I couldn’t add the pictures from the article but the Mobil station we stopped at on Route 66 is looking for a caretaker. Wanna ride there monthly for meetings ??

ROADS & RIDES

Own a piece of Americana! This Route 66 icon needs a new caretaker

by: Anna Hider
12 February, 2016

There’s just something kind of magical about Route 66– that combination of nostalgia, Americana and travel that has kept the institution alive, despite technically being dismantled. And, even though the Mother Road has seen better days, you can become a part of that magic for yourself– Cool Springs, one of the classic roadside stops that’s had a recent revival is looking for a few caretaker, and it looks like it doesn’t take much to apply for the position!

Cool Springs has its origins in the 1920’s, when it was one of the few places to stop off and gas up on the Arizona portion of the route– towns and businesses were few and far between in the harsh desert. Right before the intense drive through the Black Mountains with their steep grades and hairpin curves, it was the ideal place to grab some food and make sure their car was able to handle the road. Route 66 and Cool Springs went hand-in-hand: when the Route was at its peak, the roadside stop was bustling… but as road’s popularity dropped off in favor of interstate highways, Cool Springs began to struggle. When the building burned down in the 1960’s, it was left abandoned.

Other than a brief appearance in the 1991 Jean-Claude Van Damme movie Universal Soldier, Cool Springs was mostly forgotten… that is, until 1997 when a man named Ned Leuchtner passed by while traveling Old Route 66. He found the remains of Cool Springs and began to research the history of the spot. The more he learned, the more he was intrigued by the idea of rebuilding Cool Springs, and spent several years attempting to buy the property. Finally, in 2001, he was able to purchase Cool Springs, and by 2004, it was open again.

Today, it’s a small museum and gift shop, and a great place for a classic Route 66 photo op… but Ned is ready to retire, and needs to make sure his successor will take good care of the business he worked so hard to revive. All you have to do is give Ned a call to discuss the job with him– you can be sure he’ll be on the lookout for someone who’s just as passionate about Route 66 as he is! And, since the fate of Route 66 and Cool Springs are naturally linked, the bright future of the roadside stand can only mean good things for the Mother Road