Route 66 - Conway, Texas

If you're not looking for it, you might miss Conway, what with it only having a population of 20 at the time of the census in 2000. However, it's real panhandle territory that was more densely populated 10,000 years ago by hunter-gatherers, as evidenced by the stone tools they left behind.

Prior to any European discovery and invasion, those early Native Americans hunted on foot - the Spanish introduced European horses in the 15th century. They were soon completely outstripped in terms of horsemanship. The native population here - as elsewhere along Route 66 - was confined to reservations, and the territory was up for a succession of land runs.

Before Conway was Conway, it had a school, a post office, and a railway. In 1905, it acquired a name and an increased population - in 1939, there were 125 residents, despite hard financial times across the country. However, a decline began in the late 1960s; the post office and railway closed, and the I-40 bypassed the town, leading to a population you can literally count on your fingers and toes today.

That late 1960s decline, however, gave Conway - and Route 66 - one of the strangest sights along the route, burying five Volkswagen Beetles nose-down in the dirt. No one 'owns' the site, and visitors are encouraged to bring spray paint to leave their mark behind.



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