Route 66 - Pt 10

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. (2 Corinthians 5:1-5 ESV).

Today we come to the end of our road trip along Route 66. It is entirely fitting that we end it at the Wigwam Motel in San Bernardino, California. In the 1930s and 1940s, Wigwam Villages used to be all over the U.S. from Kentucky to Louisiana to Florida. Today, only a few remain. And one of these is near the western end of Route 66 in San Bernardino, California. It is unique and amazingly ahead of its time, given that it was built in 1949. The air cooled units even have individual bathrooms. The Wigwam Village was conceived in 1933 by Frank Redford of Horse Cave, Kentucky, when he built a cone-shaped building to hold his collection of Native American artifacts. Adding a few more similarly shaped structures a few years later around the original building designated for sleeping, he christened the compound Wigwam Village. To modern visitors, it is somewhat surprising to learn that this collection of distinctive triangular buildings is considered by some to be the precursor to the chain motel. The consistency with which these conical structures would be designed as they were increasingly built across the country was helped along by the patent that Redford was granted in 1937 for a "new, original and ornamental design for a building.” Despite their eye-catching look and family-friendly appeal, once the interstates bypassed Route 66, the San Bernardino Village fell on hard times in the 1960s and ‘70s like most secondary road businesses. The Wigwam Motel is now being run by another family who acquired the property in 2003. Under their care, the motel has been restored to its former glory ready for weary travelers. How like the promise of God! These “earthly tents” Paul speaks of in our reading today are being passed by, each day deteriorating little by little. However, God is making plans, completing the construction of our eternal home! It will be perfect in every way. When each unit is finished, we receive the keys, and a personal escort to it from our God and Savior. Now that’s how you end a road trip!