RonnieAdventure #0725 - Route 66 - Joplin to Noel, Missouri

When I entered Joplin (Population 51,762), Missouri, I noticed a Volkswagen that had struck a fire hydrant in front of a car insurance company's office. Fortunately, the water was recycled.

One of the most famous buildings in Joplin is the Garage Apartment, which Bonnie & Clyde and three of their gang rented and stayed in for 13 days. On April 13, 1933, police officers suspected they were bootleggers and decided to see who was living in the apartment. When they approached the door, the gang opened fire, killing two of the officers. After the gun battle, the gang was in such a hurry to leave that they forgot a roll of Kodak film from Bonnie's camera. When the film was developed, it contained pictures of Bonnie & Clyde and their gang. These were the first photographs the police had of the infamous gang.

Located in King Jack Park along Route 66 in Webb City (population 13,031) is the World's Largest Praying Hands Memorial, built with over 220 tons of steel and concrete.  Artist Jack Dawson conceived the Hands in 1971, but did not begin construction until 1972, completing the project in 1974. The Hands are placed on a 40-foot-tall man-made hill and reach 32 feet into the sky, reflecting "hands in Prayer, World in Peace."

The Bronze Praying Hands sculpture at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa weighs 30 tons and is actually taller, but the World Record Academy counted the man-made hill in Webb City as part of the structure, making it the "World's Largest Praying Hands Memorial." 

Also located in King Jack Park is the "The Kneeling Miner" statue, with the engraving "This Land is Blessed," from a poem by Bonnie Linebaugh. Part of the poem on the memorial reads: "This land where miners old and young labored hard each day..." The complete poem appears on a plaque placed next to the monument. By 1900, there were over 700 mines located within the limits of Webb City. The bronze statue honors the mining heritage of southwest Missouri and the hard-rock miners who labored in the local mines. 

Also in the same park is a 1903 monument by the Southwest Missouri Electric Railway Company that commemorates the interurban railway that operated across the Tri-State mining district from 1889 to 1939.

The railway system originally started as a horse-drawn streetcar line between Webb City and Carterville before expanding into a 94-mile electric railway network serving southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas, and northeast Oklahoma. Streetcar No. 60 is located in a nearby garage.

The Freedom Silo in Monett (population 9,576) is a repurposed 55-foot-tall 1890 grain silo and Monett's most recognized landmark, featuring a massive patriotic mural of a bald eagle and the American flag. Current restoration work is underway in preparation for America's 250th birthday celebration. 

When I drove through Cassville (population 3,190), the only thing open was the Whitley Pharmacy drug store, which had an old-style soda fountain with a long wooden bar where people could sit on barstools. 

Just across the street is the Barry County Courthouse, with several historic markers on its front lawn. One marker said that in 1858, Cassville was important because it was the last town on the Butterfield Overland Mail Route in Missouri before the stagecoaches continued south into Arkansas. The stagecoaches could travel about 100 miles in a day, with stops to change horses and take on supplies every 10-20 miles. 

When I drove through Noel (population 2,124), I could not help but notice a neon "Cars" sign on a used car lot. This really reminded me of the Cars movie that had such a great influence on this Route 66 trip, so I had to stop and take a picture of the sign.

RonnieAdventure #0724 - Route 66 - Galena, Kansas

Cars on the Route in Galena (population 2,761), Kansas, is a restored Kan-O-Tex service station where Pixar's movie crew, traveling across Route 66 looking for ideas for their Cars movie, discovered a rusty old 1951 International mining boom truck that inspired the "Tow Mater" character. The truck had been used to lower equipment into the zinc mines in the 1950s and 1960s, but after the mines closed in 1970, the truck just became a roadside fixture. 

Tow Mater is often called just "Mater" because in the movie, Mater introduces himself to Lightning McQueen as "Name's Mater...like tuh-mater, but without the tuh."  Supposedly, there is a real person in NASCAR with the nickname "Mater," who originally made the above statement about it. It has been reported that he also did some character voice work in the Cars movies. In the movies, Mater is voiced by Larry the Cable Guy. 

While the Pixar staff was making their movie research trip along Old Route 66, they met Dean Walker, nicknamed "Crazy Legs," who could twist his feet 180 degrees backward and walk in reverse. Walker was the president of the Kansas Historic Route 66 Association and was known for promoting Route 66 and his storytelling. The Pixar crew liked his personality and mannerisms, and elements of him influenced Mater's character. This is where they came up with the idea that Mater could drive backward, and he taught Lightning McQueen to drive in reverse using rearview mirrors.             

Walker also told the Pixar Crew a story about a "Spooklight" that appeared in the fields some nights. The Pixar crew liked Walker's storytelling, and the light appeared as a "Ghostlight" in the movie. 

To help the artist while working on the film, the studio built a full-size working model makeup truck of "Tow Mater" using an old Chevrolet pickup. After the Cars movie was released, the Pixar working model was donated to Galena and parked next to the original boom truck that inspired Mater. The only stipulation was that the make-up truck and the International boom truck could not be called "Tow Mater" because of trademark laws. A contest was held to select a name for the makeup truck, and the winning name was "Tow Tater." The International boom truck has never had a name. Tow Tater now sits between the original 1951 International boom truck that inspired Mater and a fire truck that represents "Red" in the movie. 

Gearhead Curios is located in a restored 1939 Texaco filling station on Main Street and is famous for its automotive-related items. 

On the side of the building is a large Muffler Man dressed in a Texaco uniform that Texaco employees along Route 66 wore when cars drove up, and they ran out to fill the car with gas, wash the windows, check the oil, and set the tire pressure. 

On the wall behind the Muffler Man is a "Tag Flag" made from 169 Kansas license plates, which is a popular tourist photo op.

Just around the corner, in front of the building, is a Bob's Big Boy and Betty Boop, both dressed in Texaco Green, rather than their traditional red colors. Joining them is "Topper," a friendly green mouse used as DX Oil Company's mascot in the 1950s and 1960s.

On the far side of the building is a vehicle that looks like Doc Hudson, the Radiator Springs doctor who was once known as the "Hudson Hornet" and won three Piston Cup championships. He was considered one of the greatest racers of his time until a serious crash ended his racing career. 

The station owner invited me inside and showed me the many souvenirs on display. He liked to talk about Route 66, and we had a good visit reminiscing about old times. 

Everyone who stops by the station has to use the famous "over-the-top restroom," considered a Route 66 attraction in its own right. Everything in the restroom is functional and made with recycled automotive-related parts. For a historic gas station, the restroom is larger than was typical for its day, and apparently, one couple was so enthralled with it that they held their wedding ceremony there. 

Luigis Pit Stop is the last eastbound Route 66 Attraction in Kansas, located right at the border before crossing into Missouri. A car that looks like Luigi is emerging from the building, and around it are murals and interactive photo spots featuring replicas of various characters from the Cars movie. On the side of the building, a vehicle that is painted to look like Lightning McQueen is involved in tractor tippin' while a 1949 Mercury that looks like Sheriff is on a pole watching over the area.

Located on the state line is an arch under which cars can be parked for a photo op when entering Kansas from the east.