This is the last of my Route 66 towns. (Amarillo, to the east, has just grown so much, the last remnants of the Old Route 66 are barely discernible and not attractive.) When I first followed the traces of Route 66 into town, I arrived from the west. These three buildings were all I could find with any hint of the flavor of  Route 66. Disappointing.

I assumed Route 66 went on east through town. But I learned a lot more on my next trip coming in from the north on US385 (from Channing and Tascosa). My first surprise was the new windfarm on the terraces of the Canadian River Valley. The south side of the valley is more gently sloped with broad level terraces; they used these for the windmills. Below the edge, the land is ranches and quarries; on top, the farm land of the Llano Estacado would cost more for leasing for wind generators because of the center pivot irrigation. These generators produce 160 MW of electricity at full capacity.

While taking the picture above, a guy came out of a house and called out to me. I figured, after all these photo sessions, I'm finally gonna get some flak (that ended up happening a week later at Sweetwater, TX while visiting another windfarm.). But, instead, he suggested I go down the street and take pictures of the "station they've restored". I thanked him and did so.

A great source of information; the signs in the windows tell most of the story. While researching this project, I discovered Vega has the distinction of having TWO intersecting Main Streets! This is obviously the result of the town naming the Ozark Trail/ Route 66 "Main Street". Even after it made a right turn. Then, when the grid of streets were mapped, both retained the Main Street name. So there are N. Main, E. Main, S. Main, and W. Main which cross at Main and N. Main!

This is gonna date me but I remember my dad filling our car with these. There was a long vertical lever on this side connected to the pump (but it's gone on this one) that was pulled and pushed to lift the fuel into the glass cylinder. The gas was colored for visibility; generally orange for regular and purple for "high test".

You'll notice that "0" is at the top. Ideally, one filled the tank full and then drained it until the vehicle tank was full; the number left was the consumption. Then you pay the attendant. Or, if you want just so many gallons, the attendant subtracted from ten and filled it to that level and collected the money ($0.25/gal)  then the nozzle was opened and the fuel flowed by gravity into the tank.

There was also a big metal label which said "Contains Tetraethyl Lead antiknock compound/ The Ethyl Corporation". Eventually they figured out that all that lead coming out of car exhausts was making us crazy!

When the US gummint got involved in realigning Route 66, the circuitous routes like this through towns were straightened and, in this case, Route 66 then went along the south side of Vega. It is now the Business route of I-40, which is even further south.

These "adjustments" did not help the businesses along the old route but nothing hurt as much as the Interstate system. It is so easy to drive to Amarillo now, no one shops in Vega; there isn't even a grocery store! But there are three motels along I-40!

Of course other circuitous meanders were OK for political reasons. Santa Fe whined enough that Route 66 was routed north at Santa Rosa, NM, went nearly to Las Vegas, NM, then followed the only route ever (which I-25 follows now) over Glorieta Pass to Santa Fe before going back south to Albuquerque and then on west to LA.

Another interesting feature of Vega: it is the county seat of Oldham County but this Country Club is a mile and a half past the county line in Deaf Smith County! It is about 10 miles from Vega but why it is in the next county I never found out!