Meteor City Trading Post’s Final Business Day - Winslow, Arizona, USA.
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member veritas vita
N 35° 05.660 W 110° 56.128
12S E 505881 N 3883506
Meteor City Trading Post, located alongside Old Route 66, west of Winslow, Arizona, announced its final day of business will be 23rd December, 2012. Opened as a service station in 1938. Near the Barringer Meteor Crater, Arizona.
Waymark Code: WMT8YE
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 10/16/2016
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member lumbricus
Views: 5

Alas the iconic Meteor City Trading Post is now in near ruin, apparently ransacked. & what was said to be the Worlds longest Route 66 map has collapsed to the desert floor. The dream catcher may catch your 66 dreams, & at least the landmark, Mohawked geodesic dome still stands.

The Trading Post - Opened as a service station in 1938. The quirky trading post is another Mother Road casualty of the Interstate. Located just off old Route 66. near the Barringer Meteor Crater, Arizona.

"The business began as a service station opened in 1938 by Joseph Sharber. In 1941 Jack Newsum took over, gave it the name Meteor City, and turned it into an attraction where one could purchase gas, groceries, and curios. A roadside sign advertised it as a city with a population of 1. After Newsum married in 1946, he updated the population to 2.
The trading post's landmark dome was added in 1979. It appeared in the 1984 movie Starman, directed by John Carpenter and starring Jeff Bridges.

In 1990 the dome burned down and was replaced by the structure that remains today." Text Source: (visit link) & (visit link)

The Name: Meteor City:
"The name "meteor" comes from the nearby meteorite impact crater, Barringer Crater, named after Daniel Barringer who suggested its meteoric origin when most believed it to be an extinct volcano).

City, is a rather pompous title because a "city" is an inhabited place of greater size, population, or importance than a town or village, and this city never had more than 2 inhabitants.

Route 66 was aligned through the area in 1926 following the National Old Trails highway. The road was realigned later and in 1938, the Trading post was built. The freeway (I-40) bypassed it in the late 1970s but an exit was built just east of it, giving easy access to the trading post." Text Source: (visit link)

Meteor City Trading Post’s final business day is Dec. 23
Located at Route 66, I40 Ext239, Meteor City, Arizona, USA.

From the Route 66 News :
"As much as it saddens me I have to say our last day open will be December 23,2012 its been a wonderful ride….. met many people from all over the world right now everything except textiles is on sale 40% off t-shirt are 50% off come and get some great gifts! I thank everyone for their bussiness and also thank you to the ones thats has stopped by and chatted for a while ??

The business was recently listed on our “For Sale” page for $150,000.

According to Roadside America, the main stucco building was constructed in 1938, and the dome built in 1979. It’s also well-known for a mural that is proclaimed as the World’s Largest Map of Route 66 (100 feet), originally painted by late Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire." Text Source: (visit link)
Type of publication: Internet Only

When was the article reported?: 11/06/2012

Publication: Route 66 News

Article Url: [Web Link]

Is Registration Required?: no

How widespread was the article reported?: national

News Category: Arts/Culture

Visit Instructions:
Give the date of your visit at the news location along with a description of what you learned or experienced.
Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest News Article Locations
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
paveltul visited Meteor City Trading Post’s Final Business Day - Winslow, Arizona, USA. 05/27/2024 paveltul visited it
wildernessmama visited Meteor City Trading Post’s Final Business Day - Winslow, Arizona, USA. 11/01/2019 wildernessmama visited it
veritas vita visited Meteor City Trading Post’s Final Business Day - Winslow, Arizona, USA. 11/01/2016 veritas vita visited it

View all visits/logs