When I entered Joplin (Population 51,762), Missouri, I noticed a Volkswagen that had struck a fire hydrant in front of a car insurance company's office. Fortunately, the water was recycled.
One of the most famous buildings in Joplin is the Garage Apartment, which Bonnie & Clyde and three of their gang rented and stayed in for 13 days. On April 13, 1933, police officers suspected they were bootleggers and decided to see who was living in the apartment. When they approached the door, the gang opened fire, killing two of the officers. After the gun battle, the gang was in such a hurry to leave that they forgot a roll of Kodak film from Bonnie's camera. When the film was developed, it contained pictures of Bonnie & Clyde and their gang. These were the first photographs the police had of the infamous gang.
Located in King Jack Park along Route 66 in Webb City (population 13,031) is the World's Largest Praying Hands Memorial, built with over 220 tons of steel and concrete. Artist Jack Dawson conceived the Hands in 1971, but did not begin construction until 1972, completing the project in 1974. The Hands are placed on a 40-foot-tall man-made hill and reach 32 feet into the sky, reflecting "hands in Prayer, World in Peace."
The Bronze Praying Hands sculpture at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa weighs 30 tons and is actually taller, but the World Record Academy counted the man-made hill in Webb City as part of the structure, making it the "World's Largest Praying Hands Memorial."
Also located in King Jack Park is the "The Kneeling Miner" statue, with the engraving "This Land is Blessed," from a poem by Bonnie Linebaugh. Part of the poem on the memorial reads: "This land where miners old and young labored hard each day..." The complete poem appears on a plaque placed next to the monument. By 1900, there were over 700 mines located within the limits of Webb City. The bronze statue honors the mining heritage of southwest Missouri and the hard-rock miners who labored in the local mines.
Also in the same park is a 1903 monument by the Southwest Missouri Electric Railway Company that commemorates the interurban railway that operated across the Tri-State mining district from 1889 to 1939.
The railway system originally started as a horse-drawn streetcar line between Webb City and Carterville before expanding into a 94-mile electric railway network serving southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas, and northeast Oklahoma. Streetcar No. 60 is located in a nearby garage.
The Freedom Silo in Monett (population 9,576) is a repurposed 55-foot-tall 1890 grain silo and Monett's most recognized landmark, featuring a massive patriotic mural of a bald eagle and the American flag. Current restoration work is underway in preparation for America's 250th birthday celebration.
When I drove through Cassville (population 3,190), the only thing open was the Whitley Pharmacy drug store, which had an old-style soda fountain with a long wooden bar where people could sit on barstools.
Just across the street is the Barry County Courthouse, with several historic markers on its front lawn. One marker said that in 1858, Cassville was important because it was the last town on the Butterfield Overland Mail Route in Missouri before the stagecoaches continued south into Arkansas. The stagecoaches could travel about 100 miles in a day, with stops to change horses and take on supplies every 10-20 miles.
When I drove through Noel (population 2,124), I could not help but notice a neon "Cars" sign on a used car lot. This really reminded me of the Cars movie that had such a great influence on this Route 66 trip, so I had to stop and take a picture of the sign.
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