Seligman, Arizona is a historic Route 66 town, located about 40 miles west of Flagstaff, just off of Interstate 40.  If you're interested in history, specifically the history of Route 66, a "roadie," a person who likes to travel the byways of our great country, or just a tourist with some extra time on your hands, turn off I-40 at the Seligman turnoff, and take a bit of time to explore the town.  A visit to Seligman will take you back to the 1950's where Route 66 was labeled as the "Mainstream to America.  

Left:  Seligman, Arizona's Aztec Motel welcomes nostalgic Route 66 travelers.  Right:  Oh baby!  This gal resides in a window, just to the right of the office door of Seligman's Aztec Motel.

Seligman was founded in the 1890's as a railroad town on the Santa Fe Railroad, as it was an important railroad junction that had a branch line heading to the south, serving the city of Prescott.  Route 66 entered the city in the 1920's, and at that time, Seligman became an important stop for railroad, as well as highway traffic, which became the main source of income for the town.  

Interstate 40 bypassed the town in the early 1970's, and the railroad pulled out in the mid 1980's.  However, it seems that the folks of Seligman had other ideas, as they refused to let their town die, as had so many other railroad or Route 66-oriented towns.  

Left:  Looking west on Main Street, with a closed garage and a vintage Rambler to complete the photo.  Right: Note the historic Route 66 sign that the "Deluxe Inn" proclaims.

The present day Seligman seems to capitalize on the glory days of Route 66.  As you travel along Interstate 40, you'll see many billboards promoting the sights of Seligman, capitalizing on the railroad and Route 66 history.  I'm sure that these billboards will lure many interstate travelers off the "super slab" to take in a part of cold war era history, and the history of the "Mother Road," located just a mile or so off the interstate.  

Seligman has everything that the modern day "roadie" would expect:  souvenir stands, authentic coffee shops, period autos, saloons, cheap motels and tourists, droves of them, driven to the area by a very modern conveyance: Tour busses!  Yes, the tour bus crowd, both domestic and foreign is very active trolling old Route 66, so when you visit a place like Seligman, you sort of have to keep your eye out for the busses and if you want solitude in your photos, you have to dodge the tour bus crowd.

Left:  Main Street, Seligman, Arizona, takes you back to the late 1950's, the glory days of Route 66.  Right:  Elvis and friend, life-sized mannequins, repose in Seligman, Arizona, along historic Route 66.

If you're into cold war history, and specifically history concerning the "Mother Road," Seligman has it all, including signs, vintage autos, motels, gas pumps and a cafe/bar/souvenir stand that has some of the most outrageous mannequins that you'll find west of the Mississippi River.  They even feature a pink Cadillac, complete with a mannequin of Elvis and a beautiful blonde parked in front of the place; a nice touch to remember the Route 66 bygone byways.  Not to mention the place is decorated with mannequins of 1950's era rockers and movie stars, and of course, a James Dean-wannabe on a chopper.  Nice place and very nostalgic.

Left:  Is this real?  A pink Edsel with Elvis at the back and larger-than-life-sized mannequins as supporting actors? Only in Seligman, along Route 66.  Right:  Huge mannequins depict 1950's stuff at the largest souvenir place in Seligman, where bikers, and everybody else, is welcome, as proclaimed by a sign.

At the time of our visit, we weren't hungry, but if we had an appetite, we would have stopped at the world-famous Roadkill Route 66 Cafe, located at the west side of town.  They are famous world wide for good, down home cookin', Route 66-style, which will put a smile to the face of anybody who likes good ol' down-home cookin', American-style.  We noticed that there were quite a few Harleys parked in front of the place, and that's a good indication of the quality and quantity of the food served within the restaurant.  We've noted that those who ride Harleys are bellwethers for outstanding restaurant cuisine, and after seeing the multitude of Harley's parked in front of Roadkill, we'd rate it a worthy place to enjoy a meal.  Next time we visit Seligman, we plan to bring our appetites and dine at the Roadkill Cafe.  

Left:  Typical of the traffic along Route 66 in Seligman, a tractor driver makes his way east along Main Street. Right:  This 1953 Chevy is typical of many of the period vehicles found in Seligman.

If you have some time to kill, pull off the "super slab" and enter a time capsule from fifty years ago, Seligman, Arizona, located on historic Route 66, about 40 miles west of Flagstaff.   Spend time browsing in the many gift shops, have a bite to eat, and savor the history of the gone, but not forgotten, "Mother Road."

Left:  Looking west on Main Street.  Notice the Texaco sign.  How long has it been since you've seen one of them? Right Roadkill Cafe, at the west end of Seligman, where Harleys and other "easy riders" are welcome.