routes might be interesting.

 

Found this map: stage routes in AZ

 

Not dated but it predates railroads showing their surveyed routes and it has what appears to be a stage route where RT 66 would travel through the Painted Desert. So we know some sort of trail/path has existed there for a long time.

 

 

Interesting maps to be sure. The caption under the first map says that it was created in 1876. This seems to be about right as the "surveyed route of the Southern Pacific Railroad" is shown and the SPRR reached Tucson in 1881 or 82, IIRC.

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