Wigwam Motel of Holbrook, AZ. - Route 66 - The Mother Road on Waymarking.com

Frank Redford was enamored with the teepee. In 1933, with a restaurant and gas station in the shape of a teepee surrounded by 15 teepee cabins, he established Wigwam Village #1. He eventually was responsible for seven villages being built, of which three still exist. Two of the remaining Wigwam Motels lie along Route 66.

This teepee village is in Holbrook, AZ and was built in 1950 by Chester E. Lewis. He operated it under license from Frank Redford from 1950 till 1974 when he closed it after the Interstate rerouted most traffic away from his motel. After his death, his son renovated and reopened the motel in 1986. This Wigwam Motel has 15 teepee rooms numbered 1 through 16 (there is no #13) and it continues to be operated by the original family.

My visit didn't coincide with the office being open so all I could do was look around (it was off season). The place has character though it seems a bit weathered now. Several vintage automobiles are parked in front of teepees to give an authentic feel to the place. The room I looked in was in good shape with a TV and a window air conditioner but no phone. A concrete path runs in front of and connects all teepees but the lot is not paved, which would normally be fine since Holbrook is in the desert.

I loved how under the motel name it read, "Have you slept in a wigwam lately?"

If these teepee cabins look familiar but you're not sure why then it might be because you've seen the Pixar movie "Cars" recently. As with many things in that movie, parts were adapted from real life along Route 66. In this case, the motel rooms in the movie were orange traffic cones instead of teepees but the motel was largely the same set-up as at the Wigwam Motels. Cool, don't you think!

Next time I will definitely make plans to stay in a Wigwam Motel!

Americana: Motel/Hotel Significant Interest: Other Icon Milestone or Marker: Other Icon Web Site Address: [Web Link] Address of Icon: 811 West Hopi Drive Holbrook, AZ USA 86025

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