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Shamrock,
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[HOME] [WESTERN AMERICANA GALLERY] [ROUTE 66 HOME] [ROUTE 66 WEST] [ROUTE 66 EAST]
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Shamrock,
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Shamrock got its name from the first postmaster of the town; an Irish immigrant named George Nickle, in 1893. I guess he saw the wide open spaces, the vast and seemly endless sky and wanted to confer upon the new town his best wishes for good luck and courage, which the shamrock symbolizes. The town of Shamrock takes its Irish heritage seriously too. The biggest celebration of the year is Saint Patrick's Day where everyone is Irish for a day and all the men are required to wear a beard. | |
1950s Post Card of Route 66 in
Shamrock, Texas. Notice the predominant feature:
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| Shamrock was a thriving oil town in the 1930s; an economic boom brought about by the oil-rich Panhandle field. Rittenhouse mentions these oil businesses in his guidebook along with the tourist accommodations. In 1946 Shamrock had a population of 3,123 and many roadside businesses. | ||
| Shamrock's Tower Station & U-Drop Inn | ||
| Perhaps one of the most famous businesses, a holdout of old Route 66 in Shamrock, is the Tower Service Station and U-Drop Inn. This has been a Texas Route 66 landmark since 1936. The builder and owner, J.M. Tindall used a design drawn up by his friend with a nail in the dirt to create an eye-catching Art Deco tower intended to lure the Route 66 traveler in for a great home cooked meal. From the very start the Tower Station and Restaurant received rave reviews. A local newspaper described it as "the swankiest of the swank eating places and the most up-to-date edifice of its kind on U.S. Highway 66 between Oklahoma City and Amarillo." |
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| After the demise of Route 66 when the Interstate came through in the 1970s, the old Art Deco masterpiece fell on hard times. Thanks to the dedication of local citizens this wonderful icon of Route 66 is being restored to its former grandeur and will live again, reminding future generations of the hey-day of Route 66. Shamrock is proud of its Route 66 heritage for sure. | ||
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Shamrock's Faded Route 66 Glory |
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All along the stretch of Route 66 in Shamrock are memories from a time when the nation passed through. |
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Photographs Taken April 2003
Click on an area or city of Route 66 on the map below to take a cyber tour of that section of the Mother Road |
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NAVIGATION NOTE: Buckle up and hold on to your mouse! These pages are arranged like the map above, from the western state border to the eastern state border. I have set up this site as if you were traveling from EAST to WEST, much like the Joad family in The Grapes of Wrath. You can click on the Route 66 shields to "travel" the Mother Road in either direction though. Or you can select any shield below to take you to that specific state. |
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To McLean, Texas |
To Oklahoma
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