The Red Fork Hippie Chick posted some information about photography and one the photos she included was a sign at the Wig Wam Motel on Route 66 in San Bernardino, California. Here was my response to her post:
I was surprised to see the neon sign photo taken at the Wig Wam Motel in San Bernardino. I grew up in that area and just seeing the sign brought memories flooding to my mind. I realize this post is about neon sign photography, but I would love to see a photo of the wig wams themselves.
We lived only about two miles from the Wig Wams. One year when I was about twelve or thirteen, we vacationed to various locations such as Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, and Mount Rushmore and Badlands in South Dakota.
On our way home, we took Route 66 which we called the southern route. We stopped at Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico and Petrified Forest in Arizona.
We were almost home when my dad suddenly had an idea. As we passed by the Wig Wam Motel he decided we would stay all night there even though our house was only two miles away.
We had never seen the inside of the Wig Wams, so it was quite an adventure for me and my little sister. The inside was tiny and they weren’t really very nice, but we still had a good time. They didn’t have air conditioning, only window fans. It was mid-July so it was really hot in the tight quarters.
It was nice that we had the experience of staying in the wig wams, but we were really happy to get home the following day.
They used to have their little slogan or motto on a sign back then. It said, “Sleep in a Wig Wam.”
Thank you for sharing your photos.
Mother Road 