A mere 54 minutes and 58 miles east of Flagstaff, the town of Winslow is close in proximity but far away in mood and landscape to the university atmosphere and tall ponderosa forests of its bigger mountain-town neighbor.
Located on a desolate but strangely lovely stretch of plains, desert grassland and shrubs along Interstate 40, Winslow is in Navajo County and has a population of about 10,000, according to the 2010 census.
An Illustrious Past
Winslow was named for Edward F. Winslow, president of St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad, which owned half of the old Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. In fact, the rail tracks that wind through Winslow have defined its character since it became the division point for the Santa Fe Railway in 1880, becoming a regular railroad terminal in 1881.
At the crossroads of travel from east to west during the frontier days in America, both Flagstaff and Winslow provided relatively safe stopping points for rail passengers, as well as a central place for stagecoaches bringing travelers to town on primitive and rutted dirt roads.
The first hotels, like the historic La Posada in Winslow, were often part of the Harvey House chain of eateries and lodgings along rail lines. As a critical link in this chain of travel, Winslow was originally envisioned as the most important town in Northern Arizona by Santa Fe railroad magnates.
Decline and Rebirth
However, a decline in rail travel in the late 1950s dramatically slowed growth in Winslow. The final nail in the coffin came in 1974 when Interstate 40 replaced Route 66, the Mother Road, effectively bypassing the town.
Allan Affeldt, who served as mayor of Winslow from 2005 to 2008, has commented in previous stories that Winslow went to sleep and lost its way. Today, largely due to super-human efforts to bring the town back to life, such as the restoration of La Posada by Affeldt, the town is emerging again as a desirable Southwest destination.
Striking a modern touch, Winslow achieved national fame in 1972 in the Eagles-Jackson Browne song, “Take it Easy,” which has the line, “standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona,” and a public park commemorating the song opened in 1999 with a mural by John Pugh and a life-size statue of a man holding a guitar.
Adhering to Civic Plan
Also essential to this new face for Winslow are the series of projects in the Civic Plan for Winslow, drawn up in 1997 by community planners and historic preservationists in collaboration with Arizona State University.
That was the same year Affeldt purchased La Posada, and, with his artist wife, Tina Mion, transformed it into a tourism and cultural attraction with an acclaimed fine-dining restaurant and a wealth of historical artifacts.
Mark Woodson, owner of Woodson Engineering and Surveying, Inc. in Flagstaff, has been Winslow’s city engineer during the entire civic plan development.
“The projects have been known as the Renaissance Projects, and overall we’ve followed that, but not exactly, because things change over time,” Woodson said. “Woodson Engineering feels honored to get to be a part of all that has gone on in Winslow for more than 15 years.”
Projects in Phases
These Renaissance Projects have been progressing in phases. The first phases have included developing I-40 gateways to the east and west sides of town with improved signage designating Route 66 status and the exit to La Posada, as well as streetscapes that have widened 2nd and 3rd streets, repaved them, planted trees and improved parking and curbs.
Woodson says much of the funding for these improvements has come from a turnback agreement with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). Turnback programs transfer ownership of functionally local, state-owned roads that serve a local traffic purpose, from state government to local government. Funding is provided by state government to rehabilitate eligible roadways and bridges to satisfactory condition, but then the municipality is responsible for maintaining the system.
“When they build freeways, they leave behind the old state highways and towns that were bypassed by freeways,” he explained. “The state came to Winslow and said, ‘We no longer need it in our system, so we want to give it back to you.’ The state provides funding for improvements and then gives it to the city forever.”
The city plan also included creating a master plan for development at La Posada.
Developing a new visitor center on the west side of town was also a high priority and the historic Lorenzo Hubbell Trading Post and Warehouse on West 2nd Street was restored and turned into Winslow’s Chamber of Commerce/Visitor Center.
City planners intended for the visitor center at Hubbell in the west and La Posada in the east to create attractions that anchor both ends of town.
Transportation enhancement grants enabled the city to create a fully landscaped linear park along the railroad tracks on 1st Street, providing walkways, art installations and train exhibits to entertain locals and visitors alike.
“The town has really changed,” Mion said. “The trees are green, and all the lights are new and kind of antique looking.”
A new museum in the restored train station on the grounds of La Posada will house changing exhibits of the art of Route 66 artists.
“It will be art influenced by Route 66 artists who have lived or worked on Route 66, including light and space artists like James Turrell,” Affeldt said.
Funding is in place for the museum project, as well as a new performing plaza at the Standin’ on the Corner Park, and construction slated to start at the beginning of 2015, with the museum scheduled for opening in the fall of that year.
By Betsey Bruner, Flagstaff Business News