I was driving south on Highway 83 through Texas toward Burleson. Highway 83 goes right through a lot of towns and it is fun to drive through them and look at all the buildings. Occasionally rather sad because most of these towns are small ones and they are struggling. I hate to see dark storefronts.

As I drove into Shamrock, I noticed on the left-hand side of the road an art deco building. I love art deco, so I immediately pulled into the parking lot of an adjacent building (the Western Inn, as a matter of fact), got my camera, and got out to take photos.

Conoco Gas Station- restored and now a tourist attraction

The building had once been a Conoco gas station. Conoco, founded in Ogden, Utah in 1875 as the Continental Oil and Transportation Company, went through various vicissitudes, including the stock market crash of 1929, and didn’t become Conoco until the 1930s.

Old-fashioned gas pumps, with a Route 66 plaque embedded in the cement behind it.

Historical marker

This gorgeous gas station and “auto laundry” was built in 1936,of brick and green glazed tile. The building and tower were designed by architect J. C. Berry of Pampa Texas. Constructed by J. M. Tindall and R. C. Lewis, it cost $23,000 to complete.

The complex was restored in  2004.

It wasn’t until I started wandering around that I realized that I was actually in a town that was on Route 66, a west-east route that traverses Texas across the Texas Panhandle. The road is now called Interstate 40.

Inside the gas station, now, is a gift shop, and a café restored to a 1950s look. (No food is served, but you can purchase snacks, and there’s free coffee and ice water.)

Route 66 souvenirs

Lunch counter

Elvis Presley stopped here frequently, and always ate at this booth

The U Drop Inn, which houses the gift shop and lunch counter

Texas Route 66 Festival: July 12 – 15, 2018

The world will be coming to get their kicks on Route 66 from July 12 – 15, 2018.

There will be a car show, an art show, and a rodeo.

For full details, check out their website: https://www.texaswelcomestheworld.com/

Specific activities are on this page: https://www.texaswelcomestheworld.com/scheduleandforms

Other Route 66 activities in the US and around the world:

From the Route 66 News Facebook page:

2018 events

• July 1 — Route 66 Heart of Amarillo Festival, Amarillo, Texas.
• July 12-15 — Shamrock Route 66 Festival, Shamrock, Texas.
• July 21 — Route 66 Summerfest, Albuquerque.
• Aug. 10-11 — Birthplace of Route 66 Festival, Springfield, Missouri.
• Aug. 10-12 — European Route 66 Festival, Zlin, Czech Republic.
• Aug. 11 — Oldham County Roundup, Vega, Texas.
• Aug. 18 — D’Arcy Buick GMC Route 66 Classic, Route 66 Raceway, Joliet, Illinois.
• Aug. 22-25 — Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo, Vinita, Oklahoma.
• Aug. 25 — Get Your 6.6 on Route 66, from Funks Grove to McLean, Illinois.
• Aug. 30 — Rock the Route, Yukon, Oklahoma.
• Sept. 7-9 — Fiesta de Santa Fe, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
• Sept. 21-23 — International Route 66 Mother Road Festival, Springfield, Illinois.
• Sept. 23-Oct. 6 — National Route 66 Motor Tour, from Joliet, Illinois, to Santa Monica.
• Oct. 6 — Oklahoma Czech Festival, Yukon, Oklahoma.
• Oct. 6-14 — Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
• Oct. 25-27 — Miles of Possibility Conference, Carlinville, Illinois
• Nov. 2-4 — Will Rogers Days, Claremore, Oklahoma.
• Nov. 17-18 — Route 66 Marathon, Tulsa.

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