Yep, believe it or not, this was a gas station. There are actually 3 stations with very much the same style in Shamrock.
But the building we really came to see was this one.
This is the Tower Conoco Station and U Drop Inn Cafe, built in 1936.
The building was named for the tall tower gracing the roof of the station.
Originally, there were two garage doors. The second was where the glass window closest to the station portion of the building is. The Shamrock Chamber of Commerce occupies that part of the building now.
There were supposed to be three sections to the building. The U Drop Inn Cafe was supposed to have a store beside it, as many multi-purpose businesses on Route 66 did. The store never opened, and Cafe quickly took over the space, seen to the left of this shot, for a ballroom and overflow seating. The name of the cafe was chosen through a contest, won by a schoolboy. He won $50.00.
The station was restored in the early 2000s, partly by a federal grant, and partly by donations. The Tower Station is now a museum, of sorts, so Route 66 travelers can see what it looked like when it opened in the 1930s.
Does this building seem familiar, even if you've never seen pictures? Once more, if you're a Cars (the movie) fan, you'll have seen something very similar. This building was the inspiration for Ramone's. Watch the movie again--it's unmistakable.
The spirit of restoration seems to have taken hold in Shamrock. We saw this beautifully restored truck sitting out in a field. It's apparently advertising for the Quick Lube and Wash.
The Route 66 Water Bottling Company building was obviously used for a different purpose originally, but the building is in great shape.
And this lovely little place is the Magnolia Station.
It has been lovingly restored, right down to the details.
Dean figures this must have been to wash their shop towels.
The vintage pumps are perfect.
Try to ignore my reflection in the window and look at the period accessories inside the station.
Even the lineup in the window is authentic.
This is a picture on the wall inside. It shows the station back in the day.
There's a banner on the back wall that has a picture of 'Main Street' in the distant past, with this Magnolia Station on the corner at the far left. See the light pole in the middle of the street? We'll see it again in a minute.
Next door to the station is the Pioneer West Museum. It was closed when we were there, unfortunately, but it looks like a great place.
It was once the Reynolds Hotel, finished in 1928. It functioned as a hotel for 50 years.
There are a few displays outside. This lamppost is one of them. I love the 'No U Turn' signs. This is the post we saw in the picture of Main Street.
This is the little building at the back of the hotel lot, right next to the station. It's great. I don't know if it was moved here, or this was its original location. Another question to get answered next trip, I guess.
Shamrock has its share of old cars.
And trucks.
We saw this great old motel, or motor court, or whatever it is.
It's still in use, but I couldn't tell if it was as apartments or as a motel.
This is one of the other stations with art deco styling in Shamrock.
And here's the third. Interesting places.
On the way out of town we saw this beauty behind a fence.
Along with these.
And these.
And about a hundred other vehicles.
This is an amazing collection of vehicles. You gotta wonder what the plans are for all these.
There were a few vehicles that managed to escape the collector's clutches. I think they got away because they hid in the tall grass. (grin)
We saw this one in town, too.
We left Shamrock and went looking for another bridge on Route 66.
The roadbed east of Shamrock is almost pristine original Portland Cement.
This is the bridge over the now abandoned Chicago Rock Island & Pacific Railroad.
The bridge is in great shape.
This was where the railroad ran. You can barely make out the bed now.
We left Texas on more perfect Portland Cement, this time with trees--yes!
I'll get the Oklahoma pictures up in the next post.
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