Angel Delgadillo
Day 8 – Flagstaff to Kingman
And then there are days you meet inspiration..Angel Delgadillo is just that. I knew that he had inspired the folks for Disney/Pixar’s “Cars.” And that he was the force behind the foundation of Arizona’s Route 66 Association. And that he had a small barbershop in Seligman, AZ that people for some reason flocked to.
Today, I discovered that reason. Angel Delgadillo is one of those rare individuals that you meet, and never forget. (much like Leonard Knight at Salvation Mountain.) Recounting the story of how his father immigrated from Mexico and opened his business in 1923, ran a pool hall and began to cut hair, when he discovered that “there weren’t any barbers to take care of the ethnic groups, so he just started cutting hair”.
The barber chair
Born in Seligman a few months after Route 66 was founded in 1926, Angel briefly moved to Pasadena to barber college (along Route 66), served his apprenticeship in Williams, AZ (also along 66) then returned to take over his father’s shop on “May 22, 1950 at nine in the morning… I did four haircuts that day.” His dad had bought “the best barber chair that money could buy” in 1926 for $194 (just before the depression..at 25 cents a haircut…) “My parents always believed that you do it right the first time, the best money can buy. You don’t have to do it twice.” It was the chair that Angel used throughout his career, and it still works today.
On September 22, 1978, at 2:00 p.m. Route 66 was replaced by Interstate 40, effectively forgetting the town of Seligman (hence the storyline of “Cars”). Not about to give up without a fight, “Angel knew the power of memory and myth, and he knew that the key to Seligman’s survival ran down the center of town.” He led the cause to establish the Arizona Route 66 Association (with the other seven states following suit.) He lobbied for new signs and new paving for Main Street, and the nostalgia for those by-gone days.
His brother, Juan, opened the madcap drive-in, Snow Cap, and others quickly joined in on the tchotchke trade. Today, Seligman is a crazy photo feast, and Angel is happily, patiently, telling his story to all that visit.
Delgadillo's Snow Cap
OK, so we actually began our day in Williams, another town dedicated to Route 66 and the Grand Canyon. We split the terrific huevos rancheros at Pine Country Restaurant (and my friend Bobby reminded me to get the oatmeal cookies, they are epic), followed by coffee at American Flyer was a perfect way to begin the photo frenzy that ensued.
No, we headed the right way…along 66, not the interstate. Ash Fork is home to De Soto’s Salon, a precursor to what was to come in Seligman. I was particularly intrigued by the native river rock stonework at Copper State Motel. (And who was Rick, and why was he immortalized on the stonework with a guitar?) And their Route 66 Museum was a happy surprise. They have a stop-worth site, with a scale model of the former train station and dioramas of the area’s history.
After a busy afternoon in Seligman, including Patty’s introduction to the infamous squirting mustard at Delgadillo’s Snow Cap, we moved on.
The route to Hackberry was dotted with Burma Shave reproductions and buildings and signs that were ghosts of their former selves. Hackberry General Store was a motorist oasis. And another big time photo op.
A popular stop for bikers along Route 66, as well as a true museum. North of Kingman, AZ, this Route 66 icon is chock full of Route 66 memorabilia. The town of Hackberry was found when prospectors discovered ore in the 1870′s. A large Hackberry tree grew by the spring, giving the town its name. Eventually the ore was gone, but the town hung on. Hackberry lies across the tracks from Route 66, but you will find the Hackberry General Store on the old road.
Lizzie’s Curio Shop from the Pixar movie “Cars” is chockfull of Route 66 memorabilia, and based on both the Hackberry General Store in Arizona as well as the Sandhills Curio Shop in Erick, Oklahoma.
Yes. (at the Hackberry General Store
Whew – yeah, it was a heavy photo day and we wound it up in Kingman, with a sign-a-rama fest. I wish I could say more, but I am worn slick.
