Posted by In the early 1970’s, a young man’s car broke down on his way to Sedona Arizona. Jackson Brown spent that day in Winslow, Arizona, possibly sanding on a corner, maybe taking it easy. With this inspiration, supplemented with Glen Frey’s addition, “Such a fine sight to see. It’s a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowin’ down to take a look at me,” came “Take it Easy” the Eagle’s first big hit. Brown and his car joined a long heritage of passing through this special place.
Like many places in the West, the Mormons established a settlement near Winslow as part of the western migration. In 1876, the LDS church founded Brigham City located on the wagon route that crossed the Little Colorado River just to the east. The area’s environment proved unsustainable for agriculture and Brigham City was abandoned in 1881.
Stepping into the void, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad identified the location as an important point on their new railroad. With a fresh start, the town was re-badged as Winslow, after Edward Winslow, the president of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad. The town played a key role in railroad operations, first as a water stop in the steam era and later as a diesel service point in the 1940’s. As Richard Logan Brimhall wrote, “I grew up in the small railroad town of Winslow, Arizona. My father, like almost every other head of household in our town, worked for the Santa Fe. As an engineer, his responsibility was to run the trains from Winslow to Seligman, Arizona, any time he was called, night or day. Railroading was not only his job, it was a way of life for all of us.”
Next came the highway. Route 66 connected Chicago with Los Angeles with a single stretch of pavement. In 1926, Main Street was incorporated into the route and Winslow again became logical stopping off point for motorists traversing Arizona. Winslow was the largest town in Northern Arizona through the 1960’s. The corner still stands, adorned with bronze sculptures and a mural celebrating Winslow’s musical legacy.
But what really interests a pilot is Winslow’s aviation heritage. In1928, none other than Charles Lindbergh selected Winslow as a location for an airport to support his fledgling airline, later known as TWA. Winslow-Barrigan Airport began operations in 1929 and grew to become an early hub and maintenance facility for DC-3s. Yet, as airliners’ range increased, Winslow’s locational value diminished. Today the airport (now called Winslow-Lindbergh Regional) primarily serves small planes with small fuel tanks…like ours.
So we join a long heritage of wagons, locomotives, automobiles, and airplanes that have passed through Winslow Arizona. No doubt many, like us, stood on a corner and took it easy…thank you JB and the Eagles for memorializing that tradition into the American song book. (Andy)
