Kan-O-Tex Service Station

The Kan-O-Tex Service Station in Galena, Kansas, is a souvenir shop and tourist attraction in the former Little's Service Station building, a Kan-O-Tex filling station that originally served U.S. Route 66 motorists in 1934.

Kan-O-Tex Service Station (Galena)
Former namesLittle's Service Station
Alternative names4 Women on the Route
Cars on the Route[1]
General information
TypeHistoric filling station
LocationOld US Route 66
Address119 North Main Street
Town or cityGalena, Kansas
CountryUnited States
Coordinates37°4′49.4″N 94°38′20″W
Completed1934
Renovated2007
OwnerMelba Rigg, Renée Charles, Judy Courtney, Betty Courtney (d. 2010) (as 4 Women on the Route)[2]
Other information
Seating typeroadside café
Seating capacity12
Parkingon-site

History

US Route 66 was designated in 1926; by 1929 Kansas and Illinois were the first to completely pave their respective segments of this highway.[3]

Little's Service Station installed its fuel pumps on the former site of the Banks Hotel[4] (demolished 1933) at 119 North Main Street in Galena;[5] an automobile repair shop was added later. Before Interstate 44 opened in the area in 1961, bypassing Kansas entirely, US Route 66 in Kansas was a vibrant part of the "Mother Road" which led from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California.[6]

In 1979, US 66 in Galena was taken off its former Main Street alignment (which came in from Missouri as Front Street, turned south on Main Street, then followed the current K-66 route to Riverton) and routed directly onto 7th Street, bypassing the station. US 66 would become Kansas State Route 66 in 1985, but the station sat vacant, closed and largely abandoned until its 2007 restoration.

Restoration

The Kan-O-Tex Service Station bears the branding of the former Kanotex Refining Company (1909-1953), a now-defunct regional fuel brand named for Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The Kan-O-Tex logo was a Kansas sunflower behind a five-point star.[7]

The station is home to a 1951 International boom truck on which Pixar's animated character Tow Mater was based; Joe Ranft, a Pixar animator, discovered it during a research trip for the movie Cars.[8] In April 2011, a Disney/Pixar crew returned[9] to interview the station's owners for a DVD release of Cars 2.[10][11] As the "Mater" name is a Disney trademark, the original truck has been named "Tater."[12]

The station was restored in 2007 and renamed 4 Women on the Route.[5][13] Following an ownership change and the death of one of the founders of 4 Women on the Route, it was renamed again, becoming Cars on the Route, to emphasize its connection with Cars.[14] Located seven blocks north of the current (7th Street) Kansas Route 66, the station retains the original aesthetic design of the fuel pumps and exterior façade but places a diner-style lunch counter in what once would have been the service bay of the station's repair garage. It operates seasonally, closing for the winter and reopening in the spring.[15]


References
  1. Bryan, Andra (2013-05-06). "Route 66 tourist attraction close to wrapping up overhaul". Joplin Globe. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  2. Warnick, Ron (2013-03-19). "4 Women on the Route undergoing significant changes". Route 66 News. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
  3. Russell A. Olsen (2008-09-24). The Complete Route 66 Lost & Found. p. 8. ISBN 9780760334928. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
  4. Roger McKinney (June 30, 2008). "Galena station gassed about Route 66 award". Joplin Globe.
  5. Roger McKinney (June 28, 2007). "Unfinished tourist centre already attracting crowds". Joplin Globe.
  6. Historic Preservation Services (2002). "Historic Resources of Route 66 in Kansas - Cherokee County, Kansas (historic context)". National Park Service.
  7. Witzel, Michael; Steil, Tim (2003). Roadside Americana: Gas-Food-Lodging. St. Paul, MN: Crestline. p. 146. ISBN 9780760317723. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  8. "Historic Route 66 restaurants serve big helping of nostalgia". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  9. "Disney Pixar makes a special visit to Galena, Kansas". KOAM-TV 7 Pittsburg KS. April 18, 2011. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  10. Nikki Patrick (Apr 3, 2011). "Film crew comes to see inspiration for a 'Cars' character". The Morning Sun, Pittsburg, Kansas. Archived from the original on June 23, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  11. Ciara Reid (August 1, 2011). "A 'route' you cannot miss". Liberty Press.
  12. Shelton, Missy (June 25, 2011). "'Cars' Fans Get Their Rusty Kicks On Route 66". National Public Radio. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  13. "Betty Courtney (Sept. 7, 1930 - June 27, 2010), obituary". The Joplin Globe. June 29, 2010.
  14. Warnick, Ron (2013-03-19). "4 Women on the Route undergoing significant changes". Route 66 News. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
  15. "Cars On The Route". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
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