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Secret Route 66: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure
Take a tour of Route 66 unlike any other, discovering the secrets, memorable characters, and little known stories behind many of the route’s enduring icons. Find the answer to the question, “Who was Ella Jones?” and pay a visit to a secluded cemetery that few road warriors even know exists. Learn why Hooker, Missouri, disappeared, and who murdered Billie Grayson in Chandler, Oklahoma.
Did you know that a strongbox full of gold still lies buried near the Colorado River, or that tragedy hounds a tiny place in Arizona named after a cartoon? Is it true that ghosts and monsters lurk along the highway’s reaches? Do you know what a Walldog is, or whether nuclear weapons were once used to blast a path for the route?
Get the answers in Secret Route 66: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. Two of the historic highway’s most recognized authorities, Jim Ross and Shellee Graham, chronicle these and dozens of other tales as they peel away the layers of history to expose the weird, wonderful, and obscure of America’s Mother Road.
Did you know that a strongbox full of gold still lies buried near the Colorado River, or that tragedy hounds a tiny place in Arizona named after a cartoon? Is it true that ghosts and monsters lurk along the highway’s reaches? Do you know what a Walldog is, or whether nuclear weapons were once used to blast a path for the route?
Get the answers in Secret Route 66: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. Two of the historic highway’s most recognized authorities, Jim Ross and Shellee Graham, chronicle these and dozens of other tales as they peel away the layers of history to expose the weird, wonderful, and obscure of America’s Mother Road.
208 pages, Paperback
Published October 15, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 27, 2023
3.5 ⭐️
Me gustó conocer más a fondo la famosa Ruta 66, es un libro interesante, pues te cuenta desde cosas curiosas hasta algunas muy oscuras.
De algunos acontecimientos no entendí al 100% todos los detalles que te daban pues se me hizo un poco avanzado el inglés.
Me gustó conocer más a fondo la famosa Ruta 66, es un libro interesante, pues te cuenta desde cosas curiosas hasta algunas muy oscuras.
De algunos acontecimientos no entendí al 100% todos los detalles que te daban pues se me hizo un poco avanzado el inglés.
November 3, 2025
As soon as a Route 66 book is published, I can almost guarantee that some new museum has opened up or something that was once there is no longer there. It's important to keep that in mind for anyone who plans on traveling Route 66.
"Secret Route 66: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure," by Jim Ross and Shellee Graham is no exception. The book was published in 2017 and some things have changed.
The fate of the Times Beach bridge is a classic example. The bridge is being restored and will become a pedestrian/bicycle path. The goal is to complete this project in time for the Route 66 Centennial in 2026. Right now, there's one entrance to the Route 66 State Park Visitor's Center and another entrance for the rest of the park.
The book goes into a brief history of Times Beach, but doesn't mention that hikers and bikers can still find evidence of where people's lots used to be. It starts by paying attention to certain plants that aren't native to the area.
For me, traveling Route 66 is like a scavenger hunt to find what used to be vs. what's there now. This book provides several great tips on oddities such as the concrete pillar near Stroud, OK. Or in Miami, OK, the nine-foot-wide sidewalk highway. I also appreciate the hint that the town is pronounced MY-am-uh, so if my travels take me there, I won't pronounce the town name like I'm from Florida.
The photographs alone are worth at least 4 stars in this rambling narrative. I also enjoyed the discussion about "Root" 66 vs. "Rowt" 66. That said, the biggest drawback to this book is the way it's organized.
It would have been clearer and easier for readers to digest if each mini-essay had been grouped state-by-state instead of hopping around so much. For example, one moment you're in Hooker, MO, and on the very next page, you're in Two Guns, AZ. Readers have to switch gears as they keep crisscrossing state borders.
Even though I didn't care for the way the book was organized, I highly recommend people add it to their reading list, especially if they are Route 66 enthusiasts.
"Secret Route 66: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure," by Jim Ross and Shellee Graham is no exception. The book was published in 2017 and some things have changed.
The fate of the Times Beach bridge is a classic example. The bridge is being restored and will become a pedestrian/bicycle path. The goal is to complete this project in time for the Route 66 Centennial in 2026. Right now, there's one entrance to the Route 66 State Park Visitor's Center and another entrance for the rest of the park.
The book goes into a brief history of Times Beach, but doesn't mention that hikers and bikers can still find evidence of where people's lots used to be. It starts by paying attention to certain plants that aren't native to the area.
For me, traveling Route 66 is like a scavenger hunt to find what used to be vs. what's there now. This book provides several great tips on oddities such as the concrete pillar near Stroud, OK. Or in Miami, OK, the nine-foot-wide sidewalk highway. I also appreciate the hint that the town is pronounced MY-am-uh, so if my travels take me there, I won't pronounce the town name like I'm from Florida.
The photographs alone are worth at least 4 stars in this rambling narrative. I also enjoyed the discussion about "Root" 66 vs. "Rowt" 66. That said, the biggest drawback to this book is the way it's organized.
It would have been clearer and easier for readers to digest if each mini-essay had been grouped state-by-state instead of hopping around so much. For example, one moment you're in Hooker, MO, and on the very next page, you're in Two Guns, AZ. Readers have to switch gears as they keep crisscrossing state borders.
Even though I didn't care for the way the book was organized, I highly recommend people add it to their reading list, especially if they are Route 66 enthusiasts.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews