ARIZONA CURIOSITIES

April – May, 2020

Williams, Arizona was the last city along the Mother Road to be by-passed as Interstate 40 headed west on its way to the City of Angels. Many of the oddities that were once diversions and rest stops for the weary traveling from “Chicago to LA” became ghost towns, signage fronting empty patches of dirt and decaying buildings or too far off of the highway to any longer be of interest to the travelers of today. Some of those oddities remain, and for us to seek them out made for great adventure.

Burma-Shave was an American brand of brushless shaving cream, and famous for its advertising gimmick of posting humorous rhyming poems on highway roadside signs. Six consecutive small signs would be posted sequentially along the edge of the highway, and spaced for reading by passing motorists. The last sign was always the name of the product. The company was sold in 1963, and the use of the roadside signs formally ended; however, and if you stay on Route 66 between Seligman and Hackberry, some folks with a sense of keeping history alive have posted signs in keeping the spirit of the Burma Shave signs alive.

As we headed westbound along the Mother Road our first planned stop was Seligman, Arizona to have lunch at Delgadillo’s Snow Cap. Perhaps nothing more than a root beer stand in the glory days of Route 66 this drive-in has now become a must stop and icon along the route. Delgadillo’s is a homage to what hungry travelers wanting to feed a family would expect to find while motoring west along Route 66. Sure, there is a screened-in porch for indoor seating as well as a few tables in the “graveyard ’round back,” but taking a good look around we could just imagine that in its day car hops were busy taking orders and delivering food. We’re sure that “snow cap” refers to ice cream creations. Delgadillo’s menu includes the usual burger and fries, onion rings and various takes on a hot dog as well as a dose of whimsy and their their famous cheeseburger with cheese! Somehow though we wanted to shy away from dead chicken – whatever it is and however it is prepared!

A quick walk around while we waited for our food and we came to appreciate the owners’ dedication to commemorating the history of what has been, their welcoming nature and sense of humor, and the preservation of…well they do say that a picture is worth a thousand words.

2 absolutely first-class green chili cheeseburgers with cheese, onion rings and sweet potato fries, and a chocolate malt later, with our bellies full and a smile we were on our way to our next stop. By the way, if in the neighborhood we’d stop again and just may have to try the dead chicken!

The longest continuous stretch of the Old Route 66 that still remains today is 86 miles long and runs from Seligman to Kingman, Arizona. 60 miles west of Seligman is what is described as one of the kitschiest stops on the Mother Road. The Hackberry General Store is located in the former mining town of Hackberry, Arizona (right?), and is bypassed by many Route 66 travelers, oftentimes because they simply blink and miss it. There is no signage and the store is isolated in the middle of the desert. We were looking for it and, but for a hard hit on the brakes, almost scooted on by.

At one time a lifeblood for the miners who came to the area to look for silver that had been found in the surrounding hills, the store is really all that remains of the community – it’s now a ghost town. Self proclaimed the “Mother Lode of Mother Road Memorabilia,” the Hackberry General Store is packed wall to wall with historic signs and artifacts, and the exterior of the general store is just as quirky. Historic Pegasus gas pumps, rusted-over Model A’s from the early 20th century, and a small vehicle boneyard are scattered across the store’s façade.

The owner was quick to engage us and was eager to know where we were from, and noted that his prices were the best in the area and that we should buy our souvenirs from him. His conversation quickly deteriorated into extreme right-wing conspiracy theory rhetoric, and when we didn’t agree the friendliness disappeared. Honestly, the place reminded Brian of the pawn shop in “Pulp Fiction.” We beat feet asap.

We had a hard time believing that in the middle of the Mohave Desert, about 30 miles north of Kingman and on the way to Las Vegas on Arizona Highway 93 someone built a place called Santa’s Land, and actually incorporated the area as Santa Claus, Arizona. It does occasionally snow in Kingman, but the city averages over 290 days of sunshine annually, and the last 2 substantial snowfalls (that paralyzed the area) occurred in February, 2019, and 1932! So why Santa’s Land?

Nina Talbot and her husband considered themselves the “best of the best” real estate brokers, moved from California and founded Santa Claus, Arizona, in 1937 in an attempt to attract buyers to the desert location. Santa’s Land featured Christmas-themed buildings, and visiting children could meet Santa Claus at any day of the year. The town’s post office became very popular in December as children and parents could receive mail postmarked with the town’s name. The town did in fact become a popular tourist destination, however no one ever bought land there, and the only people living there were the ones working in the town. Failing to see how she would make her real estate business profitable, and with the town in decline, Talbot sold Santa Claus in 1949, having failed in her attempt to convince people to move to the desert. While popularity of the restaurant (Duncan Hines (!) loved the place), a published story by Robert Heinlein of Mrs. Claus’ gourmet meals, and movie actress Jane Russel hosting a dinner party there in the 1970’s kept the location “alive” for a while thereafter, the site is now a ghost town best-suited for the rattlesnakes that have found a home in the remains of dilapidated buildings.

But then turn around and sometimes beauty is just waiting…

We were pretty disappointed to have come all this way to find even less than Atlas Obscura had described. But as we were heading back towards Kingman and ultimately to our campground in Williams, Barbara was fooling around with her phone and discovered that a short ride from Santa Claus was the ghost town of Chloride. Chloride was at one time another of the thriving mining communities within the region with 75 mines and 5,000 residents (yeah – there was silver, gold, and turquoise in them thar hills!). By 1940 the mines had closed and the town had been mostly abandoned. Today there are only 20 occupied homes; some host a wonderfully bizarre collection of junk art, and for the adventuresome willing to take a short ride on unimproved dirt paths into the hills, there is the reward of a display of giant murals painted on the rock face. What a find!

A week or so later we were having lunch with Harvey and Marilyn Baker. Harvey was Brian’s softball coach and we’ve become friendly. The Bakers are not quite as nomadic as we are presently, but over the course of a 10-years span of time, they visited every state save the deep south, and they have seen a thing or 2 along the way. Harvey suggested that we would like Oatman, Arizona. It’s another old (gold) mining ghost town tourist trap, but the novelty of burros freely roaming the dusty streets make it a must see. The burros are the decedents of those used in the mining operation, which began in the 19th century and was bust by 1942.

Perhaps the best part of our adventure to Oatman was the road into town…a true mountain road, barely 2 lanes with few pull offs if you have car trouble or want to take a picture, multiple switchbacks, and a sharp decline into town. The scenery was tops…

….it’s pretty easy to find a place to park once in town, and the standard touristy thing to do is to buy a bag of burro food for $1 and feed the gal-darned things as you walk up and down Main Street. Otherwise one might support the locals and stop for a beer or have a burger in one of the establishments, buy a souvenir, a piece of artwork, indulge your internal rock hound or just be amused by the sites and posted signs all over town.

Spending his teen years in Chicago, Brian heard the WGN TV evening news weatherman, Harry Volkman, report on the temperature in Bullhead City, Arizona daily – Harry believed it to be the hottest place in the US. Now Bullhead City is only 23.5 miles from Oatman, and Brian had to see the place for himself. Since we were hungry what could be a more perfect stop for a late lunch?

Oatman had their farewell committee waiting as we left town on our way to Bullhead City.

It may not be the consistently hottest place in the US, but as we entered Bullhead City proper the thermometer was topping out at 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Brian had thought this would be a sleepy small town on the Colorado River, but there are well over 40,000 people living in the incorporated City, and with Laughlin, Nevada right across the Colorado River, Bullhead City was one busy place. We had a fabulous meal at local Mexican restaurant, and as we drove through town noticed that the River was packed with folks on jet skis. We made a pledge to return and take advantage of a day on the River, and maybe, just maybe place a bet or 2 at the casinos in Laughlin!

Several of the recommended unusual places we wished to visit are on lands of the Navajo Nation; they will be on our list for the future. The infection rate and severity of coronavirus amongst the Navajo Peoples has resulted in their lands being shut down to visitors. We can only wish them well at this time in their fight for health.

Barbara and Brian