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(lively piano music)

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♪

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(narrator) 
Since its inception in 1926,

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Route 66 has been an icon 
of the American West

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and a defining element 
of the American experience.

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From Chicago to Los Angeles,

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the Mother Road 
takes us on a journey

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from the East 
to the American West,

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with its wide-open skies 
and a mix of different cultures.

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(woman) 
Route 66 has opened the gateway 
to a lot of opportunities.

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(Shellee) 
You can still drive it?

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I'm like, "Oh, my gosh, 
how cool is that?"

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-Where y'all from? 
-Germany!

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(narrator) 
International visitors 
come by the tens of thousands,

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hungry for 
an American experience.

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(speaking foreign language)

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(playful music)

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♪

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(Mirna) 
But the most famous 
person of all...

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-Who? 
-...me.

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They grew up watching 
American television,

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Route 66 with George Maharis, 
Martin Milner,

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and they're all here 
to see America of yesterday.

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(narrator) 
Beloved television shows, 
like the Route 66 TV show,

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and films like Easy Rider,

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have celebrated the road 
from a male perspective,

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in which women are seldom 
in the driver's seat.

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♪

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(woman) 
We forget that women 
were on those journeys.

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We forget 
that women were working

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all along the way 
in those businesses.

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(narrator) 
Despite its moniker, 
the Mother Road,

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little attention has been paid 
to diverse women's experiences

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across many different cultures, 
and almost 100 years of history.

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(woman) 
When I first got the motel,

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and they were having 
a convention,

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and they said, 
"Well, a woman doesn't come.

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There's no women!"

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And so, 
they put this man beside me.

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I don't know who he is!

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But they just said,

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"Well, no, you just, 
just has to be a man with you."

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It's a mirror held up 
to the nation,

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a road that can be, really, 
a living classroom.

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(woman) 
She was entrepreneurial.

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She was very business-oriented.

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And she allowed us to live 
a very comfortable life.

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(narrator) 
From archaeologists, 
to politicians,

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and countless entrepreneurs,

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women overcame segregation 
and gender discrimination

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to build fulfilling lives 
for themselves

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and generations to come

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on America's most beloved road.

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This is their story.

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(nostalgic music)

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♪

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When the writing 
was on the wall,

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after the interstate highway 
bill was signed and enacted,

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it took a long time,

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but immediately from 1956 
on to the mid-'80s,

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it began the death knell 
for Route 66,

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slowly but surely,

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the creation of these 
five interstate highways

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that parallel Route 66 today,

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55, 44, 40, 15, and 10.

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(Sean) 
When it was decommissioned, 
I think, in a way,

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the favor that 
the federal government had done

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is by doing something so brash 
as saying,

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"We declare this road 
to not exist."

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That brought people 
out of a shell to say,

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"Wow, maybe we need 
to look at this."

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(narrator) 
In 1985, when the Mother Road 
was decommissioned,

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people were immediately hungry 
to escape the homogeneous chains

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and endless strip malls 
that had taken over America.

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Despite its black and white 
shields being dismantled,

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they took to the road,

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looking for America's 
vanishing main streets.

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(Michael) 
Suzanne and I knew that 
the road was still there,

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85 percent of it!

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This is actually a love letter 
to the road and the people

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because I got tired, 
we both did,

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of people talking about 66 
in the past tense.

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(Suzanne) 
Michael and I made the trip 
along Route 66 before Christmas.

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I took a lot of the pictures.

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And so, we would go a few feet, 
and then Michael would say,

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"Here, let's get a picture,"

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so I'd climb out 
with all my bags and everything

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and take pictures.

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And then, 
we'd get back in the car,

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-and he'd go a little further. 
-Resiliency,

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that's what it takes.

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For years,

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I was sort of like a voice 
crying in the wilderness,

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going into the capitals 
of each of the eight states,

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Springfield, Illinois,

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Jeff City, Missouri, 
Oklahoma City,

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all the way out to Sacramento,

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and trying to convince 
the people in state government,

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in city governments, 
in chambers,

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"Look, the revitalization 
of this road,

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85 percent of which 
you can still travel,

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means it puts vehicular traffic

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in your state, 
your county, your city."

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(man) 
Certainly, 
a road trip on Route 66

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is a lot better than a major 
interstate highway.

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(Michael) 
Well, you know, when you're on 
a super-slab like that,

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you might as well be on 
an airport runway.

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It's the cookie-cutter culture.

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♪

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(narrator) 
Whether it's in an Airstream,

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as part of a racing team,

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or on a motorbike,

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today's travelers 
are seeking something more

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than a quick photo.

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It's all about 
the personal connection.

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(indistinct speaking)

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♪

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I've been 
the vice president twice,

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president, 
and now I'm sergeant at arms.

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I've also been a road captain 
throughout the whole time.

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(people murmuring)

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We had a meeting 
specifically to choose a name.

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So, we all sat around the table,

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and there was probably 
20 of us at the time,

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and everybody threw out names.

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And I went to the washroom, 
and when I got back,

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I heard the name Organized Chaos 
for the first time,

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and that that was what 
we were gonna be called.

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What would make 
Organized Chaos unique,

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it's the philanthropic 
aspect of it.

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So, whenever we can ride

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and still do some 
philanthropic work, we do.

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(woman) 
So, are you guys all aware of 
Sarah's Circle and what they do?

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They are a non-profit 
organization,

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they have about 50 beds 
for homeless women,

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or for women 
who just kind of drop in.

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(Nancy) 
This actual memorial 
is for gay soldiers.

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So, we were elected to be 
the honor guard for that,

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which we were all very proud of.

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We started out focusing on LGBT.

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And then, as we developed more,

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we realized that we have 
a lot of different backgrounds,

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and so now we've branched out

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to support a lot of different 
kinds of organizations as well.

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We actually ride on Route 66.

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We left from here,

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so we looked for a place 
that was a part of Route 66.

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And then, we took it 
all the way down to Pontiac.

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So, it was a lot of fun.

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We stopped a lot

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at the different iconic sites 
along the route.

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When we get off the bikes 
on a big ride,

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you know, 
you'll have a little boy go,

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"Mommy, they're all girls!"

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But it's not unusual 
for somebody's battery

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to need to be replaced 
on the side of the road.

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And you have these women 
pullin' out screwdrivers,

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and takin' the battery out, 
and puttin' it in.

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We don't wait for somebody else 
to do it for us.

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We love to ride,

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and that's what 
brings us all together.

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(upbeat jazzy music)

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♪

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(narrator) 
Starting in Chicago 
and heading west,

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the Mother Road traverses 
urban and rural landscapes.

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Regardless of differences 
in environment, however,

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women entrepreneurs have lacked 
the same access to capital

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as their male peers.

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(Kathryn) 
Lou Mitchell's 
has been here since 1923.

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And we are on 
565 West Jackson Boulevard,

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which is pretty much 
about the beginning of Route 66.

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And Uncle Lou 
was my best friend.

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And then, when it was time that 
he wanted to retire, here I am.

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We always say that when 
one Greek meets another Greek,

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they open up a restaurant!

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I mean, what else 
are we gonna do?

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Lights, camera, action 
is how the day goes.

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It's just the audience changes, 
who comes, and who goes.

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And it's just, it's just fun!

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And people come 
from all over the world.

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The very first time 
that my sister and I,

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on our first project,

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went to the bank 
to borrow money,

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we were told by the banker

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that women are 
unqualified debt holders.

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Needless to say,

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I never had high blood pressure, 
but I did at that moment.

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I was like, "Oh, okay."

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Well, we did get our loan 
from a different banker.

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And the interesting thing

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is that the people that 
weren't gonna loan us money

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because we were not 
qualified debt holders

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went out of business!

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Isn't that providential?

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(Donna) 
I've been working 
at Lou Mitchell's for 31 years.

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I'll be 92 in May.

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My first job, 
I worked for my aunt in Iowa

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in a little, small restaurant.

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I was 13 years old.

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And I liked it.

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I give out the Milk Duds 
and the donut holes.

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00:09:54,300 --> 00:09:57,366
Mr. Lou Mitchell himself 
started that,

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00:09:57,466 --> 00:10:01,000
like, maybe 50, 60 years ago.

204
00:10:01,100 --> 00:10:03,266
But you have to give out 
your personality

205
00:10:03,366 --> 00:10:04,633
more than anything

206
00:10:04,733 --> 00:10:07,300
'cause we get 
a lot of repeat people.

207
00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:08,933
And we get 
a very lot of tourists,

208
00:10:09,033 --> 00:10:11,900
which I like them a lot too.

209
00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:16,933
Everyone likes to be recognized, 
and I like to recognize them.

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00:10:17,033 --> 00:10:19,333
(narrator) 
Working in a family-owned 
and operated business

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is an aspect 
of the Route 66 culture

212
00:10:22,100 --> 00:10:27,566
and women's experiences 
that unites past and present.

213
00:10:27,666 --> 00:10:29,566
(Mirna) 
$73.31, sir.

214
00:10:29,666 --> 00:10:31,066
And I'll put our card 
in the bag.

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00:10:31,166 --> 00:10:34,466
We're online if you'd like 
to read more of Route 66.

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00:10:34,566 --> 00:10:38,400
When my dad and my mom started 
this little gift shop here,

217
00:10:38,500 --> 00:10:41,133
my dad was still 
a full-time barber.

218
00:10:41,233 --> 00:10:42,666
So, he would be 
in the barbershop

219
00:10:42,766 --> 00:10:44,400
doing haircuts and shaves.

220
00:10:44,500 --> 00:10:48,133
And my mom was the person 
who ran the store.

221
00:10:48,233 --> 00:10:51,600
And together, 
between the two of them,

222
00:10:51,700 --> 00:10:55,433
they ordered, 
they would price product.

223
00:10:55,533 --> 00:10:57,900
My mom would take care 
of customers.

224
00:10:58,000 --> 00:10:59,833
When I first came to work here,

225
00:10:59,933 --> 00:11:02,733
in one of our rooms 
in the back, they had a bed!

226
00:11:02,833 --> 00:11:05,666
So, they would take turns 
taking naps, you know.

227
00:11:05,766 --> 00:11:08,233
They were working 
seven days a week

228
00:11:08,333 --> 00:11:11,233
when they were building 
this Route 66 store.

229
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And the alignment 
that our store sits on,

230
00:11:14,366 --> 00:11:16,700
that came in in the '60s.

231
00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:18,000
So, before that,

232
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this is where everything 
was happening, right here.

233
00:11:20,933 --> 00:11:25,466
And, as you can see now, 
there's not much goin' on.

234
00:11:25,566 --> 00:11:27,100
And my grandfather's business,

235
00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:31,066
my grandfather opened up 
a pool hall and barbershop.

236
00:11:31,166 --> 00:11:34,033
Well, his business 
is one block down that way.

237
00:11:34,133 --> 00:11:39,200
So, the family business was also 
right on Main Street back then.

238
00:11:39,300 --> 00:11:41,800
And my grandfather 
also got bypassed,

239
00:11:41,900 --> 00:11:43,666
and my dad got bypassed,

240
00:11:43,766 --> 00:11:46,800
so it's kinda like 
history keeps repeating itself.

241
00:11:46,900 --> 00:11:49,566
Today, America's like I-40, 
all right,

242
00:11:49,666 --> 00:11:51,833
it's goin' very, 
very, very fast.

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00:11:51,933 --> 00:11:54,366
Route 66 represents America

244
00:11:54,466 --> 00:11:56,966
and where our country 
has come from.

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We are such a young country

246
00:11:59,500 --> 00:12:03,533
that most our history took place 
on this road right here.

247
00:12:03,633 --> 00:12:06,366
The largest migration 
of American history,

248
00:12:06,466 --> 00:12:11,133
during the Depression, 
took place here on Route 66.

249
00:12:11,233 --> 00:12:14,400
We hear people from Germany, 
we hear people from France.

250
00:12:14,500 --> 00:12:17,400
We hear people 
from all over the world.

251
00:12:17,500 --> 00:12:20,600
They grew up watching 
American television.

252
00:12:20,700 --> 00:12:22,966
They grew up watching 
the television show,

253
00:12:23,066 --> 00:12:26,200
Route 66 with George Maharis, 
Martin Milner,

254
00:12:26,300 --> 00:12:29,933
and they're all here 
to see America of yesterday.

255
00:12:30,033 --> 00:12:33,933
And they tell us 
when they travel Route 66,

256
00:12:34,033 --> 00:12:37,800
it's a feeling, to them, 
of what America used to be.

257
00:12:37,900 --> 00:12:39,033
-Want photo? 
-Sorry.

258
00:12:39,133 --> 00:12:40,866
Yeah, may I have 
a picture with you?

259
00:12:40,966 --> 00:12:43,766
(Angel) 
Okay, cheese, cheese, 
cheese, and cottage cheese.

260
00:12:43,866 --> 00:12:47,033
(Olivia) 
You can't say Angel Delgadillo 
without thinking of Route 66.

261
00:12:47,133 --> 00:12:51,400
He's such an important part 
of the entire experience.

262
00:12:51,500 --> 00:12:57,066
People actually come to America 
to see Angel, to meet Angel.

263
00:12:57,166 --> 00:13:02,633
(Sean) 
What we have here 
is Angel's argument

264
00:13:02,733 --> 00:13:07,933
for why the Arizona 
Highway Department

265
00:13:08,033 --> 00:13:13,300
did not handle 
the bypass period well.

266
00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:17,766
He took notice of the green 
federal highway signs

267
00:13:17,866 --> 00:13:20,600
between Flagstaff 
and Seligman.

268
00:13:20,700 --> 00:13:25,166
They don't even mention Seligman 
until after you pass Ashfork.

269
00:13:25,266 --> 00:13:27,933
And so, Angel's point was,

270
00:13:28,033 --> 00:13:30,133
in the days of Route 66,

271
00:13:30,233 --> 00:13:32,400
you knew you were 
going through these towns,

272
00:13:32,500 --> 00:13:36,633
and they were lined up in a row, 
and you had to go through them.

273
00:13:36,733 --> 00:13:38,700
But once you got on I-40,

274
00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:40,500
you could go all the way 
to Los Angeles

275
00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:42,800
and never even 
get off the freeway.

276
00:13:42,900 --> 00:13:44,200
So, if you needed anything,

277
00:13:44,300 --> 00:13:48,000
if you'd overnighted 
in Flagstaff,

278
00:13:48,100 --> 00:13:51,233
unless you needed gas, 
or food, or something,

279
00:13:51,333 --> 00:13:54,100
these signs for the local 
cities and towns,

280
00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:57,233
like Ashfork and Williams,

281
00:13:57,333 --> 00:14:01,200
would have taken the business 
before you'd gotten to Seligman.

282
00:14:01,300 --> 00:14:04,500
Seligman would have been 
a forgotten city.

283
00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:06,700
It's interesting to think of

284
00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:11,200
the barber of Seligman 
going toe-to-toe

285
00:14:11,300 --> 00:14:13,333
with the Arizona 
Department of Transportation

286
00:14:13,433 --> 00:14:15,433
in the Arizona 
governor's office.

287
00:14:15,533 --> 00:14:20,500
This physical item 
is the embodiment

288
00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:23,200
of Angel Delgadillo's struggle

289
00:14:23,300 --> 00:14:26,800
to get people to hear 
the tragedy.

290
00:14:26,900 --> 00:14:28,800
(blues music)

291
00:14:28,900 --> 00:14:31,533
♪

292
00:14:31,633 --> 00:14:34,666
(narrator) 
Working with family could have 
its challenges for women,

293
00:14:34,766 --> 00:14:37,600
and particularly 
when your mother was the boss

294
00:14:37,700 --> 00:14:40,066
in a time when women 
in leadership positions

295
00:14:40,166 --> 00:14:41,866
was very rare.

296
00:14:41,966 --> 00:14:44,433
(lively music)

297
00:14:44,533 --> 00:14:45,766
Well, this side over here,

298
00:14:45,866 --> 00:14:49,066
this is the couple 
that put the factory in here,

299
00:14:49,166 --> 00:14:50,933
Cal and Marie Frazier.

300
00:14:51,033 --> 00:14:54,533
They bought it and created jobs 
for lots of women.

301
00:14:54,633 --> 00:14:58,533
(Betty) 
So, what time did work start?

302
00:14:58,633 --> 00:15:01,600
(Linda) 
Well, when I was in school, 
I started at 6:30,

303
00:15:01,700 --> 00:15:04,766
and I'd work 'till 8:00, 
go to school,

304
00:15:04,866 --> 00:15:09,333
and I'd come back, 
work from 4:00 until 6:00,

305
00:15:09,433 --> 00:15:12,300
go home, and then come back 
and work 'till 9:00.

306
00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:14,466
(Betty) 
I cannot believe that 
they let you work

307
00:15:14,566 --> 00:15:16,933
as a teenager 
like that in school.

308
00:15:17,033 --> 00:15:19,166
(Linda) 
Well, yeah, 
Mother was supervisor, so.

309
00:15:19,266 --> 00:15:20,900
(Betty) 
Oh, I see!

310
00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:24,166
(Martha) 
Her mother was Estelle Grimsley, 
I remember her very well.

311
00:15:24,266 --> 00:15:26,766
-Estelline Grimsley. 
-Estelline.

312
00:15:26,866 --> 00:15:28,633
(Betty) 
During this time, really,

313
00:15:28,733 --> 00:15:31,100
other than 
maybe a teacher at school,

314
00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:33,633
I never knew women,

315
00:15:33,733 --> 00:15:36,833
many women who worked 
outside of the home, period.

316
00:15:36,933 --> 00:15:39,400
And, certainly, 
I didn't know women

317
00:15:39,500 --> 00:15:42,233
who were in charge of anything.

318
00:15:42,333 --> 00:15:45,300
(Linda) 
She was the number one lady.

319
00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:48,366
Actually, she didn't have much 
sewing skills.

320
00:15:48,466 --> 00:15:50,800
She was just, she was--

321
00:15:50,900 --> 00:15:52,500
-She was a go-getter! 
-Go-getter,

322
00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:55,566
she worked, she worked hard.

323
00:15:55,666 --> 00:15:59,100
She came out of 
the cotton patch to this.

324
00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:01,133
I think she was hard on me,

325
00:16:01,233 --> 00:16:03,533
but that was because 
I'm the boss' daughter.

326
00:16:03,633 --> 00:16:05,133
She fired me twice.

327
00:16:05,233 --> 00:16:07,333
(Betty) 
Uh-oh, she got angry and fired--

328
00:16:07,433 --> 00:16:10,200
(Linda) 
She went and pulled my card, 
and said, "Don't come back."

329
00:16:10,300 --> 00:16:12,300
(Jackie) 
She threatened me twice.

330
00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:15,600
(Betty) 
Really, what were you doing?

331
00:16:15,700 --> 00:16:18,066
(Jackie) 
She said somethin' I didn't 
like, and I told her about it!

332
00:16:18,166 --> 00:16:20,933
And she didn't like that either, 
you know, you don't do that.

333
00:16:21,033 --> 00:16:22,633
She's your boss!

334
00:16:22,733 --> 00:16:25,133
(Betty) 
Was she criticizing 
the way you were sewing?

335
00:16:25,233 --> 00:16:26,833
(Martha) 
Well, that was her job!

336
00:16:26,933 --> 00:16:29,200
(Jackie) 
She had to come over 
and look and see what we did.

337
00:16:29,300 --> 00:16:31,433
And if you didn't do it right,

338
00:16:31,533 --> 00:16:35,300
she would put a red tag on it, 
and you had to do it over!

339
00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:37,066
And you couldn't miss a stitch.

340
00:16:37,166 --> 00:16:40,666
I was a lacer, 
lace on the bras.

341
00:16:40,766 --> 00:16:44,166
(Martha) 
You had a lace cup, 
and you had a tricot cup,

342
00:16:44,266 --> 00:16:47,500
and you set that tricot cup 
in there.

343
00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:52,000
-You sewed around it? 
-Yeah, you sewed around it--

344
00:16:52,100 --> 00:16:56,233
-Did you zigzag-- 
-No, no, no, no.

345
00:16:56,333 --> 00:16:58,600
Anyway, you got paid by the box.

346
00:16:58,700 --> 00:17:00,200
You got so much an hour,

347
00:17:00,300 --> 00:17:03,900
and then if you met your quota, 
any over that,

348
00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:05,966
why, you got some extra.

349
00:17:06,066 --> 00:17:08,566
(Linda) 
Off the ticket that you 
had to tear off of each box.

350
00:17:08,666 --> 00:17:09,966
-Yeah. 
-Mm-hm.

351
00:17:10,066 --> 00:17:13,433
(Martha) 
So, when I left, 
I was makin' pretty good money.

352
00:17:13,533 --> 00:17:15,566
We had two or three years 
of drought, you know,

353
00:17:15,666 --> 00:17:18,066
and stuff was, 
it was hard.

354
00:17:18,166 --> 00:17:20,066
That was the reason 
I started to work,

355
00:17:20,166 --> 00:17:22,533
to help pay the lunch bill 
for the kids at school,

356
00:17:22,633 --> 00:17:26,133
and just little things 
to help out.

357
00:17:26,233 --> 00:17:29,166
(Linda) 
I had rather saw my mother 
workin' here

358
00:17:29,266 --> 00:17:31,900
-as out in the cotton patch. 
-Well, of course, yes!

359
00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:33,866
(Linda) 
And so, this was--

360
00:17:33,966 --> 00:17:37,200
for all the women, 
that's where they came from.

361
00:17:37,300 --> 00:17:39,400
(downhearted music)

362
00:17:39,500 --> 00:17:43,033
(narrator) 
Post World War II, 
and as civil rights advanced,

363
00:17:43,133 --> 00:17:46,300
African Americans 
left the South on Route 66,

364
00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:49,266
searching for opportunities 
they should, by law,

365
00:17:49,366 --> 00:17:52,433
have had everywhere, 
but did not.

366
00:17:52,533 --> 00:17:54,233
(car honking)

367
00:17:57,833 --> 00:18:00,100
That is your little 
hole-in-the-wall

368
00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:02,633
kind of picture.

369
00:18:02,733 --> 00:18:07,900
It was actually the foundation 
of us going into business,

370
00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:09,133
and what you see there

371
00:18:09,233 --> 00:18:11,333
is two people that enjoyed 
doing what they do.

372
00:18:11,433 --> 00:18:14,066
They enjoyed serving people.

373
00:18:14,166 --> 00:18:15,500
They enjoyed caring for people,

374
00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:19,900
and they were motivated 
by the good Lord to do His will.

375
00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:23,266
When we finally moved into 
this central location,

376
00:18:23,366 --> 00:18:26,600
Mom was actually 
the business part of it,

377
00:18:26,700 --> 00:18:32,266
and she was also the one that 
made customers feel comfortable.

378
00:18:32,366 --> 00:18:34,233
Mom ran the show.

379
00:18:34,333 --> 00:18:36,666
She was actually the glue 
that held us all together.

380
00:18:36,766 --> 00:18:41,066
She was the glue 
that kinda accompanied him

381
00:18:41,166 --> 00:18:43,033
because he drove us,

382
00:18:43,133 --> 00:18:45,700
but she made sure that 
we were ready to be driven.

383
00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:50,300
If you look at the logo here, 
that represents 1870.

384
00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:54,033
1870 was my dad's 
great-great-grandmother,

385
00:18:54,133 --> 00:18:55,466
her name was Aunt Caroline.

386
00:18:55,566 --> 00:18:57,300
Aunt Caroline 
came up with the recipe

387
00:18:57,400 --> 00:18:59,066
to the barbecue sauce,

388
00:18:59,166 --> 00:19:03,033
and she handed it down 
four generations.

389
00:19:03,133 --> 00:19:07,533
Now, she was born in slavery 
in Mississippi,

390
00:19:07,633 --> 00:19:10,533
sold to another family 
into Louisiana,

391
00:19:10,633 --> 00:19:13,433
and she died in Nacogdoches, 
East Texas.

392
00:19:13,533 --> 00:19:17,733
The root of our flavoring 
actually comes out of Louisiana.

393
00:19:17,833 --> 00:19:19,766
(Sharon) 
Now, when your family 
moved over here,

394
00:19:19,866 --> 00:19:21,966
do you happen to remember 
how they traveled,

395
00:19:22,066 --> 00:19:23,800
or how you all traveled?

396
00:19:23,900 --> 00:19:27,266
(Joe) 
We had 66 at Tucumcari, 
I think it was.

397
00:19:27,366 --> 00:19:28,966
Came up Tucumcari, straight up.

398
00:19:29,066 --> 00:19:31,766
We had a station wagon 
that had all of us in it,

399
00:19:31,866 --> 00:19:33,533
it was 13 of us.

400
00:19:33,633 --> 00:19:36,066
And the truck was,

401
00:19:36,166 --> 00:19:37,733
was in as good a shape 
as Dad could get it.

402
00:19:37,833 --> 00:19:40,533
Anyway, Dad and Mom 
argued all night

403
00:19:40,633 --> 00:19:42,933
about whether or not 
we should be doing this.

404
00:19:43,033 --> 00:19:45,933
When we woke up, 
we were here.

405
00:19:46,033 --> 00:19:48,433
(Mike) 
But Mom wanted us all 
to graduate from high school,

406
00:19:48,533 --> 00:19:50,000
go to college, 
go to the military,

407
00:19:50,100 --> 00:19:51,300
wherever they wanted.

408
00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:52,500
And she said,

409
00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:54,166
"I wanted to give them 
the full opportunity."

410
00:19:54,266 --> 00:19:57,833
That opportunity was available 
in New Mexico.

411
00:19:57,933 --> 00:20:00,766
(upbeat music)

412
00:20:00,866 --> 00:20:02,366
(Joe) 
Part of the move was

413
00:20:02,466 --> 00:20:06,600
Brown vs. Board integrating 
schools happened in 1954.

414
00:20:06,700 --> 00:20:10,500
We left there four years later, 
and schools hadn't integrated.

415
00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:12,666
So, that's why some things 
couldn't happen in Texas

416
00:20:12,766 --> 00:20:15,866
'cause Texas was cut and dry, 
Black here, white there.

417
00:20:15,966 --> 00:20:18,933
And we cranked up 
a barbecue operation

418
00:20:19,033 --> 00:20:23,200
on South Broadway, 1962.

419
00:20:23,300 --> 00:20:25,866
So, the business 
started to rise,

420
00:20:25,966 --> 00:20:27,600
I mean, to the point where 
I would meet people,

421
00:20:27,700 --> 00:20:29,366
I met a captain in the Air Force

422
00:20:29,466 --> 00:20:30,900
in San Francisco one night, 
and he said,

423
00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:33,100
"I ate at your folks' restaurant 
the other night.

424
00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:34,766
Wanna go out and see a movie?"

425
00:20:34,866 --> 00:20:36,766
(laughing)

426
00:20:37,966 --> 00:20:38,933
(narrator) 
A strong sense of home

427
00:20:39,033 --> 00:20:41,300
was important 
to Route 66 communities

428
00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:46,133
and the women who led them 
through good times and bad.

429
00:20:46,233 --> 00:20:50,933
Route 66 didn't exactly split 
Times Beach down the middle.

430
00:20:51,033 --> 00:20:54,766
Some of it was on the south side 
of old highway 66.

431
00:20:54,866 --> 00:20:56,466
The largest majority of it

432
00:20:56,566 --> 00:20:59,600
was on the north side 
of old highway 66.

433
00:20:59,700 --> 00:21:02,733
In 1925, the St. Louis 
Star-Times newspaper

434
00:21:02,833 --> 00:21:08,666
acquired the property 
and made it into weekend homes.

435
00:21:08,766 --> 00:21:10,833
A lot of the homes 
were on stilts

436
00:21:10,933 --> 00:21:11,966
because of the flooding.

437
00:21:12,066 --> 00:21:14,266
People used it 
as a summer resort,

438
00:21:14,366 --> 00:21:16,066
or they'd come out 
for the weekend,

439
00:21:16,166 --> 00:21:17,600
you know, bring their family.

440
00:21:17,700 --> 00:21:19,666
(Marilyn) 
Times Beach was very small.

441
00:21:19,766 --> 00:21:22,833
It seemed like everybody 
was related to everybody.

442
00:21:22,933 --> 00:21:26,733
There was under 1,200 people 
at the time I first moved here.

443
00:21:26,833 --> 00:21:30,300
1981, I ran for office.

444
00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:35,100
My platform was to get 
some things in the community

445
00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:36,533
for our young people to do.

446
00:21:36,633 --> 00:21:38,533
(Diane) 
The Times Beach community

447
00:21:38,633 --> 00:21:42,400
was a community of folks 
who were not wealthy.

448
00:21:42,500 --> 00:21:45,100
A lot of 'em came 
after World War II,

449
00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:48,400
and moved into places 
that had been clubhouses.

450
00:21:48,500 --> 00:21:50,766
The roads were all dirt roads.

451
00:21:50,866 --> 00:21:52,933
They got together 
and hired somebody,

452
00:21:53,033 --> 00:21:55,200
Russell Bliss,

453
00:21:55,300 --> 00:22:00,466
to spread oil on the road.

454
00:22:00,566 --> 00:22:05,066
And Russell decided 
the oil he had in his truck

455
00:22:05,166 --> 00:22:06,300
was the best to use.

456
00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:08,766
However, he had been paid

457
00:22:08,866 --> 00:22:12,266
to take that oil 
to a recycling center

458
00:22:12,366 --> 00:22:14,500
because it was contaminated.

459
00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:17,000
(Marilyn) 
Verona is where 
the chemical plant was.

460
00:22:17,100 --> 00:22:19,766
They manufactured 
Agent Orange there,

461
00:22:19,866 --> 00:22:22,266
and dioxin 
is an unwanted byproduct

462
00:22:22,366 --> 00:22:24,633
in the manufacture 
of Agent Orange.

463
00:22:24,733 --> 00:22:27,500
It's the same thing 
that the Vietnam veterans

464
00:22:27,600 --> 00:22:31,133
and the people in Vietnam 
have been exposed to.

465
00:22:31,233 --> 00:22:34,000
On November the 11th, 1982,

466
00:22:34,100 --> 00:22:36,800
I got a call at work 
from the city clerk,

467
00:22:36,900 --> 00:22:38,666
who reported to me 
that a reporter

468
00:22:38,766 --> 00:22:41,233
from a local newspaper 
had called city hall.

469
00:22:41,333 --> 00:22:43,900
Told us that the streets 
were sprayed with waste oil

470
00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:45,500
containing dioxin.

471
00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:47,166
I just couldn't believe it.

472
00:22:47,266 --> 00:22:49,233
(troubled music)

473
00:22:49,333 --> 00:22:53,366
In the early weeks, 
when we were discussing dioxin,

474
00:22:53,466 --> 00:22:56,066
people were telling me, 
as an elected official,

475
00:22:56,166 --> 00:22:58,066
about their health problems.

476
00:22:58,166 --> 00:23:01,100
And then, I got to thinking 
about my family.

477
00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:05,300
I had a daughter 
that had a very rare disorder.

478
00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:06,400
She would swell up,

479
00:23:06,500 --> 00:23:07,933
she'd get hives 
all over her body,

480
00:23:08,033 --> 00:23:10,733
her throat would swell, 
her lips would swell,

481
00:23:10,833 --> 00:23:13,600
her nose would swell, 
her eyes would swell shut.

482
00:23:13,700 --> 00:23:15,166
Her doctor told us

483
00:23:15,266 --> 00:23:19,066
that he thought that it was 
something in the environment.

484
00:23:19,166 --> 00:23:22,466
We had meetings with the EPA, 
who told us at the time

485
00:23:22,566 --> 00:23:25,166
that it would be 
nine months to a year

486
00:23:25,266 --> 00:23:27,233
before they could 
get in and test

487
00:23:27,333 --> 00:23:30,566
to tell us if in fact 
the dioxin was there.

488
00:23:30,666 --> 00:23:33,133
And, of course, 
we were not happy with that,

489
00:23:33,233 --> 00:23:36,433
so we got busy and found a lab 
that could do the testing.

490
00:23:36,533 --> 00:23:39,000
In the meantime, 
I'm coming home from work,

491
00:23:39,100 --> 00:23:40,600
and I'm hearing 
the Corps of Engineers

492
00:23:40,700 --> 00:23:42,500
talk about flooding.

493
00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:43,633
They're predicting flooding

494
00:23:43,733 --> 00:23:45,800
along the low-lying 
areas of the river,

495
00:23:45,900 --> 00:23:48,933
and telling people 
to move to higher ground.

496
00:23:49,033 --> 00:23:51,000
And, of course, 
I was the eternal optimist

497
00:23:51,100 --> 00:23:52,866
who thought 
the dioxin's not there,

498
00:23:52,966 --> 00:23:54,633
and it's not gonna flood.

499
00:23:54,733 --> 00:23:59,266
But on December 5th of 1982, 
the water was coming up.

500
00:23:59,366 --> 00:24:00,800
As the water was coming up,

501
00:24:00,900 --> 00:24:03,000
they were in there 
taking the samples.

502
00:24:03,100 --> 00:24:04,366
The EPA had discovered

503
00:24:04,466 --> 00:24:07,100
that they could also use 
the same lab that we used.

504
00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:09,333
On December the 23rd,

505
00:24:09,433 --> 00:24:12,133
the government told 
the residents of Times Beach

506
00:24:12,233 --> 00:24:15,900
that the levels exceeded 
the one part per billion

507
00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:17,600
that was set as the safe level.

508
00:24:17,700 --> 00:24:20,500
And they told us 
if we were in town,

509
00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:23,033
to leave and not take 
anything with us.

510
00:24:23,133 --> 00:24:25,700
If we were out of town, 
not to come back.

511
00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:29,433
That was our Christmas message 
on December 23rd.

512
00:24:29,533 --> 00:24:31,700
Once these insurance companies

513
00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:34,966
learned that we were exposed 
to this chemical,

514
00:24:35,066 --> 00:24:36,966
they didn't wanna pay.

515
00:24:37,066 --> 00:24:40,000
I think that when I ran 
for the office in 1981,

516
00:24:40,100 --> 00:24:41,633
if I would have known 
I was going to end up

517
00:24:41,733 --> 00:24:43,866
in Washington D.C., 
I wouldn't have run.

518
00:24:43,966 --> 00:24:45,966
But I will say that

519
00:24:46,066 --> 00:24:50,000
the senators and the congressmen 
were very sympathetic.

520
00:24:50,100 --> 00:24:51,866
They did ask a lot of questions.

521
00:24:51,966 --> 00:24:55,000
John Ashcroft 
appointed me trustee

522
00:24:55,100 --> 00:24:59,633
to do the buyout, 
to take title to the property

523
00:24:59,733 --> 00:25:01,566
'till all the property 
was acquired,

524
00:25:01,666 --> 00:25:04,133
and then to sign it over 
to the state of Missouri.

525
00:25:04,233 --> 00:25:06,600
He said, "Marilyn,

526
00:25:06,700 --> 00:25:09,500
when you're given lemons, 
you make lemonade."

527
00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:13,633
And so, there I was taking title 
to all of this property

528
00:25:13,733 --> 00:25:15,766
that was contaminated

529
00:25:15,866 --> 00:25:21,700
with the most toxic chemical 
known to man.

530
00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:23,166
In the early years,

531
00:25:23,266 --> 00:25:25,733
when a resident died 
and they were cremated,

532
00:25:25,833 --> 00:25:27,666
the family 
would bring the ashes,

533
00:25:27,766 --> 00:25:29,333
and they would go out 
in the middle of the bridge,

534
00:25:29,433 --> 00:25:31,900
and they would throw the ashes 
into the river,

535
00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:35,100
along with some flowers 
to say goodbye.

536
00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:37,500
We called it 
our memorial service.

537
00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:39,000
You know what the one thing 
about the bridge,

538
00:25:39,100 --> 00:25:41,600
and I want you to get 
this message across,

539
00:25:41,700 --> 00:25:43,566
people come here 
from all over the world

540
00:25:43,666 --> 00:25:46,100
to see what the government 
has done here.

541
00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:49,333
This is, like, the second 
clean-up of this kind.

542
00:25:49,433 --> 00:25:53,666
And with them not being able 
to cross that bridge,

543
00:25:53,766 --> 00:25:57,900
that bridge is a major 
connection to the history here.

544
00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:03,566
♪

545
00:26:03,666 --> 00:26:07,466
(narrator) 
Route 66 has an overwhelmingly 
positive connotation.

546
00:26:07,566 --> 00:26:10,333
But as the American 
highway system transformed,

547
00:26:10,433 --> 00:26:13,466
so too did 
the Mother Road's reputation.

548
00:26:13,566 --> 00:26:15,066
Starting with 
well-known criminals,

549
00:26:15,166 --> 00:26:17,733
like Bonnie and Clyde 
in the 1930s,

550
00:26:17,833 --> 00:26:19,366
the road was used as a conduit

551
00:26:19,466 --> 00:26:21,333
for several 
vicious killing sprees

552
00:26:21,433 --> 00:26:26,333
that touched women's lives 
and terrorized travelers.

553
00:26:26,433 --> 00:26:28,566
(Brenda) 
So, this place has got 
a lot of history, yeah.

554
00:26:28,666 --> 00:26:32,366
This cafe's been here since '28.

555
00:26:32,466 --> 00:26:33,500
(Becky) 
We would come through here

556
00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:35,933
on our way to the mountains from 
Amarillo.

557
00:26:36,033 --> 00:26:37,933
We would always ask my dad

558
00:26:38,033 --> 00:26:42,500
if we could stop in Adrian 
and eat pie.

559
00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:44,833
(Brenda) 
A lot of people come in sayin', 
"We want your ugly pie,"

560
00:26:44,933 --> 00:26:48,233
and it's not just our ugly pie, 
it's our pies.

561
00:26:48,333 --> 00:26:49,633
It's the name 
of all of our pies.

562
00:26:49,733 --> 00:26:52,566
And we've found out that 
the first one comin' out

563
00:26:52,666 --> 00:26:54,033
sometimes is pretty ugly!

564
00:26:54,133 --> 00:26:55,400
(laughing)

565
00:26:55,500 --> 00:26:57,666
-That's just the way it is. 
-It ends upside down.

566
00:26:57,766 --> 00:27:00,766
It could be a cobbler, even, 
who knows!

567
00:27:00,866 --> 00:27:03,366
(Becky) 
So, it's beautiful 
whenever we eat it

568
00:27:03,466 --> 00:27:04,866
-because it's so delicious. 
-It is!

569
00:27:04,966 --> 00:27:05,866
It doesn't matter 
how it comes out,

570
00:27:05,966 --> 00:27:07,133
it always tastes good, yeah!

571
00:27:07,233 --> 00:27:08,833
(laughing)

572
00:27:08,933 --> 00:27:11,366
(woman) 
It says, "When you're here, 
you're halfway there."

573
00:27:11,466 --> 00:27:14,200
Adrian, now, is very safe.

574
00:27:14,300 --> 00:27:18,200
We hardly have any action 
of any kind.

575
00:27:18,300 --> 00:27:19,600
(easygoing music)

576
00:27:19,700 --> 00:27:22,000
Back in the '60s,

577
00:27:22,100 --> 00:27:25,000
cars were backed up 
all the way down Route 66,

578
00:27:25,100 --> 00:27:29,733
both directions, 
24 hours, even at night.

579
00:27:29,833 --> 00:27:32,800
And there were some things 
that happened, locally,

580
00:27:32,900 --> 00:27:37,633
that kind of made it 
have a dark connotation to it

581
00:27:37,733 --> 00:27:43,733
because of people being murdered 
in businesses and whatnot.

582
00:27:43,833 --> 00:27:47,200
My parents owned 
the State Line Bar,

583
00:27:47,300 --> 00:27:50,866
which was actually 
a combination motel, bar,

584
00:27:50,966 --> 00:27:53,633
grocery store, cafe, 
post office.

585
00:27:53,733 --> 00:27:54,933
(laughing)

586
00:27:55,033 --> 00:27:56,766
You name it.

587
00:27:56,866 --> 00:27:59,666
And then, they sold that 
to my grandparents.

588
00:27:59,766 --> 00:28:02,200
(Becky) 
Didn't some kind of a crime 
happen here?

589
00:28:02,300 --> 00:28:04,033
-Yes, yes. 
-The State Line Bar?

590
00:28:04,133 --> 00:28:06,200
(Roxann) 
Yeah, a lady was murdered, yeah.

591
00:28:06,300 --> 00:28:09,766
-Stabbed. Uh-huh. 
-In the bar?

592
00:28:09,866 --> 00:28:12,466
-She was a customer in the bar? 
-No, she was workin' in there.

593
00:28:12,566 --> 00:28:13,433
(Becky) 
Oh!

594
00:28:13,533 --> 00:28:16,500
(Roxann) 
The original Route 66,

595
00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:19,666
or the main street of Glenrio, 
ran north and south,

596
00:28:19,766 --> 00:28:21,600
and that's where 
most of the businesses were.

597
00:28:21,700 --> 00:28:24,633
Lumberyard, bank, hotels,

598
00:28:24,733 --> 00:28:28,100
railroad station, 
yeah, all kinds of things.

599
00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:30,600
This may be the only 
colored one of the station,

600
00:28:30,700 --> 00:28:32,200
how it used to look.

601
00:28:32,300 --> 00:28:34,333
And my dad.

602
00:28:34,433 --> 00:28:38,466
And my dad put in 
a Texaco station and diner

603
00:28:38,566 --> 00:28:40,400
right here 
in front of the house

604
00:28:40,500 --> 00:28:42,566
the year I was born, 1950.

605
00:28:42,666 --> 00:28:45,733
The town back then 
was very busy!

606
00:28:45,833 --> 00:28:46,966
He would send us kids out

607
00:28:47,066 --> 00:28:50,466
to wash the windshields 
and check the oil.

608
00:28:50,566 --> 00:28:53,600
And then, now, you knew about 
my husband, didn't you?

609
00:28:53,700 --> 00:28:57,366
(Becky) 
Well, I thought maybe 
I had read something about that,

610
00:28:57,466 --> 00:28:59,533
but I wasn't sure 
of the details of it.

611
00:28:59,633 --> 00:29:04,366
(Roxann) 
Yeah, that was in Adrian in '76, 
March of '76.

612
00:29:04,466 --> 00:29:09,333
He was leasing a station 
at the far end of Adrian.

613
00:29:09,433 --> 00:29:12,800
Now, they tore that place down 
right after her was killed,

614
00:29:12,900 --> 00:29:16,600
the owner, he said nobody else 
is gonna be in there.

615
00:29:16,700 --> 00:29:19,600
But, yeah, a man from Dallas,

616
00:29:19,700 --> 00:29:21,533
he'd already killed 
someone else that morning,

617
00:29:21,633 --> 00:29:23,466
stole their car,

618
00:29:23,566 --> 00:29:28,433
and then came along here 
and robbed and shot my husband.

619
00:29:28,533 --> 00:29:32,900
I remember he was planning 
to come home early that night,

620
00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:35,600
and I guess he just didn't 
get gone early enough.

621
00:29:35,700 --> 00:29:37,833
In fact, 
he may have been closing,

622
00:29:37,933 --> 00:29:40,000
with the money out, 
when this guy came along.

623
00:29:40,100 --> 00:29:41,733
I don't know.

624
00:29:41,833 --> 00:29:43,333
Another thing is 
he had a rifle

625
00:29:43,433 --> 00:29:46,000
in the backseat of that Pontiac.

626
00:29:46,100 --> 00:29:49,500
There's a story 
on that Pontiac too.

627
00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:51,100
(sorrowful music)

628
00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:54,133
But it didn't do him any good 
inside the station.

629
00:29:54,233 --> 00:29:56,433
And my son,

630
00:29:56,533 --> 00:29:58,433
he just lacked two days 
being eight months old

631
00:29:58,533 --> 00:30:01,000
-at the time. 
-Goodness.

632
00:30:01,100 --> 00:30:05,433
He was a jokester 
and always pullin' tricks.

633
00:30:05,533 --> 00:30:07,133
(laughing)

634
00:30:07,233 --> 00:30:08,933
Always laughin', lot of fun.

635
00:30:09,033 --> 00:30:10,533
I made the shirt.

636
00:30:10,633 --> 00:30:14,933
Yeah, I used to make 
all of his shirts.

637
00:30:15,033 --> 00:30:16,566
Sadly, this particular one

638
00:30:16,666 --> 00:30:22,533
is the one I chose 
to bury him in, even.

639
00:30:22,633 --> 00:30:25,100
Yeah, he never saw this picture.

640
00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:26,833
(narrator) 
As they interacted more 
with the public

641
00:30:26,933 --> 00:30:28,433
through their businesses,

642
00:30:28,533 --> 00:30:30,066
women were increasingly aware

643
00:30:30,166 --> 00:30:32,466
that they might 
be targeted at work,

644
00:30:32,566 --> 00:30:34,933
and they took measures 
to protect themselves.

645
00:30:35,033 --> 00:30:38,333
The Coliseum Ballroom 
was the kind of place

646
00:30:38,433 --> 00:30:41,766
where every mother didn't want 
her teenage daughter to go,

647
00:30:41,866 --> 00:30:44,000
and I speak 
from experience on that

648
00:30:44,100 --> 00:30:46,366
because I grew up 
during that era...

649
00:30:46,466 --> 00:30:48,300
(lively music)

650
00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:51,933
...going sometimes on weekends 
to see the big bands

651
00:30:52,033 --> 00:30:53,966
and the big artists 
that were there.

652
00:30:54,066 --> 00:30:55,633
It was the exception 
for a woman

653
00:30:55,733 --> 00:30:58,033
to operate a theatre 
or a ballroom,

654
00:30:58,133 --> 00:31:00,300
particularly a ballroom 
such as this,

655
00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:03,200
where there could be 
a very rowdy crowd.

656
00:31:03,300 --> 00:31:05,000
♪

657
00:31:05,100 --> 00:31:07,866
Joyce Tarro was the owner 
and operator

658
00:31:07,966 --> 00:31:11,500
of the Coliseum Ballroom 
in Benld, Illinois.

659
00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:13,333
Joyce was a tough broad.

660
00:31:13,433 --> 00:31:17,266
She packed a pistol, 
at least one at a time.

661
00:31:17,366 --> 00:31:20,866
She could actually 
throw out troublemakers

662
00:31:20,966 --> 00:31:23,166
all by herself, she didn't 
need to call a bouncer.

663
00:31:23,266 --> 00:31:25,266
So, she was a tough, 
tough woman.

664
00:31:25,366 --> 00:31:26,766
Her father, Dominic Tarro,

665
00:31:26,866 --> 00:31:31,133
had established 
the Coliseum Ballroom in 1923,

666
00:31:31,233 --> 00:31:33,433
actually the same year 
that Joyce was born.

667
00:31:33,533 --> 00:31:35,500
(machine whirring)

668
00:31:35,600 --> 00:31:39,400
Benld was a town of mines, 
and immigrants,

669
00:31:39,500 --> 00:31:42,200
and bootleg stills.

670
00:31:42,300 --> 00:31:44,700
The Coliseum Ballroom 
became famous

671
00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:47,233
for all the big-name bands 
that came there,

672
00:31:47,333 --> 00:31:50,033
Tommy Dorsey, 
and Count Basie,

673
00:31:50,133 --> 00:31:54,733
and it attracted as many 
as 2,000 people of an evening.

674
00:31:54,833 --> 00:31:57,200
They could accommodate 
a big crowd in there.

675
00:31:57,300 --> 00:31:59,833
Joyce's father, Dominic,

676
00:31:59,933 --> 00:32:04,300
was indicted for bootlegging 
in the 1920s,

677
00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:06,700
and after that, he disappeared.

678
00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:09,800
His body was found floating 
in the Illinois River.

679
00:32:09,900 --> 00:32:11,900
After that, his wife, Marie,

680
00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:13,766
took over the operation 
of the ballroom.

681
00:32:13,866 --> 00:32:16,766
But in 1955, she retired,

682
00:32:16,866 --> 00:32:21,133
and Joyce became the operator 
of the ballroom.

683
00:32:21,233 --> 00:32:26,266
So, she operated the ballroom 
for over 20 years.

684
00:32:26,366 --> 00:32:27,900
(jazz music)

685
00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:29,066
She had this habit

686
00:32:29,166 --> 00:32:31,700
of bringing the night's receipts 
home with her

687
00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:33,433
in the wee hours, of course, 
in the morning,

688
00:32:33,533 --> 00:32:36,833
2:00, 3:00, 
after the ballroom had closed.

689
00:32:36,933 --> 00:32:39,766
And on that night, 
after the Valentine's dance,

690
00:32:39,866 --> 00:32:42,966
she got home with about 
$3,000 worth of receipts

691
00:32:43,066 --> 00:32:45,166
and her pistol on her hip,

692
00:32:45,266 --> 00:32:47,366
and she heard a noise 
inside her house.

693
00:32:47,466 --> 00:32:48,933
(shattering)

694
00:32:49,033 --> 00:32:51,433
Intruders had 
broken into her house

695
00:32:51,533 --> 00:32:55,633
and were waiting for her, 
and a gun battle ensued.

696
00:32:55,733 --> 00:32:57,866
Joyce took about six 
or seven bullets,

697
00:32:57,966 --> 00:33:01,900
and she was dead by the time 
the authorities got there.

698
00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:05,100
But she's a legend 
in the area.

699
00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:07,233
(easygoing music)

700
00:33:07,333 --> 00:33:10,066
(narrator) 
The roadside architecture 
of Route 66,

701
00:33:10,166 --> 00:33:12,433
from its buildings, 
to its signage,

702
00:33:12,533 --> 00:33:15,133
leave an indelible impression 
on travelers,

703
00:33:15,233 --> 00:33:18,733
and have been a source 
for much creative inspiration.

704
00:33:18,833 --> 00:33:20,733
In '98, 
I was living in St. Louis,

705
00:33:20,833 --> 00:33:25,033
and there were several landmarks 
along Watson Road,

706
00:33:25,133 --> 00:33:27,966
Old Route 66, 
that were being torn down,

707
00:33:28,066 --> 00:33:33,133
and I got really pissed off.

708
00:33:33,233 --> 00:33:38,400
So, I'm calling this 
Self Portrait Route 66 Lament.

709
00:33:38,500 --> 00:33:41,900
It's showing myself angry.

710
00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:45,133
My dog, Maxine, she's angry.

711
00:33:45,233 --> 00:33:46,800
Coral Court, gone.

712
00:33:46,900 --> 00:33:49,633
The 66 Park-In Theatre, gone.

713
00:33:49,733 --> 00:33:51,800
Crystal Motel, gone.

714
00:33:51,900 --> 00:33:53,666
Wayside Motel, still there,

715
00:33:53,766 --> 00:33:56,300
the sign, the neon sign, gone.

716
00:33:56,400 --> 00:33:58,266
I remember being there

717
00:33:58,366 --> 00:34:01,533
when Coral Court 
was just destroyed,

718
00:34:01,633 --> 00:34:04,433
and there was just bricks 
all over the place.

719
00:34:04,533 --> 00:34:06,933
It was just so sad.

720
00:34:07,033 --> 00:34:11,033
The Coral Court Motel 
was on Watson Road

721
00:34:11,133 --> 00:34:13,500
in the village 
of Marlborough, Missouri,

722
00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:17,233
which is west, 
southwest St. Louis County,

723
00:34:17,333 --> 00:34:19,600
and it's definitely on Route 66.

724
00:34:19,700 --> 00:34:23,900
And the Coral Court 
was a natural day's drive

725
00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:25,966
from Chicago to St. Louis,

726
00:34:26,066 --> 00:34:28,900
so it was the perfect place 
for people to stop,

727
00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:32,533
for families to stop, 
for salesmen to stop.

728
00:34:32,633 --> 00:34:34,466
Really, one of the first 
photographs

729
00:34:34,566 --> 00:34:37,733
that I remember taking, 
it was at night, thinking,

730
00:34:37,833 --> 00:34:39,766
"Well, I'll just 
sneak out there."

731
00:34:39,866 --> 00:34:43,166
I'm like, "Maybe if I just 
jump out of the car,

732
00:34:43,266 --> 00:34:44,466
and take a photo, 
and leave,

733
00:34:44,566 --> 00:34:47,800
nobody will see me, 
and grab my camera."

734
00:34:47,900 --> 00:34:49,133
I just had this fear

735
00:34:49,233 --> 00:34:51,600
that they were gonna 
rip the film outta my camera.

736
00:34:51,700 --> 00:34:56,300
The owner of the Coral Court 
Motel was John Carr,

737
00:34:56,400 --> 00:34:59,333
and he was married to Jessie,

738
00:34:59,433 --> 00:35:04,166
and they acquired the property 
in 1940.

739
00:35:04,266 --> 00:35:06,466
They built the Coral Court

740
00:35:06,566 --> 00:35:10,266
with the great architect, 
Adolph Struebig, in 1941,

741
00:35:10,366 --> 00:35:13,333
and the motel opened in 1942.

742
00:35:13,433 --> 00:35:16,100
People just loved that you could

743
00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:18,000
drive your car 
right into the garage,

744
00:35:18,100 --> 00:35:20,166
close it, 
and go right into the room.

745
00:35:20,266 --> 00:35:23,466
You could hide away 
from your spouse,

746
00:35:23,566 --> 00:35:27,466
or the police, 
or any number of things.

747
00:35:27,566 --> 00:35:30,633
Carr, some people 
thought he was generous,

748
00:35:30,733 --> 00:35:32,900
some people thought 
he was terrific.

749
00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:37,566
And then, you find out that 
he did time at Leavenworth,

750
00:35:37,666 --> 00:35:41,100
and he had a brothel 
in the city before this,

751
00:35:41,200 --> 00:35:47,000
and rumor has it that Jessie 
was his favorite prostitute.

752
00:35:47,100 --> 00:35:50,466
I mean, this is some 
good times here.

753
00:35:50,566 --> 00:35:53,100
(nostalgic music)

754
00:35:53,200 --> 00:35:56,900
The rumors, like this photo 
of how many people

755
00:35:57,000 --> 00:35:59,300
will fit into 
a Coral Court shower stall,

756
00:35:59,400 --> 00:36:01,833
people used to have parties 
at Coral Court.

757
00:36:01,933 --> 00:36:03,833
They just had parties.

758
00:36:03,933 --> 00:36:07,900
I mean, like, society people 
would just wanna go there

759
00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:10,900
because everybody knew 
about Coral Court

760
00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:13,133
and the reputation it had.

761
00:36:13,233 --> 00:36:16,333
Yeah, being a mom, 
it's always a struggle

762
00:36:16,433 --> 00:36:18,166
trying to do your creative work.

763
00:36:18,266 --> 00:36:22,800
My handsome son, 
he got to ride along with me.

764
00:36:22,900 --> 00:36:25,133
Sometimes, I'd just 
pick him up after school

765
00:36:25,233 --> 00:36:28,566
and just drive somewhere 
to photograph a neon sign.

766
00:36:28,666 --> 00:36:30,400
(playful music)

767
00:36:30,500 --> 00:36:36,200
Any historic sign 
really gives the neighborhood

768
00:36:36,300 --> 00:36:39,100
a sense of its history 
and its place.

769
00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:41,600
And we're here 
on Figueroa Street,

770
00:36:41,700 --> 00:36:44,300
North Figueroa Street 
in Highland Park.

771
00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:47,166
It's a part of 
Historic Route 66.

772
00:36:47,266 --> 00:36:48,700
And we're at my studio,

773
00:36:48,800 --> 00:36:53,466
which has on its roof 
a statue called Chicken Boy,

774
00:36:53,566 --> 00:36:56,700
and he has become a landmark.

775
00:36:56,800 --> 00:37:01,800
♪

776
00:37:01,900 --> 00:37:05,766
Originally, the statue 
was on top of a restaurant

777
00:37:05,866 --> 00:37:07,666
that was called Chicken Boy.

778
00:37:07,766 --> 00:37:12,133
It was on Broadway, 
between 4th and 5th Streets.

779
00:37:12,233 --> 00:37:15,166
The terminus of Route 66 
is 7th and Broadway,

780
00:37:15,266 --> 00:37:17,900
so he was really, 
really close by.

781
00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:21,866
He became this kind of 
marker in my life.

782
00:37:21,966 --> 00:37:25,400
So, I kept going back 
to just wave at him.

783
00:37:25,500 --> 00:37:28,900
Most of these visitations 
were late at night,

784
00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:32,133
sort of one the way home 
from a night club,

785
00:37:32,233 --> 00:37:35,533
or dinner, 
or something like that.

786
00:37:35,633 --> 00:37:38,433
One night, really late, 
I'm driving by him,

787
00:37:38,533 --> 00:37:41,066
and the restaurant 
was boarded up,

788
00:37:41,166 --> 00:37:45,600
and there was a for lease sign 
on the boards.

789
00:37:45,700 --> 00:37:48,266
So I took down the number, 
and I just started calling.

790
00:37:48,366 --> 00:37:49,933
I just wanted to make sure that

791
00:37:50,033 --> 00:37:51,300
they weren't gonna take him 
off the building

792
00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:53,766
and take him to the desert 
and shoot him up.

793
00:37:53,866 --> 00:37:55,733
I wanted people 
to be able to see him

794
00:37:55,833 --> 00:37:58,266
because he was important to me.

795
00:37:58,366 --> 00:37:59,733
He was my friend.

796
00:37:59,833 --> 00:38:02,533
So, I was interested 
in just making sure

797
00:38:02,633 --> 00:38:04,400
that he was gonna be okay.

798
00:38:04,500 --> 00:38:07,466
I had no intention 
of actually acquiring him,

799
00:38:07,566 --> 00:38:11,466
and having this big adventure 
spanning many decades,

800
00:38:11,566 --> 00:38:13,333
but that's how it happened.

801
00:38:13,433 --> 00:38:16,566
When I first got the statue,

802
00:38:16,666 --> 00:38:19,533
I had him in storage, 
and I had to pay for storage.

803
00:38:19,633 --> 00:38:21,766
So, I created 
a mail-order catalog,

804
00:38:21,866 --> 00:38:25,266
and I actually got a lot 
of press from doing that.

805
00:38:25,366 --> 00:38:27,500
And I would say, 
"Oh, send me a dollar,

806
00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:29,000
and I'll send you a catalog."

807
00:38:29,100 --> 00:38:33,200
So, I started getting 
all kinds of amazing letters

808
00:38:33,300 --> 00:38:35,700
like this one.

809
00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:40,133
I have three or four binders 
full of these letters,

810
00:38:40,233 --> 00:38:44,033
post cards, 
just crazy comments from people.

811
00:38:44,133 --> 00:38:45,800
"I read about you 
and Chicken Boy

812
00:38:45,900 --> 00:38:48,766
in the December 28th issue 
of the Chicago Tribune.

813
00:38:48,866 --> 00:38:51,800
That's when I said, 
'Yes, I need a catalog.'"

814
00:38:51,900 --> 00:38:53,833
When we first moved 
to Highland Park,

815
00:38:53,933 --> 00:38:57,233
we knew that we were gonna try 
and put Chicken Boy on our roof.

816
00:38:57,333 --> 00:39:00,100
It's been a challenge 
from the get-go,

817
00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:01,966
having to deal with the city,

818
00:39:02,066 --> 00:39:04,733
getting permits, 
getting structural engineering.

819
00:39:04,833 --> 00:39:06,400
This is a historic neighborhood,

820
00:39:06,500 --> 00:39:10,100
so I had to do presentations 
to a lot of different groups

821
00:39:10,200 --> 00:39:12,766
who had to sign off 
on this whole project.

822
00:39:12,866 --> 00:39:17,000
And when you're dealing with, 
"Hey, I wanna put this statue

823
00:39:17,100 --> 00:39:20,333
of a man with a chicken's head 
on my roof,"

824
00:39:20,433 --> 00:39:21,533
a lot of people,

825
00:39:21,633 --> 00:39:24,500
they don't hear 
what you're saying.

826
00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:27,133
They don't get it, 
including city planning.

827
00:39:27,233 --> 00:39:28,966
They were tough!

828
00:39:29,066 --> 00:39:32,900
Obviously, nobody wanted to be 
the one who signed off on it,

829
00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:34,833
so I kept getting rejected.

830
00:39:34,933 --> 00:39:37,866
But, they never 
made it official,

831
00:39:37,966 --> 00:39:39,266
so I just kept going back.

832
00:39:39,366 --> 00:39:42,400
When I first saw Chicken Boy,

833
00:39:42,500 --> 00:39:47,600
what I saw was somebody 
who was kind of awkward,

834
00:39:47,700 --> 00:39:50,200
and self-conscious,

835
00:39:50,300 --> 00:39:53,200
and sort of 
felt like an outsider,

836
00:39:53,300 --> 00:39:55,700
and all he really wanted to do

837
00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:59,233
was be accepted 
for who he really is.

838
00:39:59,333 --> 00:40:01,633
And, okay, 
so that's probably me.

839
00:40:01,733 --> 00:40:04,366
I was totally projecting that 
at the time.

840
00:40:04,466 --> 00:40:07,933
But I have found that 
a lot of other people

841
00:40:08,033 --> 00:40:11,533
really respond to him 
in the same kind of manner.

842
00:40:11,633 --> 00:40:12,900
It might be subconscious,

843
00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:16,466
but I think the outsider 
who just wants to fit in

844
00:40:16,566 --> 00:40:19,100
is kind of a universal thing.

845
00:40:19,200 --> 00:40:22,700
I think that's what 
a lot of people see in him.

846
00:40:22,800 --> 00:40:24,766
(narrator) 
When Route 66 
caught the attention

847
00:40:24,866 --> 00:40:26,366
of American cinema,

848
00:40:26,466 --> 00:40:29,500
it brought women's stories 
to an international audience

849
00:40:29,600 --> 00:40:33,433
and captured their interest.

850
00:40:33,533 --> 00:40:36,300
(Dawn) 
My grandmother's recipe, 
it's got three ingredients,

851
00:40:36,400 --> 00:40:39,466
butter, flour, and sugar.

852
00:40:39,566 --> 00:40:40,866
-Hello, Dawn! 
-Hi, Aleta!

853
00:40:40,966 --> 00:40:42,600
-Are you still working? 
-I am,

854
00:40:42,700 --> 00:40:46,333
still makin' peach cobbler, 
still at it!

855
00:40:46,433 --> 00:40:48,233
Yup, the gang's all here.

856
00:40:48,333 --> 00:40:50,233
(upbeat music)

857
00:40:50,333 --> 00:40:52,566
♪

858
00:40:52,666 --> 00:40:53,833
(Beverly) 
For you, what was it like,

859
00:40:53,933 --> 00:40:55,900
at 24, 
getting off a cruise ship,

860
00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:58,266
and coming to Stroud, 
and deciding to stick around?

861
00:40:58,366 --> 00:41:00,366
What was in your head 
making you wanna do that?

862
00:41:00,466 --> 00:41:02,300
(Dawn) 
Well, I wasn't gonna 
ever do it, obviously,

863
00:41:02,400 --> 00:41:05,300
I was never gonna stay 
in Stroud, Oklahoma.

864
00:41:05,400 --> 00:41:08,200
I was just passing through.

865
00:41:08,300 --> 00:41:11,033
Ed Smalley was the first person 
that I met here.

866
00:41:11,133 --> 00:41:14,033
I was riding on my roller blades 
down Main Street,

867
00:41:14,133 --> 00:41:16,033
and a truck pulls up next to me.

868
00:41:16,133 --> 00:41:18,966
So, he knew who I was 
from my mom,

869
00:41:19,066 --> 00:41:20,233
who was bragging to everybody

870
00:41:20,333 --> 00:41:22,433
that her daughter 
from the cruise ship was here.

871
00:41:22,533 --> 00:41:24,733
And so, he pulls up beside me, 
and he said he'd heard

872
00:41:24,833 --> 00:41:26,466
that I was lookin' for 
restaurant equipment,

873
00:41:26,566 --> 00:41:27,866
and he had a place

874
00:41:27,966 --> 00:41:30,033
that he was sellin' 
the restaurant equipment in,

875
00:41:30,133 --> 00:41:31,133
and to follow him.

876
00:41:31,233 --> 00:41:33,566
I can remember him saying,

877
00:41:33,666 --> 00:41:38,533
gently edging me into the idea 
of renting the cafe.

878
00:41:38,633 --> 00:41:41,200
24 years old, and I said,

879
00:41:41,300 --> 00:41:44,900
"Okay, well, 
how much would you rent it for?"

880
00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:48,066
-He said, "$200 a month." 
-That's a bargain!

881
00:41:48,166 --> 00:41:50,400
-It was a bargain even then! 
-It was a bargain,

882
00:41:50,500 --> 00:41:51,900
and I thought, "Sold!"

883
00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:53,900
And I drove to Oklahoma City,

884
00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:56,433
and I bought 
a how to run a restaurant book.

885
00:41:56,533 --> 00:41:57,900
After I got the book, 
I came back here,

886
00:41:58,000 --> 00:41:59,333
and I went 
to the Stroud Public Library

887
00:41:59,433 --> 00:42:01,266
'cause it said I needed 
a business plan.

888
00:42:01,366 --> 00:42:02,400
So, I go to the library,

889
00:42:02,500 --> 00:42:04,100
and I figure out 
how many people live in Stroud.

890
00:42:04,200 --> 00:42:06,400
There's 2,500 people,

891
00:42:06,500 --> 00:42:08,466
and with paying 
$200 a month's rent,

892
00:42:08,566 --> 00:42:09,733
I figured I needed to sell

893
00:42:09,833 --> 00:42:12,766
ten hamburgers, fries, 
and Cokes, per day.

894
00:42:12,866 --> 00:42:13,900
I came back to Ed, 
and I said,

895
00:42:14,000 --> 00:42:14,966
"I think we can do it.

896
00:42:15,066 --> 00:42:17,066
I think I can get 
ten people a day."

897
00:42:17,166 --> 00:42:19,033
(Aleta) 
24 years old?

898
00:42:19,133 --> 00:42:20,600
-That's amazing! 
-Yeah.

899
00:42:20,700 --> 00:42:26,133
I had Alexis in November, 
and I thought,

900
00:42:26,233 --> 00:42:30,633
again, now I'm 25, and poor,

901
00:42:30,733 --> 00:42:34,166
and thinkin', "Well, 
I can't afford childcare.

902
00:42:34,266 --> 00:42:35,766
I'll just put her up 
at the Rock Cafe."

903
00:42:35,866 --> 00:42:38,233
So, I had a little 
Noah's basket,

904
00:42:38,333 --> 00:42:39,666
and I put in there,

905
00:42:39,766 --> 00:42:41,000
and I would bring her to work 
in that Noah's basket,

906
00:42:41,100 --> 00:42:43,033
and nothing ever 
changed for her.

907
00:42:43,133 --> 00:42:44,400
So, I would bring it up here,

908
00:42:44,500 --> 00:42:46,233
and I'd set it in the middle 
of one of the tables,

909
00:42:46,333 --> 00:42:47,833
and the customers 
all took care of her,

910
00:42:47,933 --> 00:42:48,933
and gooed at her.

911
00:42:49,033 --> 00:42:50,233
And I made burgers,

912
00:42:50,333 --> 00:42:53,000
and we just carried on 
like everything was normal.

913
00:42:53,100 --> 00:42:55,166
(Suzanne) 
The first call 
came to my office,

914
00:42:55,266 --> 00:42:58,366
I had a public relations agency.

915
00:42:58,466 --> 00:43:00,433
And the secretary came in 
and said,

916
00:43:00,533 --> 00:43:03,266
"There's somebody on the phone 
named John Lasseter,

917
00:43:03,366 --> 00:43:04,966
and he wants 
to talk to Michael.

918
00:43:05,066 --> 00:43:06,433
I don't know who it is."

919
00:43:06,533 --> 00:43:10,200
And I said, "I think Michael 
will take the call."

920
00:43:10,300 --> 00:43:13,633
(Dawn) 
Up pulled three, big, long 
Lincoln town cars

921
00:43:13,733 --> 00:43:16,366
and they were full of 14 people 
from Pixar Animation Studios

922
00:43:16,466 --> 00:43:17,633
and Michael Wallis.

923
00:43:17,733 --> 00:43:19,000
And they parked their cars,

924
00:43:19,100 --> 00:43:20,700
and they immediately start 
gettin' out all this equipment,

925
00:43:20,800 --> 00:43:22,733
and they start 
setting it up everywhere.

926
00:43:22,833 --> 00:43:25,166
John Lasseter walks up to me, 
and he says,

927
00:43:25,266 --> 00:43:26,533
"I want you to sit down 
here at this table,

928
00:43:26,633 --> 00:43:28,000
and I wanna know 
everything about you."

929
00:43:28,100 --> 00:43:30,800
So I just talked to him 
for four hours straight.

930
00:43:30,900 --> 00:43:32,966
(Aleta) 
Oh, my goodness! At 9:00?

931
00:43:33,066 --> 00:43:34,300
(Dawn) 
Yeah, it was late.

932
00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:37,200
I think they left about 
2:00 or 3:00 in the morning.

933
00:43:37,300 --> 00:43:38,766
My sign was broken,

934
00:43:38,866 --> 00:43:40,466
and they wanted a picture 
of that neon sign.

935
00:43:40,566 --> 00:43:42,700
It would only flash on 
for a second.

936
00:43:42,800 --> 00:43:44,333
So I told 'em to go 
set their cameras up,

937
00:43:44,433 --> 00:43:45,666
and I would come in here,

938
00:43:45,766 --> 00:43:47,233
and I would turn that sign 
off and on.

939
00:43:47,333 --> 00:43:48,933
I was so embarrassed.

940
00:43:49,033 --> 00:43:50,000
And I kept tellin' 'em,

941
00:43:50,100 --> 00:43:51,866
"We're gonna be 
newly refurbished soon!

942
00:43:51,966 --> 00:43:53,466
We're gonna be 
newly refurbished soon."

943
00:43:53,566 --> 00:43:55,333
I'm flippin' that light 
off and on.

944
00:43:55,433 --> 00:43:59,066
And that's why the neon part 
in the movie is in the movie.

945
00:43:59,166 --> 00:44:02,000
Sally is always talkin' about 
being newly refurbished.

946
00:44:02,100 --> 00:44:03,766
Then, we went 
to the movie premier.

947
00:44:03,866 --> 00:44:06,566
And from the time it started, 
I just started crying

948
00:44:06,666 --> 00:44:09,400
because I knew it would be 
for an eternity for my children,

949
00:44:09,500 --> 00:44:11,766
which is why I was 
so open with 'em.

950
00:44:11,866 --> 00:44:13,766
But never in a million, 
thousand years

951
00:44:13,866 --> 00:44:19,533
did I think they were gonna tell 
my life story on a big screen.

952
00:44:19,633 --> 00:44:22,466
-Still get emotional! 
-I do!

953
00:44:22,566 --> 00:44:24,466
(laidback music)

954
00:44:24,566 --> 00:44:26,933
♪

955
00:44:27,033 --> 00:44:29,100
(narrator) 
Women entrepreneurs 
have been at the forefront

956
00:44:29,200 --> 00:44:31,033
of creating business 
opportunities

957
00:44:31,133 --> 00:44:33,200
in unexpected ways.

958
00:44:33,300 --> 00:44:40,500
♪

959
00:44:40,600 --> 00:44:43,066
(Melba) 
This is the home 
of the original inspiration

960
00:44:43,166 --> 00:44:46,300
for Tow Mater in the movie Cars, 
and you're at Cars on the Route.

961
00:44:46,400 --> 00:44:47,500
A lot of people come

962
00:44:47,600 --> 00:44:49,466
just to find the cars 
that are in the movie!

963
00:44:49,566 --> 00:44:52,600
I mean, I think that movie 
helped Route 66 a lot!

964
00:44:52,700 --> 00:44:57,533
Tow Mater, this is actually 
a 1951 International boom truck.

965
00:44:57,633 --> 00:44:58,766
One, two, three, four.

966
00:44:58,866 --> 00:45:00,066
See how they don't see ya, 
and then, see,

967
00:45:00,166 --> 00:45:01,200
you wave at 'em, 
and here they come.

968
00:45:01,300 --> 00:45:02,733
See, here they come.

969
00:45:02,833 --> 00:45:04,633
Hi, guys!

970
00:45:04,733 --> 00:45:07,233
-Where y'all from? 
-Germany.

971
00:45:07,333 --> 00:45:10,133
(Melba) 
Germany, oh, 
I was stationed in Kitzingen.

972
00:45:10,233 --> 00:45:13,500
Now, we got hamburgers inside, 
clean bathrooms, cold drinks.

973
00:45:13,600 --> 00:45:14,666
The most important thing, right?

974
00:45:14,766 --> 00:45:15,733
-Yeah! 
-Yeah, yeah!

975
00:45:15,833 --> 00:45:17,000
(laughing)

976
00:45:17,100 --> 00:45:18,966
We need six hamburgers 
for six Germans,

977
00:45:19,066 --> 00:45:20,700
and six cold Cokes.

978
00:45:20,800 --> 00:45:22,233
They wanna see the old 
greasy hamburgers.

979
00:45:22,333 --> 00:45:24,166
They don't want the health food.

980
00:45:24,266 --> 00:45:26,066
They want nostalgia, 
that's what they want.

981
00:45:26,166 --> 00:45:28,900
And they want friendly people, 
and they want you

982
00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:30,600
to spend time with them 
and talk to them.

983
00:45:30,700 --> 00:45:32,600
They just don't want you 
to try to sell somethin' to 'em.

984
00:45:32,700 --> 00:45:35,800
We started this business, 
and this town was like,

985
00:45:35,900 --> 00:45:36,966
"What are you guys doin'?

986
00:45:37,066 --> 00:45:38,733
This is crazy, 
you're not gonna get no people."

987
00:45:38,833 --> 00:45:40,200
We get busses, we get bikes,

988
00:45:40,300 --> 00:45:42,200
we get families, we get RVs.

989
00:45:42,300 --> 00:45:43,933
And now, if you go up 
to the city, Galena,

990
00:45:44,033 --> 00:45:46,000
and I say city 
because we were one stoplight,

991
00:45:46,100 --> 00:45:47,233
and now we're two stoplights.

992
00:45:47,333 --> 00:45:48,533
That's a big thing 
for a town like this.

993
00:45:48,633 --> 00:45:50,833
We get anywhere from 1,000 
to 2,000 Americans through here

994
00:45:50,933 --> 00:45:51,966
in a six-month period.

995
00:45:52,066 --> 00:45:54,166
Anywhere from 3,000 
to 5,000 Europeans.

996
00:45:54,266 --> 00:45:57,900
(Diana) 
Along Route 66, 
there are tons of communities

997
00:45:58,000 --> 00:46:01,766
that were once a part 
of this active highway.

998
00:46:01,866 --> 00:46:03,233
And a lot of the things 
that they've built

999
00:46:03,333 --> 00:46:05,100
represent American history.

1000
00:46:05,200 --> 00:46:08,866
And the places that exist 
in the world around us

1001
00:46:08,966 --> 00:46:10,166
tell our story.

1002
00:46:10,266 --> 00:46:20,200
♪

1003
00:46:20,300 --> 00:46:21,533
The Threatt filling station

1004
00:46:21,633 --> 00:46:26,833
is located three miles east 
of the city of Luther, Oklahoma.

1005
00:46:26,933 --> 00:46:31,033
And Luther is about 20 miles 
outside of Oklahoma City.

1006
00:46:31,133 --> 00:46:32,266
The Threatt filling station

1007
00:46:32,366 --> 00:46:34,866
was the only African 
American-owned filling station

1008
00:46:34,966 --> 00:46:37,900
on Route 66 in the country.

1009
00:46:38,000 --> 00:46:40,866
(Edward) 
That's Mrs. Threatt, 
that's her dad,

1010
00:46:40,966 --> 00:46:45,033
that's her mom, 
brothers, and sisters.

1011
00:46:45,133 --> 00:46:47,100
-That's her grandmother, okay? 
-Oh, really?

1012
00:46:47,200 --> 00:46:49,566
-Yeah. 
-That's history.

1013
00:46:49,666 --> 00:46:52,133
(David) 
It was located in-between 
two sundown towns,

1014
00:46:52,233 --> 00:46:54,033
which meant that people of color

1015
00:46:54,133 --> 00:46:58,300
weren't safe or welcome 
in those towns after dark.

1016
00:46:58,400 --> 00:47:01,433
There were actual signs 
that were up

1017
00:47:01,533 --> 00:47:06,566
that these towns had placed 
on the outskirts of their town

1018
00:47:06,666 --> 00:47:08,200
saying that, basically it said

1019
00:47:08,300 --> 00:47:15,233
Negroes and Mexicans 
not welcome after sundown.

1020
00:47:15,333 --> 00:47:18,133
Couldn't stay in a hotel at all 
in any of those cities.

1021
00:47:18,233 --> 00:47:21,233
So, fortunately, 
this was a place

1022
00:47:21,333 --> 00:47:23,300
where they could come 
not only to get some food,

1023
00:47:23,400 --> 00:47:24,600
get some gas,

1024
00:47:24,700 --> 00:47:28,266
but they could pull around 
behind the station, park there,

1025
00:47:28,366 --> 00:47:31,266
yeah, they could park there, 
spend the night,

1026
00:47:31,366 --> 00:47:33,433
and be able 
to get up the next day

1027
00:47:33,533 --> 00:47:36,033
and freshen up 
and go about their way.

1028
00:47:36,133 --> 00:47:39,500
Every weekend, 
this place was booming.

1029
00:47:39,600 --> 00:47:41,633
I mean, there were more people--

1030
00:47:41,733 --> 00:47:46,700
And it didn't matter which race 
or nationality you were.

1031
00:47:46,800 --> 00:47:48,800
You were always welcome here.

1032
00:47:48,900 --> 00:47:50,266
There was a ball field.

1033
00:47:50,366 --> 00:47:52,466
The Negro leagues 
were able to stop there,

1034
00:47:52,566 --> 00:47:54,833
play ball, 
and that was a big deal.

1035
00:47:54,933 --> 00:47:56,900
I mean, 
people came from all around

1036
00:47:57,000 --> 00:47:59,966
the surrounding communities 
to watch the teams play.

1037
00:48:00,133 --> 00:48:02,733
(man) 
It was just a place where 
people congregated to have fun,

1038
00:48:02,833 --> 00:48:04,433
-have a good time... 
-And be safe.

1039
00:48:04,533 --> 00:48:07,000
-...and be safe, exactly. 
-Yeah, yeah.

1040
00:48:07,100 --> 00:48:09,366
(David) 
Aunt Elizabeth 
ran the filling station

1041
00:48:09,466 --> 00:48:11,133
with my Uncle Ulysses,

1042
00:48:11,233 --> 00:48:13,966
and they ran it together there 
for 18 years.

1043
00:48:14,066 --> 00:48:17,100
And she, 
after my uncle passed away,

1044
00:48:17,200 --> 00:48:19,200
she ran it for about 
another 20 years.

1045
00:48:19,300 --> 00:48:20,700
(Vivian) 
She ran the filling station.

1046
00:48:20,800 --> 00:48:25,500
She had other little snacks 
and things

1047
00:48:25,600 --> 00:48:27,133
around this counter right here.

1048
00:48:27,233 --> 00:48:30,900
I can remember she had a big--

1049
00:48:31,000 --> 00:48:33,200
it was a pop machine, 
Coke machine, or something,

1050
00:48:33,300 --> 00:48:35,333
that was behind that counter.

1051
00:48:35,433 --> 00:48:37,866
And if you came in to buy a pop,

1052
00:48:37,966 --> 00:48:39,766
she used to raise the top up 
and get out,

1053
00:48:39,866 --> 00:48:41,733
and it was cold pop!

1054
00:48:41,833 --> 00:48:43,566
The Jim Crow era was very tough.

1055
00:48:43,666 --> 00:48:47,566
And after the 1921 
race massacre,

1056
00:48:47,666 --> 00:48:49,833
because they were aware of 
the station and the homestead,

1057
00:48:49,933 --> 00:48:53,766
they came, were able 
to stay on the grounds there

1058
00:48:53,866 --> 00:48:54,866
for some period of time

1059
00:48:54,966 --> 00:48:56,166
until they could get themselves 
on their feet

1060
00:48:56,266 --> 00:48:58,966
and find out 
where they could go.

1061
00:48:59,066 --> 00:49:01,333
It was more than just 
a filling station.

1062
00:49:01,433 --> 00:49:05,033
It was actually a part 
of the local community.

1063
00:49:05,133 --> 00:49:08,666
Aunt Elizabeth had to be 
a very strong woman.

1064
00:49:08,766 --> 00:49:11,066
She was a local school teacher.

1065
00:49:11,166 --> 00:49:15,833
She graduated from the local 
HBCU there, Langston University,

1066
00:49:15,933 --> 00:49:19,566
went on as one of the first 
five African Americans

1067
00:49:19,666 --> 00:49:24,000
to attend Central State College.

1068
00:49:24,100 --> 00:49:26,333
(Edward) 
And this is the award.

1069
00:49:26,433 --> 00:49:32,033
There were five Blacks 
that integrated UCO, yeah,

1070
00:49:32,133 --> 00:49:35,466
and she was one of the five.

1071
00:49:35,566 --> 00:49:37,666
Not all of them graduated, 
though.

1072
00:49:37,766 --> 00:49:41,400
They couldn't-- 
some of 'em just,

1073
00:49:41,500 --> 00:49:44,066
it was just too much.

1074
00:49:44,166 --> 00:49:48,266
The bias that existed, 
it was just too much for 'em.

1075
00:49:48,366 --> 00:49:51,433
(David) 
When she went back to Luther, 
she taught there.

1076
00:49:51,533 --> 00:49:55,366
She was able to just 
have a huge impact.

1077
00:49:55,466 --> 00:49:56,733
Threatt families started

1078
00:49:56,833 --> 00:49:59,833
a Threatt Filling Station 
Foundation.

1079
00:49:59,933 --> 00:50:01,833
We want to re-open 
the filling station

1080
00:50:01,933 --> 00:50:05,200
as an interpretive center, 
a museum of sorts,

1081
00:50:05,300 --> 00:50:07,500
that can explain 
what it was like

1082
00:50:07,600 --> 00:50:10,033
for people of color 
traveling Route 66

1083
00:50:10,133 --> 00:50:11,466
during the Jim Crow era.

1084
00:50:11,566 --> 00:50:14,366
We've had a lot of support.

1085
00:50:14,466 --> 00:50:17,866
We got together with 
a contractor who was local,

1086
00:50:17,966 --> 00:50:23,166
a contractor who not only 
knows about the building,

1087
00:50:23,266 --> 00:50:27,600
but also knew my aunt 
who lived in the building,

1088
00:50:27,700 --> 00:50:29,800
who was also his teacher.

1089
00:50:29,900 --> 00:50:33,800
And so, it just all came 
together by the grace of God.

1090
00:50:33,900 --> 00:50:37,466
(David) 
And 2026 is 
the Route 66 centennial.

1091
00:50:37,566 --> 00:50:40,200
Our goal is to be open for that.

1092
00:50:40,300 --> 00:50:42,166
(spirited music)

1093
00:50:42,266 --> 00:50:44,600
(Barbara) 
We are at the epicenter

1094
00:50:44,700 --> 00:50:46,500
of where it all takes place.

1095
00:50:46,600 --> 00:50:48,633
So, this is really 
the convergence

1096
00:50:48,733 --> 00:50:52,033
where the Santa Fe Trail, 
the Camino Real,

1097
00:50:52,133 --> 00:50:55,633
Route 66 National Trails,

1098
00:50:55,733 --> 00:50:58,533
and they all really end 
at La Fonda.

1099
00:50:58,633 --> 00:51:02,366
(narrator) 
Route 66 and the American West 
have been marketed to tourists

1100
00:51:02,466 --> 00:51:05,400
as a place 
where adventure awaits.

1101
00:51:05,500 --> 00:51:08,700
Now, institutions are looking 
for a deeper understanding

1102
00:51:08,800 --> 00:51:11,900
of the West's Indigenous 
cultures and landscape,

1103
00:51:12,000 --> 00:51:14,366
which are still vibrant today.

1104
00:51:14,466 --> 00:51:16,233
(Jenny) 
We have art in this hotel

1105
00:51:16,333 --> 00:51:20,233
since the early '20s 
up until today.

1106
00:51:20,333 --> 00:51:23,933
And it's really interesting 
to see how the art has changed,

1107
00:51:24,033 --> 00:51:26,133
how the artists have changed.

1108
00:51:26,233 --> 00:51:28,966
So this mural depicts 
the Santa Fe Trail.

1109
00:51:29,066 --> 00:51:32,933
It was done by a woman artist 
in the '20s, Dorothy Stauffer,

1110
00:51:33,033 --> 00:51:36,666
and it shows the West, 
the cactus,

1111
00:51:36,766 --> 00:51:39,566
the covered wagons,

1112
00:51:39,666 --> 00:51:42,166
the Spanish, 
the Catholic priests,

1113
00:51:42,266 --> 00:51:44,266
vaqueros, cowboys,

1114
00:51:44,366 --> 00:51:46,800
the Santa Fe hills 
in the background.

1115
00:51:46,900 --> 00:51:50,366
And it's a beautiful depiction

1116
00:51:50,466 --> 00:51:52,333
that is at the entrance 
to the hotel

1117
00:51:52,433 --> 00:51:54,200
that's painted in the '20s.

1118
00:51:54,300 --> 00:51:56,333
You know, at that point,

1119
00:51:56,433 --> 00:52:01,866
some of the entities that could 
afford artists were hotels.

1120
00:52:01,966 --> 00:52:05,333
The hotels could afford 
to pay the artists to paint.

1121
00:52:05,433 --> 00:52:08,166
Any of those women artists 
that were out here

1122
00:52:08,266 --> 00:52:10,933
were contrarian.

1123
00:52:11,033 --> 00:52:13,233
They were independent.

1124
00:52:13,333 --> 00:52:14,933
I mean, you wouldn't 
get on a train

1125
00:52:15,033 --> 00:52:18,633
and move to the Southwest 
unless you had that streak,

1126
00:52:18,733 --> 00:52:20,233
that creative, 
independent streak.

1127
00:52:20,333 --> 00:52:23,733
And I think this area 
has really benefited

1128
00:52:23,833 --> 00:52:25,266
and thrived because of that.

1129
00:52:25,366 --> 00:52:26,533
La Fonda is at the steps

1130
00:52:26,633 --> 00:52:29,000
of the Native American 
Indian Market

1131
00:52:29,100 --> 00:52:31,033
that occurs every year 
in August.

1132
00:52:31,133 --> 00:52:34,700
It's the largest Native American 
art market in the world.

1133
00:52:34,800 --> 00:52:39,166
And so, many of the award- 
winning artists stay with us.

1134
00:52:39,266 --> 00:52:40,566
(peaceful music)

1135
00:52:40,666 --> 00:52:43,866
Marla Allison painted 
the fireplace behind us,

1136
00:52:43,966 --> 00:52:45,166
who is an award-winning

1137
00:52:45,266 --> 00:52:47,500
Native American artist 
from Laguna.

1138
00:52:47,600 --> 00:52:51,400
And this fireplace depicts

1139
00:52:51,500 --> 00:52:54,500
the embers of the fire 
going up the chimney,

1140
00:52:54,600 --> 00:52:58,233
which is why she has 
the panels going up.

1141
00:52:58,333 --> 00:53:00,166
It's been really incredible

1142
00:53:00,266 --> 00:53:02,633
to have a piece like 
Marla Allison's behind us

1143
00:53:02,733 --> 00:53:04,566
because it's not 
our interpretation

1144
00:53:04,666 --> 00:53:06,666
of what we thought 
a Pueblo woman

1145
00:53:06,766 --> 00:53:08,366
would do around a fireplace.

1146
00:53:08,466 --> 00:53:10,133
It's Marla's interpretation,

1147
00:53:10,233 --> 00:53:13,000
and her sharing 
what happens at her own home.

1148
00:53:13,100 --> 00:53:15,400
That's a very different voice.

1149
00:53:15,500 --> 00:53:17,700
(Jenny) 
This is another Marla Allison,

1150
00:53:17,800 --> 00:53:22,033
and she won the ribbon 
at the Heard Museum.

1151
00:53:22,133 --> 00:53:24,433
(Marla) 
The influence of being able 
to be an artist

1152
00:53:24,533 --> 00:53:28,333
from this little place 
has been quite incredible.

1153
00:53:28,433 --> 00:53:32,266
There are beautiful 
red cliffs of Laguna,

1154
00:53:32,366 --> 00:53:35,133
which is around the village 
of Mesita, where I was raised,

1155
00:53:35,233 --> 00:53:39,133
that are really showing up 
in all my paintings constantly.

1156
00:53:39,233 --> 00:53:43,100
What inspires me 
from my childhood mostly

1157
00:53:43,200 --> 00:53:46,266
are the vessels 
that are pottery.

1158
00:53:46,366 --> 00:53:47,766
They're the ceramic art

1159
00:53:47,866 --> 00:53:50,833
that's from the elder women 
of my tribe,

1160
00:53:50,933 --> 00:53:54,266
and from all tribes 
along the Southwest.

1161
00:53:54,366 --> 00:53:58,166
The design work that goes 
on the outside of these vessels

1162
00:53:58,266 --> 00:54:01,733
are all very geometric shaped.

1163
00:54:01,833 --> 00:54:05,133
I like doing fractal pieces, 
where they're brushstrokes,

1164
00:54:05,233 --> 00:54:08,333
but they're very separate 
planes of color

1165
00:54:08,433 --> 00:54:11,800
that eventually make up 
a full spectrum of a subject.

1166
00:54:11,900 --> 00:54:15,033
So, I break up the light, 
in a way.

1167
00:54:15,133 --> 00:54:19,700
Laguna Pueblo 
runs right along Route 66.

1168
00:54:19,800 --> 00:54:21,400
There are six villages

1169
00:54:21,500 --> 00:54:24,833
that are all on either side 
of the highway.

1170
00:54:24,933 --> 00:54:28,633
And now, 
moving here to California,

1171
00:54:28,733 --> 00:54:30,133
being here in Santa Monica,

1172
00:54:30,233 --> 00:54:33,166
it's just amazing to think that

1173
00:54:33,266 --> 00:54:37,033
this road has been a life path 
for myself, and for my career,

1174
00:54:37,133 --> 00:54:40,733
and for many life experiences.

1175
00:54:40,833 --> 00:54:46,400
I would always ride my old '75 
Ford pickup truck on that road.

1176
00:54:46,500 --> 00:54:50,766
And, raised on 
the Route 66 path,

1177
00:54:50,866 --> 00:54:52,833
neon signs, classic cars

1178
00:54:52,933 --> 00:54:55,900
have always been 
a part of daily life.

1179
00:54:56,000 --> 00:55:01,000
In 2016, I was sent an email

1180
00:55:01,100 --> 00:55:06,033
from a place called 
the Abu Dhabi Art Hub,

1181
00:55:06,133 --> 00:55:10,333
which is in Abu Dhabi 
in the UAE in the Middle East.

1182
00:55:10,433 --> 00:55:13,433
I was sent an email saying, 
"Hey, we're doing our first

1183
00:55:13,533 --> 00:55:16,900
international 
Native American artist month,"

1184
00:55:17,000 --> 00:55:20,066
and I thought, 
"Wow, they want me to apply,"

1185
00:55:20,166 --> 00:55:22,166
so I did, and I got in!

1186
00:55:22,266 --> 00:55:24,266
I felt very lucky.

1187
00:55:24,366 --> 00:55:26,533
In-between Abu Dhabi and Dubai,

1188
00:55:26,633 --> 00:55:28,800
there's this one place 
called Last Exit

1189
00:55:28,900 --> 00:55:32,366
in the middle of nowhere, 
desert, just flat desert,

1190
00:55:32,466 --> 00:55:35,133
and camels, and one highway.

1191
00:55:35,233 --> 00:55:37,800
It's a rarity for them, 
but for me, I thought,

1192
00:55:37,900 --> 00:55:39,366
"Wow, how beautiful is this?

1193
00:55:39,466 --> 00:55:42,300
I get to see my culture 
in their land

1194
00:55:42,400 --> 00:55:44,700
of how exotic it can be."

1195
00:55:44,800 --> 00:55:46,666
I mean, there were cars, 
there were food trucks

1196
00:55:46,766 --> 00:55:48,700
in this place of nowhere's land.

1197
00:55:48,800 --> 00:55:50,300
I had no idea it would be there.

1198
00:55:50,400 --> 00:55:53,566
It was pretty amazing 
to see that

1199
00:55:53,666 --> 00:55:56,833
on the other side of the world.

1200
00:55:56,933 --> 00:56:00,633
Route 66 has been 
a constant tether

1201
00:56:00,733 --> 00:56:02,233
from home to somewhere else,

1202
00:56:02,333 --> 00:56:05,600
the main vein that breathes, 
and shares,

1203
00:56:05,700 --> 00:56:09,700
and has the blood of so many 
people and life experiences,

1204
00:56:09,800 --> 00:56:12,833
and a great history 
all throughout.

1205
00:56:12,933 --> 00:56:15,800
♪

1206
00:56:15,900 --> 00:56:20,200
(narrator) 
Almost 100 years 
after her birth in 1926,

1207
00:56:20,300 --> 00:56:24,066
Route 66 is truly 
a living history classroom

1208
00:56:24,166 --> 00:56:26,933
that not only reveals 
where we have been,

1209
00:56:27,033 --> 00:56:29,300
but where we can go.

1210
00:56:29,400 --> 00:56:31,300
(bright music)

1211
00:56:31,400 --> 00:56:36,266
♪

1212
00:56:36,366 --> 00:56:38,266
(upbeat piano music)

1213
00:56:38,366 --> 00:56:48,333
♪

1214
00:57:23,266 --> 00:57:25,166
(energetic music)