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Vega, Texas |
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[HOME] [WESTERN AMERICANA GALLERY] [ROUTE 66 HOME] [ROUTE 66 WEST] [ROUTE 66 EAST]
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Vega, Texas |
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Brushland, Texas |
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An old gas station in Brushland has been closed for awhile. |
This small hamlet along the Interstate west of Amarillo was once a small stopping place along route 66. Like most of the towns along Route 66 in the southwest it to got its start as a railroad siding at the turn of the last century. It was named for the W.H Bush the landowner and C.B. Bush the postmaster. In 1908 W.H. Bush's new wife thought Bushland a better name than Bush and she prevailed. Bush became Bushland when the old station was repainted. Bushland has always been pretty small. In 1946 when Rittenhouse passed through it had a population of 21. It also had a gas station and store but no other tourist facilities. | |
Vega, Texas |
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In 1903 a store was built at the site of what would become Vega. The store's owner, A. M. Miller suggested that the name of the new town be Vega, he also suggested the names of his sons too. The name Vega was chosen because it reflected the surrounding country side; Vega is Spanish for meadow. During Jack Rittenhouse's day it was a sizable town of 515 people. It boasted gas stations, cafes, three small auto courts, and light auto repairs. Vega is a town that depended on Route 66 and though the Interstate passes nearby it wasn't enough to keep some of the businesses open. A drive down old Route 66 will provide glimpses of the past glory of Route 66 in Vega. | |
Old Roadrunner Drive-In in Vega |
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In the pre-Interstate days U.S. highways like Route 66 would pass right through the many small towns along the way providing an economic and cultural link with each other. If you want to truly see America, then get off the Interstate and celebrate this great country of ours. Today you can still find all the amenities a tourist needs in Vega. In fact, the Vega Motel, an original tourist court built in 1947 is still going strong. | |||
| A drive down old Route 66 will provide glimpses of the past glory of Route 66 in Vega. The downtown area of Vega features some great vintage Route 66 buildings like this 1920s vintage Magnolia gas station. Plans are underway by the town of Vega to restore this fine old gas station to its original glory. |
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A very early alignment of Route 66 through downtown Vega ends where the farm fields begin. |
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Dot's Mini Museum |
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| Old Route 66 ends at Dot's Mini Museum (see picture above right). Dot has spent a lifetime collecting western artifacts and Route 66 memorabilia and she would love to share her collection with you. If you are into stories about the old highway Dot has one or two she can share with you too. Dot Levitt came to Vega with her husband, Harold Levitt, in the forties. They bought a building and remodeled a store called Vega Zero Lockers one block north of busy Route 66. This store served the locals and tourists alike on old Route 66. The home folks utilized the freezer storage units called lockers. During the 40's and 50's most families didn't have a home freezer. And the Route 66 travelers bought fresh fruits, vegetables, lunch meat and all sorts of canned goods for there trek down the highway. |  |
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When the Interstate by-passed Vega the Vega Zero Lockers faded away as so many other businesses did at that time, but thanks to Dot's determination that those times not be forgotten we can all enjoy her museum today. |
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Photographs Taken September 2002, May 2003
Click on an area or city of Route 66 on the map below to take a cyber tour of that section of the Mother Road |
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NAVIGATION NOTE: Buckle up and hold on to your mouse! These pages are arranged like the map above, from the western state border to the eastern state border. I have set up this site as if you were traveling from EAST to WEST, much like the Joad family in The Grapes of Wrath. You can click on the Route 66 shields to "travel" the Mother Road in either direction though. Or you can select any shield below to take you to that specific state. |
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To Route 66
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To Amarillo |
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