HI, I AM JIM WILHELM.
THIS BUILDING ONCE HOUSED A FIRE
DEPARTMENT AND THE CITY HALL FOR
THE TOWN OF PONTIAC.
BUT AFTER THEY MOVED TO A NEW
FACILITY, THEY USED THE EXTRA
SPACE TO BRING IN SOME NEW
ATTRACTIONS. ONE OF THEM WAS THE
ROUTE 66 HALL OF FAME.
INSIDE DISPLAYS AND MEMORABILIA
HIGHLIGHT SOME OF BUSINESSES AND
INDIVIDUALS WHO MADE THEIR
LIVING PROVIDING SERVICES ALONG
THE ILLINOIS PORTION OF ROUTE
66.
THE CASES BEGAN WITH THOSE
LOCATED IN THE CHICAGO AREA AND
WORKED THEIR WAY TO THE CHAIN OF
ROCKS BRIDGE NEAR ST. LOUIS
WHERE ROUTE 66 CROSSED THE
MISSISSIPPI.
IT IS HERE THAT WE LEARNED ABOUT
THREE HALL OF FAME STORIES THAT
INTERTWINED.
IT BEGAN WITH GORDON GUNDERSON
WHO HELPED BUILD A SECTION OF
THE ORIGINAL ROAD.
YEARS LATER HE AND A CREW MOVED
A HORSE DRAWN STREETCAR FROM
KANKAKEE TO HIS HOME IN
GARDENER.
THERE IT WAS USED AS A DINER
UNTIL 1939, AND THEN IT WAS
MOVED AGAIN AND BECAME A SUMMER
HOME.
LATER, IT WOULD MOVE ONCE MORE.
THIS TIME BEHIND THE RIVIERA
WHICH IS ANOTHER HALL OF FAME
MEMBER.
THE RIVIERA HAD OPENED IN 1928
BY JIM GEROT AND HIS WIFE.
FOR A TIME IT, IT WAS THE ONLY
RESTAURANT BETWEEN JOLIET AND
PONTIAC.
IT WAS A FULL SERVICE STOP, GAS,
DINING, CAMPING AND A LIVE BAND
AT NIGHT.
THERE WAS EVEN A PARK WITH A
SMALL ZOO.
HERE IN PONTIAC IS THE OLD LOG
CABIN GAS STATION AND LUNCHROOM
BUILT WITH CEDAR TELEPHONE POLES
IN 1926.
YEARS LATER WHEN ROUTE 66 WAS
REALIGNED AND PASSED BEHIND THE
BUILD, THE OWNERS JACKED UP THE
LUNCHROOM AND TURNED IT AROUND
TO FACE THE NEW ROAD.
AND THAT'S WHAT A LOT OF THESE
STORIES ARE ABOUT, THE
ENTREPRENEURIAL EFFORT OF
FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS WHO
MADE THEIR LIVING ALONG THE
SHOULDERS OF ROUTE 66.
ONE OF THOSE STORIES IS OF ED
WALDMIRE AND HIS WIFE, VIRGINIA.
HE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST CREATORS
OF THE CORNDOG WHICH HE CALLED
THE CRUSTY CUR.
HIS WIFE SUGGESTED A MORE
INVITING NAME, THE COZY DOG, AND
EVEN DESIGNED A LOGO FOR THE NEW
BUSINESS WITH TWO HOT DOGS
HUGGING.
THE RESTAURANT LOCATED IN
SPRINGFIELD IS STILL OPEN TODAY,
BUT THE NAME WALDMIRE GOES
BEYOND SPRINGFIELD AND ROUTE 66
HISTORY.
THEIR SON, BOB WILL IMMORTALIZE
THE PEOPLE AND PLACES ALONG
ROUTE 66 IN HIS ART. DURING THE
SUMMER, HE TRAVELED THE ROUTE OF
THE OLD ROAD, LIVING A NOMADIC
LIFE IN 1972 VOLKSWAGEN VAN
WHICH WAS HIS OFFICE, HIS WORK
PLACE, AND HIS HOME ON THE ROAD.
TODAY THE VAN'S INTERIORS REMAIN
JUST AS HE LEFT IT, WITH ALL HIS
MODIFICATIONS AND MEMORABILIA.
SURROUNDING HIS TRAVELING HOME
ARE EXAMPLES OF HIS ARTWORK,
FINELY INTRICATE POST CARDS AND
MAPS WHICH HE SOLD AROUND
COUNTRY.
HE EVEN CREATED A MAP MURAL FOR
THE MUSEUM.
BUT THAT'S NOT ALL OF BOB'S
WORKS ON DISPLAY HERE.
AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, HIS VAN
WAS HIS TRAVELING RESIDENCE. HE
SPENT THE WINTER IN ARIZONA IN A
HOUSE INSPIRED BY AN AD FROM
1916.
THAT AD WAS FOR A ROAD YACHT,
AND IT FIRED BOB'S IMAGINATION
SO MUCH THAT IN 1987, HE BOUGHT
A USED SCHOOL BUS.
HE THEN SPENT MONTHS CONVERTING
IT INTO HIS HOME WHICH IS NOW ON
DISPLAY BEHIND THE HALL OF FAME.
HIS OFFICE WAS BEHIND THE
DRIVER'S SEAT.
ABOVE HE CUT A HOLE IN THE ROOF
AND ADDED A LOFT FOR HIS
BEDROOM.
HE LIVED ECO-FRIENDLY LIFESTYLE
THAT WAS OFF THE GRID.
SOLAR PANELS ON TOP GAVE HIM
POWER. RAIN WATER WAS COLLECTED
FROM GUTTERS INTO THE BARRELS
FOR LATER USE.
HEAT WAS FROM A WOOD BURNING
STOVE, AND HE USED A WATERLESS
TOILET.
IT COULD BE SAID THAT BOB WAS
THE EMBODIMENT OF THE
INDEPENDENT FREE-WHEELING SPIRIT
OF ROUTE 66 WHERE PEOPLE COULD
CREATE THEIR OWN NICHE.
>>> WELCOME BACK TO PONTIAC AND
THE MOST PHOTOGRAPHED MURAL IN
TOWN.
IT IS ON THE BACK OF THE
BUILDING WHERE WE BEGAN OUR
TOUR.
THE MUSEUM WHICH ARCHIVES THE
PEOPLE AND THE PLACES IN
ILLINOIS WHICH MAKE ROUTE 66 THE
ROAD TO TRAVEL.
THEIR'S ARE A FEW OF THE STORIES
THAT CAN BE FOUND HERE.
ABOVE, MUSEUM PRESERVES THE
HISTORY OF SACRIFICES BY
INDIVIDUALS IN NAME OF FREEDOM
AND COUNTRY.
AND THERE IS ALSO LIFE IN THE
40S, REMINDING VISITORS OF LIFE
ON THE HOMEFRONT.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE
PLACES WE VISIT IN PONTIAC,
CONTACT THE PONTIAC TOURISM
OFFICE AT (815)844-5847 OR GO TO
THEIR WEB SITE AT
WWW.VISITPONTIAC.ORG.
TO REACH THE ANDERSON JAPANESE
GARDENS CALL (815)229-9390 OR
WWW.ANDERSONGARDENS.ORG.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SHAWNEE
BLUFFS CANOPY TOUR, CALL
1-855-386-9477 OR GO TO
WWW.SHAWNEEZIP.COM.
I HOPE YOU ENJOYED TODAY'S SHOW
AND WILL JOIN US ON ANOTHER
"ILLINOIS ADVENTURE."
>>> ILLINOIS ADVENTURE IS MADE
POSSIBLE IN PART BY:
>>HOW COME?
>> HOW COME?
>> HOW COME NOBODY ASKED ME WHAT
MY IDEA OF RETIREMENT?
>> COUNTRY FINANCIAL DOES.
YOUR COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVE CAN
HELP PROTECT WHAT YOU HAVE NOW
AND PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE.
>>I LIKE THAT.
>>WHAT IS YOUR IDEA OF FINANCIAL
SECURITY?
>>> WANT MORE ILLINOIS
ADVENTURE, GO TO WTVP'S WEB
SITE.
THERE, YOU WILL FIND EPISODES
FOR SALE, PLUS THERE ARE LIMPS
TO THE WEB SITES FEATURED ON THE
PROGRAM.
>>> ON IN, "ILLINOIS ADVENTURE,"
WE WILL TOUR THE MUSEUMS OF
PONTIAC WHICH INCLUDES MEMORIES
FROM THE 40S, FROM THE ROAD, AND
OF HEROES, ZIP ACROSS THE CANOPY
OF THE SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST
AND WALK THE GROUNDS OF A
PRIVATE JAPANESE GARDEN OPEN TO