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America's Biggest Road Trip! |
Route 66
Caravan Road Log:
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America's Biggest Road Trip! |
Route 66
Caravan Road Log:
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McLean, Texas |
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Avalon Theater |
| McLean got its start as a cattle loading site along the old Rock Island Railroad around 1900. It was incorporated in 1903 and boasted two banks, two livery stables, two wagon yards, two cafes, a post office, limber yard, newspaper, and furniture store. It was well on its way to becoming a major town on the Texas Panhandle. The land for the town site was donated by Alfred Rowe, and English rancher, who named it McLean after W. P McLean of the Railroad Commission. Rowe met a tragic death on the Titanic when he was returning to Texas after visiting his native England. | ||||
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| The rich oil boom and the coming of Route 66 in 1927 insured McLean's growth for next few decades. In 1946 Jack Rittenhouse gives the population of McLean at 1,489. The completion of the Interstate in the 1970s redirected traffic from the McLean business district and brought the town to hard times. Today a drive down the main street of McLean is a drive back in time. There is much to see of old Route 66 yet in this Texas town. The old Avalon Theater, built in the 1930s, has a beautiful Art Deco facade that the Old Route 66 Association of Texas has restored and that Hampton felt was a site worth seeing. But there was a lot more to see and celebrate in this small Texas Panhandle town. Hampton was putting up two more Roadside Attraction signs. One sign went to the Devil's Rope Museum and another went to the old restored Phillips 66 Station. | ||||
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McLean Texas is a must stop for the Route 66 fan as Delbert and Ruth Trew point out. It has three museums, numerous old vintage buildings and tons of history. |
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Delbert has a philosophy
about seeing America and Route 66. You need to get off the Interstates and,
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Becky Ransom, Jim, Ruth and Delbert Trew honor the new Roadside Attraction sign at the Avalon Theater. |
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Devil's Rope Museum |
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The dream of Delbert and Ruth Trew, the Devil's Rope Museum, has become the premier exhibit of barbed wire and old tools in the world. And just when you thought it couldn't get any better, they added another museum - the Route 66 Museum! This is a must stop for any fan of Route 66. | |||
Now this hat has to be the most uncomfortable hat I've ever seen. It is made entirely out of barbed wire! |
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Becky Ransom, President of the Old Texas Route 66 Association, along with Jim Conkle, Delbert and Ruth Trew dedicate the new sign at the Devil's Rope Museum. |
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Phillips 66 Gas Station |
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McLean has the honor of having the first Phillips 66 Station in Texas. The Old Texas Route 66 Association has done a fine job of restoring it too. Originally this old gas station was built in 1929 and served in McLean for more than 50 years. I've heard it said that this might be the most photographed gas station on Route 66 too. | |||
The dedication crew at the McLean Phillips Station. We had a special guest too. Mark Potter (left) Route 66 historian joined us for the ceremony. Davie Gibson from the Devils Rope and Route 66 Museum (between Becky and Ruth) made her appearance too. |
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 Previous Log  |
Road Log pages read like a book:Follow the Route 66 Caravan
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66 Caravan Web Site Written, Photographed & Designed by Guy Randall |
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