Route 66 Wednesday; Hackberry General Store

Approximately 27 miles east of downtown Kingman on Arizona State Route 66 along a former portion of US Route 66 is the Hackberry General Store.

Hackberry dates back to the 1870s as a mining town settled around the Hackberry Silver Mine. The town of Hackberry was named after a tree of the same name which grew in a nearby creek. Hackberry much like many of the western towns that were on US Route 66 was along the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. Hackberry can be seen on the A&P Railroad map of Arizona in 1882.

1882 A&P Railroad Map of western Arizona

By the late 1910s, the mines in Hackberry closed down which almost led to the demise of the town. By 1926 US Route 66 had been routed through Arizona along the previous Auto-Trail known as the National Old Trails Road which gave Hackberry a second life servicing cross-country travelers. Hackberry can be seen displayed on the 1927 State Highway Map of Arizona.

1927 Arizona State Highway Map

In 1934 what is now known as the Hackberry General Store opened as Northside Grocery which had a Conoco Station. The Hackberry General Store remained in operation servicing travelers on US Route 66 until 1978 when I-40 bypassed US Route 66. Hackberry along with much of the towns on AZ 66 almost died out and diminished in importance until renewed interest in tourism associated with US Route 66 started to grow in the 1990s. The Hackberry Store reopened in 1992 and has been in operation ever since. Today the pumps no longer work but rather usually host a parking spot for a C1 Corvette.

The Hackberry General Store sells all the standard tourist trinkets inside the building coupled with some haggard older items. Usually, I stopped in for a Route 66 Root Beer when they were a lot more common to find around 2012. The interior of the Hackberry General Store has a really nice old US 66 shield from California of all places.

The real fun at the Hackberry General Store is exploring the grounds to check out signs, gas pumps, and old cars. There is plenty to see around the store and there always to be something new whenever I stop in.

There are even some old Burma Shave ads that are next to some of the cars.

And even an old water tower displaying the name of the community of Hackberry.

Site Navigation:

Comments

Abandoned US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon

Within the Truckee River Canyon in the Sierra Nevada range numerous abandoned portions of US Route 40 can be found alongside modern Interstate 80. This segment of highway was opened during 1926 as a bypass of the Dog Valley Grade which carried the early North Lincoln Highway and Victory Highway. The corridor of the Truckee River Canyon State Highway would be assigned as US Route 40 when the US Route System was commissioned during November 1926. During 1958 the segment of Interstate 80 between Boca, California and the Nevada state line was complete. When Interstate 80 opened east of Boca numerous obsolete portions of US Route 40 were abandoned. Some of these abandoned segments have been incorporated into the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail. Part 1; the history of US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon The Truckee River Canyon for centuries has been an established corridor of travel known to native tribes crossing the Sierra Nevada range. The first documented wagon crossi...

Former US Route 50 and the South Lincoln Highway from Folsom east to Placerville

The corridor of Folsom of Sacramento County east to Placerville of El Dorado County has been a long established corridor of overland travel dating back to the California Gold Rush. The Folsom-Placerville corridor was once part of the path of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road which became the first California State Highway and later the South Lincoln Highway. In time the South Lincoln Highway's surface alignment was inherited by US Route 50. The Folsom-Placerville corridor also includes the communities of; Clarksville, Shingle Springs and El Dorado. Part 1; the history of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road, South Lincoln Highway and US Route 50 through Folsom-Placerville Folsom is located on the American River/Lake Natoma of eastern Sacramento County. That lands now occupied by the City of Folsom were part of Rancho Rio de los Americanos prior to the finding of gold at Sutter's Mill during 1848. During the California Gold Rush the lands of Rancho Rio de los Americanos were p...

Former US Route 50 and the Pioneer Route Lincoln Highway on Johnson's Pass Road

Johnson's Pass Road is one of the oldest highway corridors in California. Johnson's Pass was part of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road as it was completed during 1856 over the Sierra Nevada. The pass would later be incorporated into the Pioneer Branch of the Lincoln Highway in 1913 and US Route 50 in 1926. Johnson's Pass Road would be bypassed by a new alignment of US Route 50 over Echo Summit in 1938. A replacement of the Meyers Grade east of Johnson's Pass would be opened to traffic in 1947. Johnson's Pass Road remains accessible to traffic and is still signed by the Lincoln Highway Association. Pictured as the blog cover is the view from the top of Johnson's Pass Road overlooking modern US Route 50 and Lake Tahoe. Part 1; the history of Johnson's Pass Much of the history of what become the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road is discussed in the September 1950 California Highways & Public Works during its Centennial Edition. The or...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog