There are three Wigwam Motels left in the United States — one in Holbrook, Arizona, one in Cave City, Kentucky, and one in Rialto, California. All three are on or near Route 66. All three consist of concrete structures shaped like teepees (mislabeled as wigwams, which are a different kind of structure entirely), arranged in a horseshoe around a central office.
The original Wigwam Village chain was the idea of Frank Redford, a man from Horse Cave, Kentucky, who built the first one in 1937 because he thought the teepee shape would be distinctive enough to catch the eye of travelers from the road. He was right. The shape was impossible to miss and impossible to mistake, and it made the question of where you were staying that night into a kind of small adventure.
Six Wigwam Villages were built between 1937 and 1949. Three have survived. The Holbrook location, which opened in 1950, is one of the most photographed buildings on Route 66 and has been extensively documented by historians of American vernacular architecture — the catch-all category for buildings that were built to be useful and ended up being beautiful in spite of themselves, or sometimes because of it.
The teepees hold exactly what you’d expect: a bed, a bathroom, some furniture. They’re not large. They have the slightly damp smell of very old concrete. Staying in one is like sleeping inside a piece of American history that someone has thoughtfully left standing for you.
Route 66 was the greatest showcase for roadside architecture the country has ever produced. The Wigwam Motel is just proof that the most outlandish ideas often lasted the longest.
We are offering licences for ROUTE 66® Beer in specific territories. An invitation to others to become part of this story. To carry a piece of the road with them and to contribute to the story. We will share a percentage of royalties with Route 66 associations to keep the story alive.
The journey continues. This story is brought to you by ROUTE 66® BEER. Find us at ROUTE66BEER.COM
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