![]() ![]() Unfortunately, the building was too far gone to resurrect, and in October 2015, the building was demolished. Joseph and Christina Campos, who own Joseph’s Bar and Grill down the road on Route 66, purchased the building with plans to reopen the Club Café. The Club Cafe stood vacant and soon fell into disrepair with the passing of the years. Finally, it too served its last meal in 1991. However, others continued to serve the exiting travelers of I-40, including the Club Café that survived for almost another 20 years. In 1972, I-40 opened through Santa Rosa, and though the city remained a busy off-ramp, many vintage Route 66 businesses began to die. In 1940, when Steinbeck’s epic novel, Grapes of Wrath, was made into a movie, director John Ford used Santa Rosa for the memorable train scene, where Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) watches a freight train steam over the Pecos River railroad bridge, into the sunset. The logo of the Fat Man soon became synonymous with Route 66 in Santa Rosa. For over 50 years, thousands of hungry Route 66 travelers would stop to enjoy a tasty home-cooked meal. In 1935 Phillip Craig and Floyd Shaw built the Club Café with the smiling, satisfied face of the Fat Man. Scenes in Rudolfo Anaya’s award-winning novel, Bless Me and John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath took place on Route 66 at the Pecos River Bridge. ![]() ![]() The old road ran into town past the 81-foot-deep Blue Hole and Park Lake, a motorist campground and water source during the Depression. Travelers arrived in Santa Rosa to eat, rest, and perform car repairs, if necessary, at the many motels, cafes, and service stations that lined the highway. During the days of early Route 66, after travelers had tired of the long, hot, dusty miles, Santa Rosa became known as a welcome and well-known oasis in the desert. When Route 66 was completed through Santa Rosa in 1930, transportation services again increased in the city. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |