Skip to main content

Route 66 Wednesdays; Wigwam Village Motel #6; Holbrook, AZ

By
Ever sleep in a Wigwam? To my knowledge, none of us at Gribblenation have......yet. However, Holbrook, Arizona is one of a few places in the United States where you can.

The Wigwam Motel - Holbrook, Arizona (Adam Prince - April 2010).

Holbrook is home to the Wigwam Motel - one of three remaining unique Native American-themed motor courts in the country. The tipi-inspired rooms were part of a small national chain of motor courts that opened in the 1930s and 40s.  

The first two Wigwam Motels operated near Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. Both opened in the late 1930s. During the 1940s, Wigwam Motels headed south into Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana. By the late 1940s, two more locations opened - Holbrook, Arizona and San Bernandino, California.

The Holbrook Wigwam Motel advertises the novelty of sleeping in a "Wigwam". (Adam Prince - April 2010).

The novelty of "Eat and Sleep in a Wigwam" attracted numerous travelers to lodge overnight while visiting or driving through the area. 

The simple tipi-inspired design guest room. Holbrook's rooms are a throwback to an earlier time - modern amenities like internet access are non-existent. (Adam Prince - April 2010)

Individual guest cabins were designed by Frank Redford. He patented the design in 1936 and again in 1957. Most complexes were home to around 15 structures - each made of steel, concrete, and stucco. Some locations had a small filling station, restaurant, and pool.

Opened in 1950, the Holbrook location was owned and operated by Chester Lewis. After a visit to Redford's Cave City, Kentucky location in the 1930s, Lewis would later purchase the design plans and the right to use the Wigwam Village name. In a unique royalty agreement, Lewis agreed to send the proceeds from the dime-operated room radios to Redford. A dime allowed guests to listen to 30 minutes of the radio.

Classic cars are on permanent display at the Holbrook Wigwam Motel. (Tom Fearer - 2011)

In the late 70s, Interstate 40 was built and bypassed Holbrook to the North. As a result of a downturn in business, Lewis sold the property. The motor court closed, but the gas station operation remained. A few years later, in the mid-80s, Lewis' descendants repurchased the property. They closed the gas station, converted part of the main office into a museum, and reopened the motel.

Outside the Wigwam Motel is a collection of classic cars mixed in with the signature tipi guest rooms. Overnight reservations can still be made for this piece of American automobile nostalgia.

Adam Prince - April 2010.

Today, three Wigwam Motels remain - Cave City, Kentucky, Holbrook, and San Bernandino. All three are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. 


Site Navigation:

  • Original publish date - August 15, 2018
  • Article rewritten by and included photos from Adam Prince - December 24, 2022

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Former US Route 50 and the Pioneer Route Lincoln Highway on Johnson's Pass Road

By
Johnson's Pass Road is one of the oldest highway corridors in California.  Johnson's Pass was part of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road as it was completed during 1856 over the Sierra Nevada.  The pass would later be incorporated into the Pioneer Branch of the Lincoln Highway in 1913 and US Route 50 in 1926.  Johnson's Pass Road would be bypassed by a new alignment of US Route 50 over Echo Summit in 1938.  A replacement of the Meyers Grade east of Johnson's Pass would be opened to traffic in 1947.   Johnson's Pass Road remains accessible to traffic and is still signed by the Lincoln Highway Association.  Pictured as the blog cover is the view from the top of Johnson's Pass Road overlooking modern US Route 50 and Lake Tahoe.   Part 1; the history of Johnson's Pass Much of the history of what become the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road is discussed in the  September 1950 California Highways & Public Works  during its Centennial Edition.  The or...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 50 and the South Lincoln Highway from Folsom east to Placerville

By
The corridor of Folsom of Sacramento County east to Placerville of El Dorado County has been a long established corridor of overland travel dating back to the California Gold Rush.  The Folsom-Placerville corridor was once part of the path of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road which became the first California State Highway and later the South Lincoln Highway.  In time the South Lincoln Highway's surface alignment was inherited by US Route 50.  The Folsom-Placerville corridor also includes the communities of; Clarksville, Shingle Springs and El Dorado. Part 1; the history of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road, South Lincoln Highway and US Route 50 through Folsom-Placerville Folsom is located on the American River/Lake Natoma of eastern Sacramento County.  That lands now occupied by the City of Folsom were part of Rancho Rio de los Americanos prior to the finding of gold at Sutter's Mill during 1848.  During the California Gold Rush the lands of Rancho Rio de los Americanos were p...
Post a Comment
Read more

Abandoned US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon

By
Within the Truckee River Canyon in the Sierra Nevada range numerous abandoned portions of US Route 40 can be found alongside modern Interstate 80.   This segment of highway was opened during 1926 as a bypass of the Dog Valley Grade which carried the early North Lincoln Highway and Victory Highway. The corridor of the Truckee River Canyon State Highway would be assigned as US Route 40 when the US Route System was commissioned during November 1926. During 1958 the segment of Interstate 80 between Boca, California and the Nevada state line was complete. When Interstate 80 opened east of Boca numerous obsolete portions of US Route 40 were abandoned. Some of these abandoned segments have been incorporated into the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail.  Part 1; the history of US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon The Truckee River Canyon for centuries has been an established corridor of travel known to native tribes crossing the Sierra Nevada range.  The first documented wagon crossi...
Post a Comment
Read more