on Rt. 66 inside The Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. Rt. 66 is also called 'The Mother Road', so called because author John Steinbeck coined the term in his 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath, to describe its role as the primary, nurturing lifeline for hundreds of thousands of migrant families fleeing the Dust Bowl for California during the 1930s, when over 200,000 people used this specific route to escape the environmental and economic devastation in the Great Plains. It served as a maternal path of refuge and opportunity for those displaced by the Depression.
I remember seeing this old car like it was yesterday. We were on a roadtrip from the East to West Coast. I have shared it several times but enjoy revisiting favorites, this being one of them.
The car is a famous abandoned 1932 Studebaker located on the original alignment of Route 66, within The Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. It actually was donated as an art piece to the National Park Service by Frank and Rhonda Dobell. It serves to mark the path of the historic “Mother Road” as it once cut through this section of The Painted Desert. The park is the only national Park that preserves a section of the historic Route 66. Despite its appearance, the car was intentionally placed there and has spent a significant amount of time exposed to the elements as a permanent exhibit.
I read all my information online, and also finally finding out a whole lot more about that old car I took photos of all those years ago. There is an over-abundance of historical information out there. I have also added a few links above in case you want to see more.
Thanks for looking and
may your day be a great one.
