Greetings from Holbrook

Early Route 66 Alignment in Holbrook

Holbrook began as a town of railroaders and cattlemen, outlaws and rugged lawmen. The National Old Trails Road reached Holbrook in 1913, and Route 66 was aligned through town in 1926. The alignment through Holbrook was on West Hopi Drive until Gillespie Park, where it made a right-angle turn and headed north on Navajo Boulevard (see map below).

Wigwam Village No. 6

Located at 811 West Hopi Drive in Holbrook is one of the three remaining Wigwam Villages. The other two are located in San Bernardino, California (No. 7) , and Cave City, Kentucky (No. 2). A total of seven Wigwam Villages were constructed between 1936 and the 1950s.

While passing through Cave City, Kentucky in 1938, Chester E. Lewis was impressed by the distinctive design of the original Wigwam Village constructed in 1937 by architect Frank Redford. Mr. Lewis purchased copies of the plans and the right to use the Wigwam Village name. Finished in 1950, Mr. Lewis’ village was the sixth village built, thus its designation as Wigwam Village No. 6.

Fifteen concrete and steel freestanding teepees are arranged in a semi-circle around the main office. The motel office and its surrounding small buildings were the quarters of the owners. Each teepee is 21 feet wide at the base and 28 feet high, and are painted white with a red zigzag above the doorway. In front of the main office were gas pumps that are no longer in place.

While there were a total of 15 units, Mr. Lewis felt that the number "13" was superstitious, so there is no teepee #13, and the last unit is numbered 16.

Mr. Lewis successfully operated the motel until Interstate 40 bypassed downtown Holbrook in the late 1970s. He sold the business, and it remained open, but only to sell gas. Two years after Mr. Lewis’ death, his wife and grown children re-purchased the property and reopened the motel in 1988. They removed the gas pumps and converted part of the main office into a museum, which is open to the public. The museum holds Mr. Lewis’ own collection of Indian artifacts, Civil War memorabilia, Route 66 collectibles, and a petrified wood collection. Wigwam Village Motel #6 was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Today, each teepee (or rather tipi) has a private bathroom with toilet and shower, a television, air conditioner and original hand-made hickory furniture. Vintage automobiles are permanently parked throughout the property, including a Studebaker that belonged to Mr. Lewis. It continues to be operated by the Lewis family.

In the Pixar-Disney film "Cars", the Cozy Cone Motel was inspired by the unique Wigwam Motels found along Route, including this one in Holbrook, Arizona, and another in San Bernardino, California.

Official Wigwam Motel website or phone 928.524.3048

Read more about the history of Wigwam Village at the National Park Service (NPS)

Present day views of the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona
"Have You Slept in a Wigwam Lately?"

Navajo County Historical Society & Navajo County Museum

The Navajo County Historical Society maintains a diversified collection in the Historic Courthouse, at 100 E. Arizona Street and Navajo Boulevard in Holbrook. The Society maintains an Arizona Historical Society accredited museum and archives. The society serves as the caretaker of objects, photographs and documents from the public. More than 70 exhibit areas can be viewed in the historic courthouse and annex wing for no admission fee.

For more information, visit the website of the
Navajo County Historical Society & Museum or phone 928.524.6558

Petrified Forest National Park

Map showing the location of the Petrified Forest National Park in relation to Holbrook

The Painted Desert

The Painted Desert near Holbrook, Arizona, directly on the path of Historic Route 66

Shown here is signage at the Painted Desert marking the path of Route 66 through eight states, and through this area. It reads, in part ...

"Gaze down the long road and listen. You may hear echoes of the past ... echoes of Route 66"

Remnants of Route 66 can be seen in this photo of the Painted Desert in Arizona, along with the rusted hulk of a 1930s Studebaker.

Arizona Route 66 Passport

The Arizona Route 66 Passport is your guide into the heart of America. Cruise along the Mother Road, collecting stamps at locations along the way. Each passport comes with a free Traveler's Guide.

It is published by the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, protection, and promotion of both the surface, and the memories along Arizona’s portion of Route 66. Proceeds from the sale of Passports benefit this cooperative marketing initiative.

Purchase an Arizona Route 66 Passport online or pick one up at the locations where stamps are given.

• More information about the Arizona Route 66 Passport

We have included below a sampling of our collection of vintage travel postcards dealing with Holbrook and Route 66.

What was Route 66 like in its earlier years, as visitors drove around and across Holbrook on Hopi Drive and Navajo Boulevard? What did all the service stations, motels, coffee houses, drug stores and public buildings look like when they were new?

What did the traveling public experience on the Mother Road? We wonder such things when we travel Route 66 today.

Those earlier times in the 1930s, 40s and 50s were not always captured on film. But the use of colorful postcards was common in those decades.

These portray the historic road in its prime and help us to visualize, and appreciate, "earlier times" as we drive Route 66 today across Holbrook.