The Joy Motel is a joyous place indeed! I found it a few years ago when I was on a road trip specifically focused on finding cool roadside attractions – and thought I’d died and gone to heaven! Located in Eureka Springs, Arkansas – it still features 50′s and 60′s inspired rooms! It even has a vintage 1932 swimming pool!

They claim to be the “original Motor Motel” of Eureka Springs since 1929! Wow! Kudos to these folks for keeping the flame alive! Their motto is “We’ll bring out the joy in you!” No wonder I was attracted to the place! Here’s another quote from their site:
“Keeping the retro style and the service of the Good ole Days is what we are all about. Sit around the oldest and largest swimming pool in town, sipping your favorite beverage. Make a S’more, or roast a marshmallow at the Fire Pit! Lots of friendships have started around the ole Fire Pit!!!”

And it even gets better: they offer a full pancake breakfast with your choice of blueberry, chocolate chip, peanut butter or plain pancakes – and a glass of TANG – wow!

Well, you know how the internet is when you’re looking for information: eventually you have to read the tripadvisor reviews. I couldn’t help myself and sadly the first one was by some very upset customers that said the place had been taken over by new owners who weren’t keeping it up – they had had their original honeymoon there many years ago and come back for nostalgic reasons and claimed it was in poor condition.

Then I proceeded to read many glowing reports from folks that said the new owners had improved the look and cleanliness of the place. From my perspective as someone committed to preservation – I still give the new owners my thanks for keeping a great old tradition alive!

The Joy Motel rocks!

Well it’s finally happened! Another one of my favorite local landmarks, the giant ice cream cone at Meredith’s Bread on Route 28 between Woodstock and Kingston is gone. I’m disconsolate! I drive along this route about twice a day and seeing the giant cone always made me smile! I have wanted to paint the local icon for years – and now that it’s gone I’ve committed to making that one of my winter projects.

The giant ice cream cone will live for eternity along with other cherished pieces of our roadside past as a large oil on canvas – one of my collection.

A few moments to mourn the loss.

As Hudson Valley residents, my husband and I are always on the lookout for great places to go for a romantic overnight that are fairly close to home. Over the years, we’ve gone as far afield as Lake George or the Berkshires (1-2 hour drives), we love The Mohonk Mountain House, which is always an amazing trip of historic significance considering when it was built and the magnificence of the hotel itself (a 1/2 hour drive). We love going into New York City and have had fun exploring different hotels, restaurants and the theater, also a 2 hour drive from home.

But who would ever think that right in our hometown there is a truly special gem of an inn, that is also a survivor from an earlier time. I’m speaking about the Woodstock Inn on the Millstream! The sweetest spot which is nestled into the coziest corner, on the stream and just a few blocks from our delightful village. It was Richard’s birthday and we had to get up and work the next day so we couldn’t go too far from home – so we decided this would be a fun adventure – and it was!

I have great admiration for the owners of The Inn for the excellent job they’ve done in renovating, sprucing up and keeping alive this historic Woodstock inn which was first built in 1947 after World War II as a tourist court. Here’s a great definition of a tourist court from http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=2700

Tourist camps and courts were a common form of lodging for travelers in the United States from the 1930s to the 1960s. The terms “tourist camp” and “tourist court” were used to describe both an individual cabin or room rented for the night and the business as a whole. In their early days, they typically consisted of stand-alone structures that looked and functioned like small houses, with as few as four units to rent. Those built during and after World War II were increasingly likely to be under a single roof in the form recognizable today as motels.

By the 1940s and 1950s, many tourist courts offered room telephones, cafes, gas, and even swimming pools and air-conditioning. “Motel” (a blend of motor and hotel) became a popular term beginning in the 1940s and implied more rooms and greater conveniences to travelers. The terms co-existed into the 1950s and early 1960s, after which “tourist court” was largely dropped by business owners and the general public.

The current owners have done a great job in transforming what was once a seedy local motel that housed many famous rock and roll musicians in the 60′s, into a garden paradise by the stream. They also feature a delicious breakfast that included lox, bagels, cream cheese and smoked salmon the day we were there! Wow!

Kudos – another example of how someone who is committed to preserving the past, can continue to enrich us all and provide a beautiful experience close to home!

Today is the last day of my art show at Oriole 9 in Woodstock, New York – “Route 66 Revisited”! It’s been such fun to share some of my paintings from our trip last January in Arizona and California. That trip ignited a true passion for this treasured route and I have made a commitment to explore the entire road within the next few years.

So, the new plan is to do the first leg of Route 66 from Chicago to St. Louis the third week in October. Very excited! I belong to an e-group on yahoo that’s devoted to Route 66 fans – it’s a chat group where people share questions, memories, ideas and just hang together virtually with their love of the sacred road. I put out a question to the members looking for recommendations. I have been swamped with replies! No doubt we will not begin to be able to see or do all the things there is to do – in one short day!! I decided this letter was too great not to share – just in today from a lovely #66er named Lulu:

“Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket Willowbrook
White Fence Farm-Romeoville
The Rt 66 Welcome Center first stop for souvenirs
The Rialto Theatre built before the depression for 1 million dollars!-Joliet
Out of Joliet is The Route66 Raceway is on your left . Home of Nascar Races-Joliet
Gemini Giant at The Launching Pad-Wilmington
Polka Dot Drive Inn – Braidwood
Two cell Jail in downtown- Gardner
Marathon Gas station to your left- Dwight
Old Family Rest great murals, Dwight
Standard Station from 32 with a gas gravity pump in front- Odell
Mermen Caverns sign to your right -Cayuga
Old Log Cabin rest on your left-Pontiac
The Museum’s and murals to see in downtown – Pontiac
Bob Waldmire’s VW van and the recycled bus that Bob lived in are here!
Chenoa Pharmacy in Downtown circa 1889
Memory Lane north of town, is gated off but you can walk around, great photo ops-Lexington
Old alignment that is now a linear park – Towanda
Funks Groves Church 1845 If you take a right and then a left about a mile down is the church. These trees are tapped for the sirip are here.
Make a right back on 66 and stop at the shop on the left hand side-Funks Grove
Dixie Truck Stop, not much to see there any more. Commercially owned -McClean
Bunyon Giant holding a hot dog, the smiley water tower, The Atlanta Clock Tower and Library, The Palms Grill, recently renovated to its 30′s or 40′s original look including the counters. I hear they have a mean pie-Atlanta
Postville Courthouse where Lincoln practiced court in, nice square downtown, look at the tops of the buildings. There is a phone booth. It was above the police station as a lookout for tornados.
On the way out of Lincoln to your right will be two cemeteries,drive up to the get and walk around it and follow the road. This was an old alignment walk to the creek The Ghost Bridge. BRING BUG SPRAY! Mosquitoes are HORRIBLE!
The site of The Pig Hip, there is signage there-Broadwell
The Lincoln sites, Home, Library, Cemetery, Cozy Dog-Springfield
Bill Shea’s Gas Station and Museum-Springfield
Sky-view drive in still open, Aristion Rest been around since the early 30′s. Great food, you won’t regret it. Pork tenderloin sandwiches to DIE FOR. Tell Paul or his Dad, Nick tell them Lulu says Hi!- Litchfield
Russell Soulsby’s Shell Station, great photo op, put your car underneath the canopy- Mount Olive
Stay on the 1926-30 Alignment and that will take you to Henry’s Rabbit Rich, photo op on a huge Jackrabbit, great place to buy ‘stuff’ Staunton
When you drive under I-55, immediately look to your left, another Meramec Barn Sign, its not going to be there for much longer, if it is still there? On your right is St. Paul’s church. It has a neon cross -Hamel
There is a roadhouse on the left hand side in Hamel. Great food, in IL Hall of Fame It’s changed hands numerous times.
Not much to see Edwardsville, Glen Carbon.
The Ketchup Bottle Water Tower. It is not on 66 but it is worth the detour. I don’t have the infor, Mike Gassman might pipe up or Kip? Google it and get the info.
Old drive-in sign, photo op right hand sign after you cross 111. Further down is The Luna Cafe. Their Neon sign has recently been restored to it’s early glory! It also use to be a house of IL -repute. When the ‘girls’ were working, the cherry in the martini glass would be turned on. You definitely need a guidebook to get to the Chain of Rocks Bridge, you need to get on 270 cross the river, the bridge is to your left , make the first exit and make a left, to your left is the parking lot. It might not be open, Kip help out here? Any valuables lock up in your trunk.!!!!!!!!! Don’t leave ANYTHING visible in the car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I forgot when in Livingston, on the right hand side is an awesome Antique Shop and Ice Cream shop that looks like an Ice Cream Cone, it has other neat stuff for the kids. There is also a ‘flying saucer’ that the kids can crawl up into and eat their cones. I had cotton candy ice cream, again to die for!!!!
I sure hopes this helps, you have to pick and choose where you want to stop.
Like Brenda told me about our CA trip, make a list of must stops, maybe’s, then big maybe’s! I worked on that for 3 hours! LOL
One of the trips that I was on, there was a flea market open, found some great buys that I still have.
Don’t hesitate to stop somewhere that looks interesting.
When staying at Motels, tell them you are traveling 66,
If you have AAA, AARP? You might get a discount. It doesn’t hurt to ask.
All, they can say is no.

I know the Holiday Inn Express in Pontiac gives a 10% discount. Ask locals if there are anything interesting in town to see? Ask old timer’s that are hanging out at rests. How long have you lived here? Do you have any memories of 66? You will get history lessons that will be cherished forever. To bad Earnie is gone, he would have talked your ear off!
Bring umbrellas as it looks we are going to catch the tail end of the hurricane this weekend, bummer for you. One thing I will NEVER leave home without is Ziplock bags, you can keep road treasures in them dirty socks, so they don;t stink up stuff. Postcards hat pins, etc. You can keep them in one spot. xtra napkins, wetnaps, I also bring a magic marker/Sharpie. If, I pick something up, I can mark and date it. If you get wet this week end? You can put wet socks in them!
A couple of things I always bring, an extension cord. Sometimes the electric outlets are in odd places, you may need more than one outlet at a time. Charging phone, blow dryer,etc. A small flashlight, I have used mine numerous times, had to find an outlet under a bed with low light in the room, Carthage, Mo. haha.The place was great otherwise.
When packing? For example when packing T-shirts fold them in half length wise. fold the sleeves in then start at the top and ‘roll’ it, there are no wrinkles, plus because they are now smaller, you can pack more in. Do that with all your clothes. Now,If you have wrinkles and there is no iron? There is a product out on the market called Wrinkle Releaser by Downy. You find it in the laundry isle. You lay your clothes out flat, mist the shirt with this product. Then take your hands and rub your hands over the shirt. Viola! The wrinkles are gone! I will not leave home without it! I also bring a roll of duct tape, you never know when you might need it.
Can you tell I am getting into a traveling mode? I leave for Ca, in less than 2 weeks!
You also might want to bring with a notebook and take notes and write down memories. Hang on to it and you will have memories to hang on forever.
I was out west for 2 weeks. I spent about an hour every night writing in a journal. I left it on the train.
Oh yes, one more trip. I’m sure everybody has a camera and takes pictures. Stuff happens. I take a return address label and put it on my camera. I have lost 2 cameras and they were returned to me as my address was on it!
Also, in all your luggage, this is for my friends that fly anywhere and everywhere? Take a piece of paper and put your info on it, place it inside every piece. This way, if your luggage gets lost. Eventually it will be returned to you!
Another tip for people flying? Take duck tape, there are so many colors and patterns now. Take 2 pieces and make and x and put it on your luggage. When, it comes thru claims. You can spot it out right away!
I hope this helps!
To the gentleman who posted up all the other info. My hat’s off to you! Between the 2 of us. A week or 2 in IL LOL
Hugs to you traveler’s
Lulu“

“To access the COR you need to do so via the Illinois Side. Out of Mitchell, make the sharp left, take I-270 East, immediately exit on Old Alton Rd., turn right at the end of the exit ramp and turn right at the end of the exit ramp. turn right shortly thereafter on Chain of Rocks Road. Go straight past SR 3 and follow COR road to the bridge. The Missouri side is open sporadically at best.
The Ketchup Bottle is awesome! Take SR 159 out of Edwardsville, thru Collinsville, down a big hill and it will be on the left. One nice thing, it is hard to miss, and if you have probs getting there, anyone can get you in the right direction. Also, go to www.catsupbottle.com and connect with Mike Gassman—he is one helluva great guy! SGF, Kip”

So you can see – not too much dust settling under my feet! Gotta get back out there on the road – SO much to see and do! Many more paintings in my future!

We recently returned from a fabulous road trip canvasing Arizona and Southern California, primarily focused on the legendary Route 66! I’ve devoted several blogs to our adventures on #66, and now I’d like to give you an update on the amazing work being done by a group called the Mesa Preservation Foundation. This group did not exist until a cherished animated neon sign at The Starlight Motel on Main Street (the old Apache Trail) smashed to the ground on October 5, 2010 in a severe wind storm. (I photographed the sign in 2005 and featured the painting that ensued in my solo exhibition at WAAM in 2007).

When the sign was destroyed, Bob Patel, the motel owner said that he couldn’t afford to restore it, despite the public outcry about its demise. His insurance wouldn’t cover the huge expense, and there were also considerations regarding new sign ordinances which no longer allow flashing lights (the girls lit up as they were descending).

But this sign was beloved by too may to let it die – fans, led by Vic Linoff (local historian) formed the Mesa Preservation Foundation which has taken on the challenge of raising the $100,000 required to rebuild this beacon from the past. The original cost was $65,000 but now as the sign is nearing completion, the actual cost has come in much higher. They currently have about $30,000 still to raise.

The original 78′ tall sign was designed by the late artist Stanley Russon in 1960 and built by Paul Millet, who worked at the time for Guerrero-Lindsey Sign Co. “Paul was a master of neon. You don’t look at people like that as a sign maker. They’re artists”, said Vic Linoff. The restoration is being done by Scott Houston, an associate of Millet protegé Larry Graham. It took Houston five weeks of painstaking work to restore one of the graceful ladies. He built a new head for her and distressed it a bit to “make it look old”. She has been painted with the original colors, using the same color neon tubes as well. One quirky touch is the modern addition of an on/off switch in her belly button – ode to a belly button piercing! He has installed a new aluminum infrastructure to make the sign lighter and stronger than the original sheet metal. Happily, Hunt Construction and Abel Steel have donated the installation of the new $12,000 custom-made pole that the letters “M-O-T-E-L” currently stand on. Each of the newly restored letters is 6 1/2′ tall!

We cheered as we drove by the sign, resurrected this far – still awaiting the graceful ladies to be added at the final ceremony. We had a great meeting with Vic and his fellow board member Barbara Meyerson on a bright, sunny Saturday morning in their Mesa office. My proposal to them to help them reach their final fundraising goal: people can contribute to the sign restoration AND get a beautiful signed, limited edition giclee print of my painting “Diving Girls”! The print size is 19 x 25″ (the image centered and 13 x 19″) on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308. The cost is $275 with $100 being donated directly to the Mesa Preservation Foundation.

If you would like to have a print of the “Diving Girls” hanging on your wall, go to this link: http://vanishingroadside.com/about/new-projects/
and press the paypal button. I will ship your print asap and send off a check to the MPF for $100. Please also send me an email confirmation of your mailing address to maryanne@webjogger.net.

If you would like to donate directly to the foundation their address is:  PO Box 539, Mesa, AZ 85211 and make a note on the check that the money is for the diving lady project.

Kudos to Vic, Barbara and their fellow board members who have worked so hard to help preserve these amazing beacons from the past! We so appreciate your efforts!

There are some roads that become a big part of your daily life, and for me that is Route 28 right here in Ulster County, New York State. My husband Richard and I have our gourmet take out store and cafe Bistro-to-Go on Route 28 in a fun and funky little strip mall that hosts many other stores with culinary delights. Our neighborhood is populated with a huge Harley Davidson dealership, a great wine store, a cheese store, a handmade pasta store, a beer store, coffee roaster – you could get a great sign made across the street, buy a barn or hot tub, a fireplace or a few doors down help the people of Tibet!

But none of these friendly neighborhood businesses boast a really great old sign. And that distinction goes to my favorite local sign that I’ve driven by for years and am finally documenting: the giant ice cream cone at Meredith’s Bread! I drive by it at least two times a day on my way to run errands in Kingston. Day in and day out, no matter what time of year, under any weather conditions, I say to myself “I HAVE to paint that sign before it disappears”!! I have stopped in every season and taken shots of it. Last winter in the middle of a blizzard I snapped some pics thinking that might be a really interesting take on a giant ice cream cone – but alas – I decided it was too monochromatic. I’ve opted for a lush summer shot with all the trees at the height of their greenery. And let’s face it, when you think of ice cream cones, you think of summer.

So this photo will very soon become a painting – to be part of an upcoming show called “Ice Cream Dreams” this August at Oriole 9 in Woodstock.

In an effort to find out the origins of the sign, I went to the Meredith’s website and sent a message asking for help. I was thrilled to receive a reply from the owner of the business Robert Allen who told me that he has been the proud owner of the building and the business since 1972. Wow! That’s a good long time to be a member in good standing on Route 28. Back in those days it was just a 20′x40′ fruit stand which they ran until 1980 when he added the ice cream business. He built the big cone himself with the help of local signmaking legend Phillip Fox. Really nice!

Over time, businesses evolve and change, and Robert shared with me that in 2007 he made a decision to close all the other aspects of the business to focus completely on the bakery, which has grown tremendously. They sell their baked goods to over 40 farmers markets in the Metropolitan area each week. Tremendous!

So blessings on the sign! I always worry that one day I’ll drive by and it will have been taken down in a big gust of wind. But then again, if it could withstand the force of Hurricane Irene last August – it can take almost anything! A true survivor that beautiful giant ice cream cone!

The full name of this wonderful Ulster County Route 28 roadside treasure is “The Reservoir Delicatessen and Dairy”. How many times have I driven by this great sign and said to myself “I have to stop, get a picture and PAINT that sign”? Hundreds, I’m sure!! So one day last summer, I finally did it! Jumped out of the car, snapped a few pics and dashed inside, notebook in hand to find out a little more about the place.

One of the things I’ve noticed is that when I drive by something year after year, it becomes part of the background of my life. If I were on a special trip to the Catskills, I would have taken a picture of that cow years ago! So I’ve recently made a commitment to documenting and telling the stories of great local roadside attractions, as well as those I find on travel adventures.

Well, this is a brief history, but here goes: the current owners are Brian and Julie Scott. They have operated it as a deli for 39 years! Now that is a real accomplishment! Brian told me that before they owned it, it was a drug store – and before that a yarn store! Not sure of the exact date the first owner Henry Kromke opened it as the Deli Dairy and put up the marvelous sign of the cow – but we thank him for doing so. She’s smiled upon millions of drivers wending their way up Route 28 through Shokan and deep into the Catskills!

If you know anything else about the history of this wonderful roadside landmark, please comment and I will revise this post to include your connection to Route 28 history.

Oil on canvas, 24" x 36 "

Wherever I go on my travels, I’m always on the lookout for great remnants from our roadside past to paint – be they great old signs, businesses that have survived or been revitalized, and of course the wonder of old cars and trucks! A few years back, while visiting Richard’s family in Sun Valley, Idaho, I had the pleasure of meeting Chris Key and his 1960 Studebaker. Now that’s when cars and trucks had real personalities! I was smitten by the worn-out blue, the friendly nose and grill work – and considering the climate and road conditions in the mountains, its excellent condition.

So where would be the best place to take a few snapshots for a painting? He recommended an old road that’s only passable in the summertime as a quiet spot with a great view of Mt. Baldy in the background. We headed out on a sunny, brisk Idaho day and the rest is history. I painted this in oils and it’s been part of the collection at Stephano’s Fine Art Gallery in Little Rock, Arkansas for the last few years.

I wrote down a few important details about Chris’ prize: this was a very special four-wheel drive, line-built vehicle. They only made 66 of these small half-ton trucks in 1960 and Chris owns #33. He said they were sold to the Navy on a military contract.

I went online to see what I could dig up about the history of this model and had to search long and hard to find much of anything. Now I’m beginning to think that what Chris has here is truly legendary! These few paragraphs are all I could find of note and this is definitely the same model (from Wikipedia):

Transtar was the model name given to the line of trucks produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, from 1956-1958 and 1960-1963. The Transtar name was first introduced for the 1956 (2E series) model year in 1/2-ton, 3/4-ton, 1-ton, 2-ton, and 2-ton heavy-duty capacities. The three smaller models were available with factory-built pick-up bodies. The basic styling of these trucks dated back to the 1949 models, though they had received some styling and engineering changes in 1954 and 55. The Transtar name continued to be used on most of the 1957-58 3E series trucks, though a stripped-down Studebaker Scotsman model without the Transtar name was introduced in the 1958 model year. The 57-58 Transtars received an aggressive new fiberglass grille that attempted (largely successfully) to make Studebaker’s outdated cab design look fresh and new. For now-unknown reasons, the Transtar name was dropped for the 1959 4E series Studebaker trucks and changed to Deluxe.

For 1960, Studebaker introduced a new line of 1/2-ton and 3/4-ton trucks under the name Studebaker Champ. The Champs used front-end and cab sheet metal from the 1959-60 Lark passenger cars, mated to their existing light-duty truck chassis and drive trains. The Champs were created in response to the Ford Ranchero (introduced in 1957) and Chevrolet El Camino (introduced in 1959), which used passenger car styling and features in a light-duty pickup truck. The Transtar name reappeared on Studebaker’s medium and heavy-duty trucks (1- and 2-ton) for 1960, and continued to be used on these trucks up through its 1964 models. Studebaker suspended production of all of its truck models when it closed its United States factory in December 1963.

Oil on canvas 40" x 80"

We’ve owned a home in the Hudson Valley since 1985 (started out as weekenders from New York City) – and there’s almost no landmark as iconic to Kingston as the giant Skytop Steakhouse neon sign that beckons travelers as they’re approaching exit 19 on the New York State Thruway! For a number of years, part of the fun of the sign was that one or two letters would be dark – you were never quite sure what the sign would say from one night to the next! It had become sad a few months ago, the word “Skytop” wasn’t even illuminated and all that the other sign said was “A—H-O—S-E”. We chuckled a few years ago when just the letters “K-Y” were lit up on the Skytop portion.

I had known for years that I wanted to paint this local legendary sign. So finally one evening at dusk as I was driving by I just turned the steering wheel up up up the hill, trudged through the snow around to the front of the sign, (had to be careful not to fall off the cliff) and snapped a few good shots! Wasn’t sure of the angle I wanted to portray, and still have some others that I like a lot, but ended up choosing this straight ahead shot and created the oil painting as a diptych. I showed this piece last year and the locals went crazy for it! “Skyto!!!” everyone mused!

I was curious to know more about the history of the place – so here’s what I’ve discovered from several articles in the Kingston Daily Freeman: “The original Skytop was built in 1959 and officials have described the property as one of Ulster County’s best-known landmarks with impressive views of the lights of Kingston. In a 1981 newspaper article, the view was described as an ‘unbeatable panorama from a hilltop site overlooking the Hudson River Valley.’ Of the culinary offerings, the article stated: ‘Its beef and seafood broiled over a flaming charcoal pit are hard to beat.’”

The Lo Bianco family has been running the place since 2005, when they invested close to a million dollars to get it back up and running. It had been sitting empty, abandoned since 1993. They’ve had their share of different ideas about how to make it work, having run it as a microbrewery for years. But under the new management of Tim Alles, they have gotten rid of that angle and are focusing more on great food and service.

The most exciting news just happened this March – they’ve redone the “Steakhouse” sign! And it’s gorgeous!! I wonder if they plan to light up the word “Skytop” again, as well? In the meantime, hats off to the Lo Bianco’s for realizing the value of their beautiful sign – and once again lighting up the night sky of Kingston, New York! If you’re interested, here’s a little video clip from the Freeman:

http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/3356645

Wherever I go on my travels, I’m always on the lookout for great remnants from our roadside past to paint – be they great old signs, businesses that have survived or been revitalized, and of course the wonder of old cars and trucks! A few years back, while visiting Richard’s family in Sun Valley, Idaho, I had the pleasure of meeting Chris Key and his 1960 Studebaker. Now that’s when cars and trucks had real personalities! I was smitten by the worn-out blue, the friendly nose and grill work – and considering the climate and road conditions in the mountains, its excellent condition.

So where would be the best place to take a few snapshots for a painting? He recommended an old road that’s only passable in the summertime as a quiet spot with a great view of Mt. Baldy in the background. We headed out on a sunny, brisk Idaho day and the rest is history. I painted this in oils and it’s been part of the collection at Stephano’s Fine Art Gallery in Little Rock, Arkansas for the last few years.

I wrote down a few important details about Chris’ prize: this was a very special four-wheel drive, line-built vehicle. They only made 66 of these small half-ton trucks in 1960 and Chris owns #33. He said they were sold to the Navy on a military contract.

I went online to see what I could dig up about the history of this model and had to search long and hard to find much of anything. Now I’m beginning to think that what Chris has here is truly legendary! These few paragraphs are all I could find of note and this is definitely the same model (from Wikipedia):

Transtar was the model name given to the line of trucks produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, from 1956-1958 and 1960-1963. The Transtar name was first introduced for the 1956 (2E series) model year in 1/2-ton, 3/4-ton, 1-ton, 2-ton, and 2-ton heavy-duty capacities. The three smaller models were available with factory-built pick-up bodies. The basic styling of these trucks dated back to the 1949 models, though they had received some styling and engineering changes in 1954 and 55. The Transtar name continued to be used on most of the 1957-58 3E series trucks, though a stripped-down Studebaker Scotsman model without the Transtar name was introduced in the 1958 model year. The 57-58 Transtars received an aggressive new fiberglass grille that attempted (largely successfully) to make Studebaker’s outdated cab design look fresh and new. For now-unknown reasons, the Transtar name was dropped for the 1959 4E series Studebaker trucks and changed to Deluxe.

For 1960, Studebaker introduced a new line of 1/2-ton and 3/4-ton trucks under the name Studebaker Champ. The Champs used front-end and cab sheet metal from the 1959-60 Lark passenger cars, mated to their existing light-duty truck chassis and drive trains. The Champs were created in response to the Ford Ranchero (introduced in 1957) and Chevrolet El Camino (introduced in 1959), which used passenger car styling and features in a light-duty pickup truck. The Transtar name reappeared on Studebaker’s medium and heavy-duty trucks (1- and 2-ton) for 1960, and continued to be used on these trucks up through its 1964 models. Studebaker suspended production of all of its truck models when it closed its United States factory in December 1963.