The frescoes or murals
They can be the work of individual artists but also of collectives. Many of the murals in the city can be visited on a guided tour, either free or for a fee. Ask at the local tourist offices, which for the most important ones also propose maps to find your way (example: Pontiac, Cuba, etc.). Internet sites are also sometimes designed exclusively to present these works. The most famous sites to see murals are, in order: Pontiac (IL), Atlanta (IL), Lincoln (IL), Cuba (MO), Web City (MO), Joplin (MO), Galena (KS), Baxter Spring (KS), Quapaw (OK), Sapulpa (OK), Davenport (OK), Chandler (OK), Edmond (OK), Bethany (OK), McLean (TX), Vega (TX), Tucumcari (NM), Williams (AZ), Seligman (AZ) and Barstow (CA).
Advertising on Route 66
In addition to some murals, there are also purely advertising 3D representations. The Gemini, Paul Bunyan and other fiberglass giants were originally created to be placed in front of businesses to catch the eye of drivers and even children in the back of vehicles. Similarly, the Milk Bottle Grocery in Oklahoma City or the Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower in Collinsville leave little doubt about the type of product being promoted. Taking this last example, we note the general importance given to water towers (but also to silos) in the enhancement of the landscape and heritage. Whether it is advertising, the initials or the name of the town, or even the owner of the field where the installation is located, or even various decorations, they are all used as a support for a certain form of art.
The giants of the 66
The giants of Route 66 share a common history that dates back to one of the heyday's of Route 66. The first giant fiberglass statue on the Mother Road was erected in 1962 in front of the Paul Bunyan Cafe in Flagstaff, Arizona. It depicted Paul Bunyan, a giant lumberjack, an iconic figure in North American folklore. Then the model manufactured by International Fiberglass of Venice (California) was reproduced in several dozen copies for all those who wanted to draw attention to their establishment. The generic name given to them was Muffler Men, because many of these giants were placed in front of garages and held in their hands, no longer the traditional Paul's axe, but a car muffler.
In 1965, H.A. Stephens bought one of these giants, traded in his original axe for a hot dog, and placed it in front of his restaurant on Route 66 in Cicero, near Chicago. To avoid a trademark problem with the Bunyan Café, he changed the name of his business slightly to Bunyon's Restaurant. In 2003, when he sold his business, Stephens donated his statue to the Illinois Route 66 Association, which decided to place the giant in Atlanta because of its central location in the state.
While three giants can be easily spotted on Route 66 - Gemini Giant in Wilmington, Bunyon's Giant in Atlanta, and Lauterbarch Giant in Springfield - others exist across the country, all of which are drawn from the same mold and have similar characteristics: a weight of 230 kilograms for 8 meters high.
Remarkable sites
These sites are sometimes called old-fashioned roadside attractions .
Totem Pole Park in Foyil, OK, where Native American art is showcased with the world's tallest totem pole. Artist : Nathan Edward Galloway (1880-1962).
The Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo (TX) is the most typical example of a site where the visitor is brought to intervene on the initial work... Graffiti is indeed the main activity of the tourists there! These are done on old carcasses of beautiful American cars (Cadillacs, of course) lined up in the middle of a field, the hood planted in the ground. Cadillac Ranch artists: Ant Farm collective (1968 to 1978), composed at the time of Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels.
The Bottle Tree Ranch in Helendale (CA), where glass bottles but also a number of heterogeneous objects form real trees in a private property. Artist : Elmer Long.
Let's also mention Red Oak 2, near Carthage (MO), where an entire village has been reconstituted and forms a sort of giant work. The original 1940's village where the designer of the site grew up has been reconstituted. Houses, school, town hall, church, cemetery, prison, café, restaurant, gas station, general store: everything is reproduced. Some houses are now for sale. Artist and designer: Lowell Davis.
Finally, as far as public art corridors are concerned, we can mention the one formed by the earth embankments decorated by travelers between Essex and Amboy (CA). For several miles, stones have been painted or placed side by side to form inscriptions and names. Between the two ends of the corridor, near Chambless, shoe trees (trees decorated with abandoned shoes) still existed as of 2014.
The artist to remember
One of the most famous Route 66 artists is Bob Waldmire (1945-2009). After traveling the route throughout his childhood with his parents, he decided in 1985 to dedicate his life to Route 66. He continued to travel it in multiple vehicles, including a Volkswagen Combi and a converted school bus, both of which can be seen today in Pontiac, IL. In 1992, he purchased the Hackberry (AZ) General Store , which he later sold after turning it into a gift store. One of his most famous works is posthumous, as it was completed after his death. It is a huge fresco of Route 66 represented with all its stages. The mural was created by a local graphic arts company, Diaz Sign Art, with the help of Bob's family and many admirers, and was unveiled in May 2011 in Pontiac. It measures 66 feet, or about 20 meters long, and is called the Bob Waldmire Memorial Mural. See his website: www.bobwaldmire.com
