Just before the road climbs up a windy stretch into the Black Mountains toward Oatman, you’ll see Cool Springs. It opened as a Mobil gas station in 1927 and later expanded to include eight tourist cabins. With all of the travel on Route 66, it flourished through the World War II years. As more and more people acquired automobiles and took to the highways, Cool Springs entered its golden years after the war. Cool Springs was the last stop on Route 66 before heading into the dangerous mountain road toward Sitgreaves Pass and on to Oatman so it was a popular place to fill up with gas, check the radiator, and stretch your legs before traveling on.
Unfortunately, in the mid 1950’s, this section of Route 66 was bypassed by a straighter new alignment of Route 66 that went through Yucca, Arizona and did away with the need to travel up the steep mountain grades of Sitgreaves Pass. This would eventually be the path that the new Interstate 40 would follow and as it did, so did the traffic that used to go through Cool Springs. When the new alignment opened, the busy days at Cool Springs declined.
Then in 1966, a fire burned Cool Springs to the ground. The only thing that remained was parts of the stone foundation and the original stone pillars. For the next 25 years, Cool Springs was a ruin by the side of the road.
In the 1990’s, a new interest in Route 66 had begun and there were more and more travelers that would prefer to take the old two-lanes of Route 66 than zip by all of the small stops that the Interstate offered.
In 1997, a gentlemen named Ned Leuchtner passed through the area and became interested in Cool Springs and its history. He contacted the owner of the property and for three years he tried to purchase it but to no avail. Finally, in 2001, he was able to purchase the property and the rebirth of Cool Springs had begun.
Cool Springs Then and Now
