The enduring national fame of Winslow will likely remain it’s mention in a hit song by the Eagles & Jackson Browne called “Take It Easy” (1972) where they mention “standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona”which is specifically located at the corner of Kinsley & East 2nd St. downtown. Long before the 1970s though, the town was an integral part of Wild West history, much like its neighbor Holbrook, 33 miles to the east. Both were bisected by the famed Rte. 66 highway – also affectionately known as the “Mother Road” which was the namesake of popular 1960-64 television series Route 66 – a road trip adventure drama about two young men traversing the highways and byways of America in a Chevy Corvette convertible helping troubled souls anyway they can along the way. The theme song for the program was composed by prominent musician Nelson Riddle in 1962 and became one of the greatest instrumental hits of the twentieth century.
The highway also spawned an earlier, catchy 1946 hit from Bobby Troup called “Get Your Kicks On Route 66” – which no doubt encouraged even more Americans to hit the road and bring more tourists to the many towns it passed through such as Winslow. Originally, Winslow began (much like Holbrook) founded as a railroad town circa 1890, and likely named for a railway president; Edward F. Winslow of the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad. However, there is still some dispute about this as many believe that the town was named for a prospector named Tom Winslow instead. Whatever the case might be, it was the continuous freight and passenger trains passing through which initially made the town prosperous. Winslow also served as a maintenance depot and water refilling station for many years, and also became the location of the final Harvey House in the chain, which opened in 1930.
The Harvey House Restaurants (established by entrepreneur Fred Harvey in 1876) is believed to be the first restaurant chain in the United States. The chain spread along railway lines throughout the western part of the nation and helped put towns like Winslow on the map. The Harvey House restaurants, lunch rooms, etc. were known for their good food and consistently superior customer service. Harvey also expanded into hotels and the chain played a prominent role during World War Two serving soldiers as they traveled on troop trains across the nation. While train travel eventually declined after the war, Winslow still prospered as auto traffic accelerated along Rte. 66 and other cafes, restaurants, & motels sprang up around town.
However, by the second half of the 1960s Interstate 40 had replaced Rte. 66 as the main thoroughfare, bypassing the center of Winslow. The end of railway passenger traffic in 1957 and the subsequent closing of the Harvey House was already a big blow to the town’s economy. The decommissioning of Rte. 66 could have finished it off. The Harvey House was gutted and was used as offices for the Santa Fe Railroad until the building was abandoned in 1994 – and slated for demolition. Thank goodness this didn’t happen! The revitalization of the former Harvey House/Santa Fe Railroad office was a catalyst to help Winslow make a turnaround.
The former Harvey House has again been transformed into a popular hotel, and it’s Turquoise Room Restaurant which “is considered by many to be the finest restaurant in the Four Corners Region” according to http://laposada.org The Turquoise Room specializes in southwestern regional cuisine and a look at the menu shows that the acclaimed restaurant has a penchant for Southwestern style Caesar salads among other intriguing possibilities. Personally, I regret not dining there when I visited the area in 2019 – and have been thinking about it ever since!
Winslow has other attractions to check out that visitors may enjoy. These include the gardens, art gallery and museum also located in the La Posada complex. Incidentally, La Posada is the Spanish phrase for resting place – and according to the photos on the website, this would be a delightful place to spend an afternoon. Standin’ On The Corner Park mentioned earlier is a great photo-op commemorating the Eagles/Jackson Browne song mentioned earlier and the Meteor Crater is only 18 miles further west of Winslow, and although privately owned, is still considered a U.S National Natural Landmark. Meteor Crater is stupendous indeed – at 3,900 ft. In diameter and 560 ft. deep. The impact of a huge meteorite that hurtled to earth some 50,000 years ago is believed to have caused the massive crater, the visitor center is worth checking out to learn more about the crater which is among very few still visible on the planet.
For more information about things to do in the Winslow area, check out the following websites:
