Roadside Oddities: Wigwam Hotel
If you ever wanted to relive your childhood and play Cowboys and Indians then the WigWam Motel is for you! The WigWam Motel is located on Old Route 66 in Holbrook, Arizona.
Chester E. Lewis had first seen a Wigwam Village in Cave City, Kentucky back in 1938 and decided he would like to build a Wigwam Village. There were seven of these Wigwam Villages built from the 1930’s to the 1950’s from Florida to California. The one here in Holbrook receives a lot of media attention due to its location on Route 66. It is located near several Native American Reservations, Navajo, Hopi, White Mountain Apache Reservations. There are several vintage automobiles that are around the perimeter of the property. The Wigwam Motel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 2nd, 2002.
One woman wrote to tell how she was only 4 years old, she had fallen asleep in the back seat of the car, when she woke the car was parked and her family was not in the car. When she looked out the windows and saw the tepees and thought that her family had been captured by the Indians. Later she had her own Wigwam for the evening and was happy as a child could be.Stories have been shared with the Lewis family over the years with letters that recall memories of their stay in the Wigwams.
Another letter reads: I was six years old, my brother was 12. My parents, brother and I were traveling Route 66 in a 1952 Plymouth Belvedere car. It was cold, I begged my folks to stay at the funny wigwam, they agreed. The wall heater made odd noises and scared me to leave it on. In short we all froze thanks to me that night. I have never forgotten that night, I think my parents paid $5 for the night back then.
These photos of the Wigwams may have a haunting familiar look in the back of your mind ... well if you haven’t remembered why they remind you of something here is the answer... Disney’s Pixar film “Cars” did a fantastic job of integrating Route 66 icons into the animation of this great movie. The Wigwam Motels shown as the “Cozy Cone Motel” in the animation ... (Ahhh, now you remember why these photos reminded you of something) which is a blend of the Wigwam Motel. The movie is also an eye-opener to the current Route 66 issues that include preservation and tourism topics.
So if you find yourself traveling on Old Route 66 in Holbrook, Arizona stop in for the night at the Wigwam Motel located at 811 West Hopi Drive and call ahead to reserve a tepee 928 524-3048